Motherland: A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim Her Past
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.41 (622 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0670881058 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-04-14 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
A riveting read, Motherland echoes Ursula Hegi's Stones from the River. A memoir as lyrical as a novel, Motherland is the narrative of a personal transformation that examines the legacy of war. It is the story of learning to live with the past, of remembering and honoring while looking forward and letting go. In the tradition of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, Motherland probes a pain that shatters nations, divides generations, and outlives its perpetrators. A poignant mother-daughter journey explores the afterlife of the Holocaust in a story of love, loss, and the persistence of memory In 1938, just before they were killed by the Nazis, Freida and Siegmund Westerfeld sent their twelve-year-old daughter Edith to live with relatives in Chicago. For Edith the trip was an act of courage, a chance to reconnect with her homeland and reconcile with her past. Edith escaped the death camps but was left profoundly adrift, cut off from culture, tradition, her entire identity. For Fern it was a miraculous opening, a break in the wall of silence surrounding her mother's past and her mother. Then, with her daughter Fern Schumer Chapman--herself a pregnant mother--Edith returned to Germany. For decades she shut away her memories, until she realized that the void of her past was consuming her and her family. It is a loving yet harrowing story of mot
interesting and riveting kindle lover Well written, have read many books on the holocaust but this is exceptional, it gave me a better understanding of the trauma suffered by all. I had a hard time putting the book down. One of best!. A "Must-Read" Once you begin this book, you will not be able to put it down until you finish it. Chapman grabs the reader on many fronts: with a compelling story; with beautiful writing full of creative imagery and insight; and with lots of food for thought. Motherland holds appeal for many different types of readers. It is simultaneously a book about the Holocaust, the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships, and most importantly, the effects the past can have on the present and future. "Universal Appeal" according to A Customer. To read "Motherland" is to experience a whole different side of the Holocaust and its far-reaching implications. Lovingly told in vivid accounting and imagery, this story of a daughter's search to uncover her mother's past, and therefore fill in her own family history, will have a powerful impact on readers regardless of their religion. You don't have to be Jewish, a mother or a daughter to appreciate the beauty and truths Chapman displays. "Motherland" touches the spirit as we
She introduces two gripping individuals: the town historian, Hans, who lives in remorse and humiliation because he failed to help Edith's mother; and Mina, Edith's family's maid and soul-sister, whose defiance and hatred of the Nazis raged in her until her death. Although at times Chapman's prose seems too sentimental, her report of a German town's reactions to a Holocaust survivor's return is moving and engrossing. From Publishers Weekly When asked to accompany her mother on a return visit to h