Fern Schumer Chapman also wrote a middle-grade/YA novel based on her mother's story, Is It Night or Day? that you may want to consider along with Motherland. She is available for author visits (we are having her speak to our 8th-12th graders for Yom Hashoah this year). Below is an excerpt from her website at http://fernschumerchapman.com/ about both books, and the third book she is working on:
Recently, these two books have led to another amazing story. On the ship that brought her to America, young Edith became best friends with 12-year-old Gerda Katz, but the two hadn't seen each other since their arrival in 1938. After a Naperville, Illinois middle-school class read Is It Night or Day?, the students were so moved by the story that they made it a class project to reunite the two women. Fulfilling a shared life-long dream, the two women, now in their 80s, finally saw each other again last summer in Seattle, Washington. In 2012, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will dedicate most of an hour-long show to the reunion of Edith and Gerda. The Naperville students' technological efforts, Gerda's life, the story of Edith and Gerda's friendship, and their reunion 73 years after their long-ago immigration journey will be the subject of Fern's third book. Good luck! Rachel Kamin, Director The Joseph and Mae Gray Cultural & Learning Center North Suburban Synagogue Beth El 847/432-8903 x242 or [email protected] <blocked::mailto:[email protected]> August Office Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays 9:00am-5:00pm From: hasafran-bounces+rkamin=nssbethel....@lists.service.ohio-state.edu [mailto:hasafran-bounces+rkamin=nssbethel....@lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of Eva Radding Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 1:15 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] Holocaust book suggestion Leah Friedman is looking for a Holocaust novel or memoir suitable for a Bais Yaakov high school. I suggest Motherland, a memoir by Fern Shumer Chapman. The author's mother escaped from Germany in 1938, and mother and daughter travel to the mother's home town in 1990. Her mother has never escaped the trauma of being sent to America at the age of 12 and subsequent loss of her family in the Holocaust, and throughout her life has felt unloved and unable to talk about her past. In Germany, mother and daughter uncover the town's memories and secrets, from the town historian, a former Nazi, to a childhood friend who actively resisted the Nazis. Through the visit, both Jews and townspeople face their past, and the memories and motivations that were long buried. The memoir is more about the legacy of the Holocaust more than its horrors, and is a mother-daughter story as well. Eva Radding Librarian Facing History and Ourselves 16 Hurd Road Brookline, MA 02445 617-735-1680 www.facinghistory.org This email and any information attached to it may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any use or dissemination of the information is prohibited. Please notify the sender that you received the email in error and delete any record of this message. =
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