Dear Heidi
I have just listened to your 'Enough with the Holocaust Books' podcast, and was particularly struck by the early comments regretting the shortage of children's books not directly related to the Holocaust. No explanation, however, was forthcoming. The trauma of the Holocaust naturally gave voice to the horrific and heroic events of the time, but it also stifled other contemporary and/or subsequent stories of Jewish experiences that paled when compared with the real trauma that remains (and will continue to remain) part of the Jewish psyche. I would mention as an example the hundred-thousand Yiddish-speaking Jewish community of the East End of London, England was lost as a direct result of the targeted bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe in World War Two. One third of all housing in the district in which they lived was destroyed or made uninhabitable. Many Jews were killed and ninety percent of their synagogues and schools were demolished and the population was forced to disperse. When I asked why their story was not told, their reply was that what they had suffered was as nothing when compared to the real sufferings of their families and fellow Jews in Europe. As a result, I wrote my book "From Here to Obscurity" in 2001, that told their story seen through the eyes of an eleven-year-old, that had to be self-published, as no mainstream publisher would touch the subject, nor did most professional review publications or reviewers, despite the acknowledged high quality of the book. Nor, might I add, did most of the AJL libraries put it on their shelves. (Stocks are languishing with Henry Hollander). I mention my experience to illustrate a reason for the so-called shortage complained of in your podcast. I am not at all sure there is a shortage. Libraries simply have not looked in the right places for their purchases. Individual authors are not the best promoters of their works. Often they are not aware of, or cannot get through, the publishing and promotion barriers. Bookshops want books to be available in book warehouses who want guarantees that bookshops or libraries want the books. (Catch 22). Persistence and ingenuity is required to bring a book to the attention of distributors. I know that libraries suffer from a wide range of restrictions, but I am sure that if an organization such as the AJL were to by-pass mainstream channels and offer reviews of books in the subjects of their choice, in exchange for a discounted price of self-published books, they would get a good response from authors and the "missing" books would come to light. Shalom and best wishes Yoel Sheridan Israel Tel: +972 9 8654486 Fax: +972 9 8653121 Mobile: +972507535324 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> www.tenterbooks.com <http://www.tenterbooks.com/> --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
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