Overview

How do survivors of genocide come to terms with the horrors they witnessed and experienced? Do they become shells of what they had been, or do they find meaningful ways of re-establishing their lives and move forward productively? In this book, part memoir and part historical novel, the life trajectory of several Shoah survivors is described, including the author's parents, sister, aunt, uncle, cousins, and family friends. Some were able to survive by leaving subjugated countries before the Nazis could imprison them, others were able to hide in forests or in the homes of Righteous Christians, and a few others somehow survived the terror of the concentration camps. Most of the author's family, including grandparents, brothers, and sisters did not survive, but parts of their stories are told in this book. The lives of survivors prior to and during the Shoah is described as are their post-Shoah experiences that allowed them to reclaim their identities and begin anew.

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9789493322240

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Reviews

If you read only one memoir addressing the Holocaust and victim resilience in the face of unspeakable horror, this should be the one. Hymie Anisman's account of the Holocaust experience from its victims' point of view [...] is absolutely riveting. These historical events come alive with descriptions of the ordeal as experienced by individual family members who did not survive the Nazi regime, as well as those who did miraculously survive, some of whom dedicated themselves to ensuring we never forget how authoritarianism can take hold and ultimately destroy millions. This compelling memoir builds on Anisman's own research in neuroscience that has sought to improve understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder and illuminate how intergenerational transmission of vulnerability in descendants of survivors may occur. This is a unique mixture of science and history, delivered using a first-person narrative. [...] By guiding us through the Holocaust and its aftermath, Anisman tackles the big existential questions, without supplying easy or trite answers... - Nyla Branscombe, University Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas This is not a comfortable read - but it is a compelling one, refocusing on historical and personal events of the Holocaust through the lens of survival - who, how, and most elusively (and critically) why. Anisman selects the events told here bravely, wisely, and compassionately - from the legacy with which he has been so painfully gifted. The book presents the events not just in their terrifying immediacy but also through the reflections of those affected, as they try to make some sense and to find some meaning... - Aviva Freedman, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University, Ottawa Professor Anisman has given voice to a panoply of survivor narratives, each more vivid than the next. The Shoah shadows and colors the lives woven together through fiction, memoir and genuine historical context. [...] Among works written by second generation authors, this book excels with fulsome characters who do not shy away from the difficulties of starting afresh after the Holocaust. - Vera Schwarcz, Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, Emerita Professor, Wesleyan University, Connecticut Many books have enriched our understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust through tragic personal testimony and probing historical analysis. Anisman's book adds to this important body of writing but does so in a uniquely powerful way. This is because as well as being the son of a Holocaust survivor whose family died at the hands of the Nazis, Anisman is also a world-leading neuroscientist. He draws on both identities to drill deeply into questions not only about the worst of human nature but also about the human capacity for resilience. This gives the book an unparalleled breadth of relevance that enriches our understanding of the past and, in the process, provides answers to some of the most pressing issues of our time. So while the reader will read and weep they will also read and grow. - Alex Haslam, UQ Laureate Fellow, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Brisbane

Author Information

Shimon and Chana (Henia) Anisman, and their two-year-old son Chaim (Hymie) reached Halifax, Canada on January 1, 1950, after attempting to emigrate from Europe for four years following the Shoah. They settled in Montreal, where Hymie attended a Yeshiva and subsequently obtained university training, and then received his doctorate at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario) in 1972. He accepted a position at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, in the Psychology Department and subsequently the Department of Neuroscience where he continues to be a faculty member. He was a Fellow of the Ontario Mental Research foundation, held a Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Neuroscience, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.Hymie's research has focused on the neurobiological and immunological effects of stressors and the impact of these processes on psychological and physical health disturbances. Much of his research has concerned the multiple factors that increase an individual's vulnerability to the adverse effects of stressful events and those that imbue them with resilience. These have included the interplay between genetic factors and environmental experiences that can affect diverse pathologies. These experiences comprise adverse events encountered during childhood, chronic discrimination, the consequences of unsupportive social interactions, and the impact of collective historical trauma on the transmission of stressor effects across generations. Hymie and Maida are the parents of Simon, Rebecca, Jessica, and Max, and grandparents of Aoife and Shep.

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