Overview

Examining the diary as a particular form of expression, Holding On and Holding Out provides unique insight into the experiences of Jews in France during the Second World War. Unlike memoirs and autobiographies that reconstruct particular life stories or events, diaries record daily events without the benefit of retrospect, describing events as they unfold. Holding On and Holding Out assesses how individuals used diaries to record their daily life under persecution, each waiting for some end with a mix of hope and despair. Some used the diary to bear witness not only to the terror of their own lives, but also to the lives and suffering of others. Others used their writing as a memorial to people who were killed. All used their writing to assert: ""I live, I will have lived."" Holding On and Holding Out follows the diaries of two specific individuals, Raymond-Raoul Lambert and Benjamin Schatzman, from their first entry to the last one they wrote before they disappeared into the Nazi extermination camps. The author concludes the book by considering how reflections on their experience are informed by the times in which they lived, before the advent of persecution.

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9781487525194

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Reviews

Employing solid research, excellent analytical skills, and postmodernist critical theory, Anne Freadman arrives at interesting and thought provoking conclusions with respect to the identity formation reached by French Jews, who faced crushing burdens during the Holocaust, in Vichy France, and through the expanded German occupation of their beloved country in 1942. Holding On and Holding Out makes a significant contribution to sociology, history, and applied critical theory. - Robert Weiner, Department of History, Lafayette College Deftly weaving extensive diary excerpts, Holding On and Holding Out is a gripping read. Freadman's approach of using pieces of the diaries to illuminate reactions to ruptures in time and self is a successful one, while it also adds an appealing literary twist to the rich corpus of works on the Holocaust and on Second World War France. - Susan Ashley, Department of History, Colorado College

Deftly weaving extensive diary excerpts, Holding On and Holding Out is a gripping read. Freadman's approach of using pieces of the diaries to illuminate reactions to ruptures in time and self is a successful one, while it also adds an appealing literary twist to the rich corpus of works on the Holocaust and on Second World War France. - Susan Ashley, Department of History, Colorado College Employing solid research, excellent analytical skills, and postmodernist critical theory, Anne Freadman arrives at interesting and thought provoking conclusions with respect to the identity formation reached by French Jews, who faced crushing burdens during the Holocaust, in Vichy France, and through the expanded German occupation of their beloved country in 1942. Holding On and Holding Out makes a significant contribution to sociology, history, and applied critical theory. - Robert Weiner, Department of History, Lafayette College

Deftly weaving extensive diary excerpts, Holding On and Holding Out is a gripping read. Freadman's approach of using pieces of the diaries to illuminate reactions to ruptures in time and self is a successful one, while it also adds an appealing literary twist to the rich corpus of works on the Holocaust and on Second World War France. - Susan Ashley, Department of History, Colorado College Employing solid research, excellent analytical skills, and postmodernist critical theory, Anne Freadman arrives at interesting and thought provoking conclusions with respect to the identity formation reached by French Jews, who faced crushing burdens during the Holocaust, in Vichy France, and through the expanded German occupation of their beloved country in 1942. Holding On and Holding Out makes a significant contribution to sociology, history, and applied critical theory. - Robert Weiner, Department of History, Lafayette College

"""Deftly weaving extensive diary excerpts, Holding On and Holding Out is a gripping read. Freadman's approach of using pieces of the diaries to illuminate reactions to ruptures in time and self is a successful one, while it also adds an appealing literary twist to the rich corpus of works on the Holocaust and on Second World War France."" - Susan Ashley, Department of History, Colorado College ""Employing solid research, excellent analytical skills, and postmodernist critical theory, Anne Freadman arrives at interesting and thought provoking conclusions with respect to the identity formation reached by French Jews, who faced crushing burdens during the Holocaust, in Vichy France, and through the expanded German occupation of their beloved country in 1942. Holding On and Holding Out makes a significant contribution to sociology, history, and applied critical theory."" - Robert Weiner, Department of History, Lafayette College"

Author Information

Anne Freadman is Honorary Principal Professorial Fellow in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.

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