Overview

This Holocaust memoir began with an album of photographs, one of the few family possessions that survived WWII. After his mother’s death the album passed on to Paul Davidovits, who became keenly aware that he was now the only person alive who recognized the people in the photographs, remembered how they were interconnected, knew about their journey through life. Davidovits now tells the stories of the inhabitants of this lost world, guiding us through his own childhood. He evocatively portrays the harrowing and traumatic unfolding of history, but also lingers on poignant moments of love, bravery, generosity and humor. Davidovits’ stories are unique and finely honed, and while highly personal, their vivid depiction of survival and the determination of the human spirit – even in the face of barbarity and seemingly insurmountable odds – is universal and will remain relevant to every generation.

Full Product Details

9789493231740

Table of Contents

Reviews

A remarkable story of survival. Paul Davidovits was just a young boy when the Nazis came and send him and his mother on the run.There was no settling down. Only picking up and moving constantly. There was an occasional caring stranger who helped them to stay ahead of the Nazis. But his mother just kept finding ways for them to be safe. And the bond between mother and son was a key part in their final journey to safety. And then we are treated to what Paul took on once they could resume a normal life in Canada.Once Paul had the opportunities, he seized them. So he worked, he studied. He learned how things worked. He learned how to fit in to this new world. And he persisted.He got a Phd in physics, married, raised a family, and became a University professor. He shows us how such early trauma can be overcome, and a rich life can be achieved. - Sanford Rosenzweig This story is true and very moving account of survival of a very difficult time for Europe s Jews and tells a story of remarkable resilience and bravery of the boy and his mother. - Lynn Nelson Resilience in the face of hatred and genocide is a reminder of the most hopeful part of being human. This personal memoir moved me. - Robert Hastings What a story! In these times, we so need the testimony of the horrors of the Holocaust. Davidovits has documented his and his family's day by day experience. Some survived; many were murdered. This is a tight, well-written, first-hand account. Read it. - Mitchell I Kramer

A remarkable story of survival. Paul Davidovits was just a young boy when the Nazis came and send him and his mother on the run.There was no settling down. Only picking up and moving constantly. There was an occasional caring stranger who helped them to stay ahead of the Nazis. But his mother just kept finding ways for them to be safe. And the bond between mother and son was a key part in their final journey to safety. And then we are treated to what Paul took on once they could resume a normal life in Canada.Once Paul had the opportunities, he seized them. So he worked, he studied. He learned how things worked. He learned how to fit in to this new world. And he persisted.He got a Phd in physics, married, raised a family, and became a University professor. He shows us how such early trauma can be overcome, and a rich life can be achieved. - Sanford Rosenzweig This story is true and very moving account of survival of a very difficult time for Europe s Jews and tells a story of remarkable resilience and bravery of the boy and his mother. - Lynn Nelson Resilience in the face of hatred and genocide is a reminder of the most hopeful part of being human. This personal memoir moved me. - Robert Hastings What a story! In these times, we so need the testimony of the horrors of the Holocaust. Davidovits has documented his and his family's day by day experience. Some survived; many were murdered. This is a tight, well-written, first-hand account. Read it. - Mitchell I Kramer

A remarkable story of survival. Paul Davidovits was just a young boy when the Nazis came and send him and his mother on the run.There was no settling down. Only picking up and moving constantly. There was an occasional caring stranger who helped them to stay ahead of the Nazis. But his mother just kept finding ways for them to be safe. And the bond between mother and son was a key part in their final journey to safety. And then we are treated to what Paul took on once they could resume a normal life in Canada.Once Paul had the opportunities, he seized them. So he worked, he studied. He learned how things worked. He learned how to fit in to this new world. And he persisted.He got a Phd in physics, married, raised a family, and became a University professor. He shows us how such early trauma can be overcome, and a rich life can be achieved. - Sanford Rosenzweig This story is true and very moving account of survival of a very difficult time for Europe s Jews and tells a story of remarkable resilience and bravery of the boy and his mother. - Lynn Nelson Resilience in the face of hatred and genocide is a reminder of the most hopeful part of being human. This personal memoir moved me. - Robert Hastings What a story! In these times, we so need the testimony of the horrors of the Holocaust. Davidovits has documented his and his family's day by day experience. Some survived; many were murdered. This is a tight, well-written, first-hand account. Read it. - Mitchell I Kramer

Author Information

Paul Davidovits was born in 1935 in Moldava, a small town in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). His mother and Paul survived the holocaust by using forged Arian documents, and rapidly moving from town to town whenever anyone appeared to become suspicious of their identities. By the time WW2 ended, all of Paul’s paternal family and most of his maternal family had been killed. In 1949 the remnant of the family immigrated to Toronto, Canada. There, Paul completed high school, and continued his education at Columbia University, receiving the B.S. (1960), M.S. (1961) and Ph.D.(1964) degrees in a joint program in Physics and Electrical Engineering. In 1964 – 1965 he was appointed at Columbia University as Research Associate in Physics and Lecturer in Electrical Engineering. In 1965 he joined the faculty at Yale University as Assistant Professor of Applied Science (1965 – 1970), and then as Associate Professor (1970 – 1974). In 1974 he accepted an appointment at Boston College as Professor of Chemistry, a position he retained for 46 years. From 1994 to 1998 he was Chairman of the Boston College Chemistry Department. After teaching and doing research for 56 years in a variety of fields, including quantum devices, chemical kinetics, medical physics, atmospheric chemistry, and climate change, Davidovits retired from academia on June 30, 2020 as Professor of Chemistry Emeritus. His scientific work is described in 170 publications he has authored or co-authored. He has written two textbooks (one of them currently in its 5th edition), and has co-edited a text on the alkali-halide vapors. He holds three patents. He has received several awards for his work including, together with R. Minsky and D. Egger, the Year 2000, R.W. Wood Prize “for seminal contributions to confocal microscopy”. He has been married since 1957 and has two adult children.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available