Overview

This powerful memoir traces Brazilian-born American Julie Lindahl’s journey to uncover her grandparents’ roles in the Third Reich as she is driven to understand how and why they became members of Hitler’s elite, the SS. Out of the unbearable heart of the story—the unclaimed guilt that devours a family through the generations—emerges an unflinching will to learn the truth. In a remarkable six-year journey through Germany, Poland, Paraguay, and Brazil, Julie uncovers, among many other discoveries, that her grandfather had been a fanatic member of the SS since 1934. During World War II, he was responsible for enslavement and torture and was complicit in the murder of the local population on the large estates he oversaw in occupied Poland. He eventually fled to South America to evade a new wave of war-crimes trials. The pendulum used by Julie’s grandmother to divine good from bad and true from false becomes a symbol for the elusiveness of truth and morality, but also for the false securities we cling to when we become unmoored. As Julie delves deeper into the abyss of her family’s secret, discovering history anew, one precarious step at a time, the compassion of strangers is a growing force that transforms her world and the way that she sees her family—and herself.

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9781538111932

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Reviews

A deeply moving and mind-spinning memoir by one of the most righteous and bravest women today... It has taken a rare combination of personal relentless thirst for the truth and high moral and professional integrity as a historian-novelist for her to painstakingly unearth the terrible Nazi past of her grandfather in Second World War Poland.--Piroska Nagy-Mohacsi, London School of Economics In the literature of the Holocaust the story of the perpetrator is rarely told from 'the inside.' Julie Lindahl has taken on this painstaking task when she tells us the story of her family. It is written from the heart but has outstanding literary qualities--a rare but phenomenal combination. The result is a very important book that is difficult to put down before you reach the end.--Stefan Einhorn, Karolinska Institute, Sweden The Nazi past casts long shadows and leaves many traumatized to this day. Julie Lindahl digs deep into her own family history to uncover dark secrets dating back to the Holocaust. The Pendulum is a deeply engaging and captivating human search for answers, atonement, and closure.--Gerald J. Steinacher, University of Nebraska, author of Nazis on the Run Outstanding insights into the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust--based on the perspective of both perpetrators and their descendants. The book is indispensable for anyone who wants to see the extent and complexity of the lasting influence of war, not only in its own time but also for future generations.--Eskil Franck, Uppsala University A powerful book about good and evil that has become even more important in today's climate of mounting far-right extremism and alternative facts.--H�di Fried, author, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor Breathtaking. Julie Lindahl's gut-wrenchingly honest account of an individual's search for the truth about her family's history is perceptive, intuitive, and courageous.--Derek B. Miller, internationally bestselling author of Norwegian by Night

A deeply moving and mind-spinning memoir by one of the most righteous and bravest women today... It has taken a rare combination of personal relentless thirst for the truth and high moral and professional integrity as a historian-novelist for her to painstakingly unearth the terrible Nazi past of her grandfather in Second World War Poland.--Piroska Nagy-Mohacsi, London School of Economics In the literature of the Holocaust the story of the perpetrator is rarely told from 'the inside.' Julie Lindahl has taken on this painstaking task when she tells us the story of her family. It is written from the heart but has outstanding literary qualities--a rare but phenomenal combination. The result is a very important book that is difficult to put down before you reach the end.--Stefan Einhorn, Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Author Information

Julie Lindahl is an author and educator living in Sweden. She is a contributor to WBUR Cognoscenti and has been featured on National Public Radio. Julie holds a BA from Wellesley College, an MPhil in international relations from Oxford University, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Frankfurt. She is the founder of Stories for Society, a nonprofit organization for renewing the art of story-making among youth for social transformation. WBUR 90.9 won the 2018 Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation and the 2018 Associated Press Media Editor’s Award for innovation in storytelling based on a program series featuring her story.

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