Homecoming

I spoke at the Centerville library this past weekend and it was the perfect homecoming. I grew up in Centerville on Cape Cod and it was at the library that I not only learned to read, but fell in love with books. So it was very special to me to go back to the place where my love of reading began, armed with my own book. Thanks to so many who came to show their support, including three of my favorite middle and high school teachers! Libraries - especially librarians - are an important addition to any education.  I know they were to mine.

Book Wins 2 Honorable Mention Book Awards

I'm happy to announce that "What Papa Told Me" won Honorable Mention from The 2011 Eric Hoffer Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing and Honorable Mention from The 2011 New York Book Festival Awards. 

Radio Interview with Screamingwoman.com

Last night I had my first radio interview for the book with host Toni Quest, for Passionate World Radio.  I will be adding the audio from interview on my site, but right now it can be heard at http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/en/schedule/t-q/  (just scroll down until you see my name). 

Connecting with other grandchildren of Survivors!

Check out Jessica Karr's blog at http://remembertheirstories.blogspot.com/

She too is a grandchild of Survivors and has a wonderful site called "Remember Their Stories" which is a forum for children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to voice and document their family’s history.  If you are a grandchild with a story to tell, please share it on Jessica's blog.

What Papa Told Me endorsed by Yad Vashem

http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/books/what_papa.asp

or read it below

What Papa Told Me, Featured Book

Reviewed by Yael Weinstock Mashbaum

This is the Holocaust testimony of Murray Schwartzbaum, from Szczekociny, Poland, as told to his granddaughter, Felice Cohen. While many such stories are told in the first-person with the help of a family member, Cohen also includes pieces of her conversation with her grandfather, opening the dialogue with the third-generation, a topic not always incorporated into Holocaust testimonies.

This touching and heart wrenching story begins when Murray is a child, born in 1921, to a traditional Jewish family. Owners of a family-run lumber company, he has fond memories of his sisters and brother and the “normal” life that they all shared. When the Nazis invaded Poland, Murray’s brother escaped to the Soviet Union, while the rest of the family tried to move to Bedzin but quickly learned of the killings of Jews and chose to return to their home. Murray lived most of the war in a series of slave labor camps, eventually being transported to Bergen-Belsen where he found his sister Cecia and learned of the tragic fates of the rest of their family. With his sister’s help, Murray survived and together they were liberated by the American army in 1945. They each married a Holocaust survivor and began rebuilding their lives.

But the story does not end there. Cohen asks her grandfather about her grandparents’ move to the United States and the hardships they faced as Holocaust survivors. Both Murray and his wife Fela were deeply traumatized by what had occurred during the six years of the Nazi occupation. Murray recalled those difficult years and yet the story concludes in an inspiring and uplifting manner, and he explains to Felice the legacy that he has left for her, his other grandchildren, and future generations.

This book can be graphic, exposing the horrors of the Nazi atrocities. Teachers should use their discretion when using this with middle-school students, though there is much to be learned from the story. It is written in an easy-to-understand style and tells the story of people their age who lived in an unfortunately devastating time. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to use this with students is its emphasis on talking to grandparents, listening to their stories, and retelling them.

Papa speaks to 200+ fifth graders

Papa and I spoke to over 200 fifth graders at Westchester Elementary School in Coral Springs, Florida. We were amazed at the maturity of these ten- and eleven-year-olds who were very respectful when Papa spoke for a half hour about his life in the camps. When he was done and we asked if anyone had any questions, many arms shot up, waving eagerly to be picked. Their questions ranged from: “Why didn’t you go to the police when the nazis came?” to “How did you escape?” to “Why did your wife kill herself?” Their teachers had prepped them well. Papa was moved to tears several times as he told stories about his life before, during and after the war.  When the talk and Q & A were over, the students ran up to Papa to give him a hug, eager to have their pictures taken with him. 

A week and a half later Papa received a huge package in the mail -- almost 200 thank you letters from the fifth graders. He called me on the phone to share the news.


“We’ve done something very special,” Papa said, referring to us writing The Book. And as he read me a few of the letters, I could hear the smile in his voice and knew he was right.

Reading at KGB Bar in Manhattan

I am a former member of Paragraph, a studio for writers, and spoke as part of their monthly reading series which showcases the members' work. I shared the evening with my good friend and fellow writer Jane Hoppen. Thanks to all who came downtown!