I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors distills; through text and drawings; including panels in the comic-book format; Bernice Eisenstein’s memories of her 1950s’ childhood in Toronto with her Yiddish-speaking parents; whose often unspoken experiences of war were nevertheless always present. The memories also draw on inherited fragments of stories about relatives lost to the war whom she never met. Eisenstein’s parents met in Auschwitz; near the end of the war and were married shortly after Liberation. The book began to take root in her imagination several years ago; almost a decade after her father’s death.With poignancy and searing honesty; Eisenstein explores with ineffable sadness and bittersweet humour her childhood growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust. But more than a book about the Holocaust and its far-reaching shadows; this moving; visually ravishing graphic memoir speaks universally about memory; loss; and recovery of the past. No one who sees this book will not be deeply affected by its beautiful; highly evocative writing and brilliantly original and haunting artwork created by the author. I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors is destined to become a classic. “I am lost in memory. It is not a place that has been mapped; fixed by coordinates of longitude and latitude; whereby I can retrace a step and come to the same place again. Each time is different. . . .“While my father was alive; I searched to find his face among those documented photographs of survivors of Auschwitz — actually; photos from any camp would do. If I could see him staring out through barbed wire; I thought I would then know how to remember him; know what he was made to become; and then possibly know what he might have been. All my life; I’ve looked for more in order to fill in the parts of my father that had gone missing. . . .â€â€”Excerpts from I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors
#512956 in Books Broadway 2002-09-10 2002-09-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.51 x 1.14 x 5.79l; #File Name: 0767908287368 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Dead HeroesBy George BurnsThe Australian Encyclopedia renders a clear verdict on the Burke-Wills Expedition. ..."largely owing to Burke's impatient temperament and complete ignorance of bushcraft; it failed hopelessly." Ms. Murgatroyd fully justifies this verdict; but how did such a man (perhaps best known for his ability to get lost) come to lead an expedition across an empty continent? The architects of the disaster were the members of Australia's Royal Society who combined incompetence with greed. One might also ask why Burke would accept such a mission. He was a man desperate to become famous and to impress the teenage actress he was infatuated with. The actual expedition is described in exciting detail. No less interesting are the questions that remain. This is a book to be read and thought about.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. For Information and EnjoymentBy A. KefferFor those of us who are not Australians; The Dig Tree provides a look into an iconic moment in exploration of that continent. The tale is highly engaging; and all-in-all is well written. Occasionally Murgatroyd ventures off to the side of the main narrative; and seems to be adding fluff to fill the story line; but in the end; all those sidetracks clearly are well connected to the story. Not only was the story itself interesting; but the book also offers a considerable amount of information about the physical landscape of interior Australia that most stateside folks lack. This is a book well worth reading both for information and for enjoyment.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy John R. Algerfascinating
