Motherland : Beyond the Holocaust--A Daughter's Journey to Reclaim the Past

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Summary: Everyone should read this book!
Review: This is such an incredible story - about the relationship of a mother and daughter, about escapees from the Holocaust, about family identity, about coming to terms with life in the family situation you find yourself. The author has such a compelling writing style. This would be an excellent book for book groups to discuss and for high school students to read and discuss. The author's web site includes study guides and questions. Once you start reading, you don't want to put the book down. When you finish, you wish for more information and more of the author's beautiful writing. Read it - you won't be disappointed.

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Summary: Don't Miss This Amazing Journey!
Review: This unusual, beautiful book was absolutely fascinating to read, and impossible to put down. What really set this book apart for me was how often I was completely surprised, horrified and then saddened by the wreckage left by this war. The mother-daughter visit to Germany, from where Edith was sent during the Holocaust, never proceeds as expected. The local newspaper heralds her return with the headline, "The Jew Edith Westerfeld Visits Stockstadt." I found myself checking and rechecking the dates of the visit (1990). Equally amazing was the gradual revelation that Edith, whose Nazi-hatred seemed lukewarm at times, had never reconciled herself to her parents sending her away. Her escape simultaneously freed her and imprisoned her in a 12-year old's mindset. Chapman doesn't put a foot wrong in this book. She provides a deftly -crafted window into mother-daughter relationships. It is an important book for those wishing to understand more about the holocaust and its effect on generations. It is truly an incredible journey.