Those Who Save Us - Softcover

Blum, Jenna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0156031663 ISBN 13: 9780156031660

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005

Synopsis

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.

Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.

Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Th[is] book's power . . . lies . . . in examining the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration . . . Those Who Save Us bursts with provocative questions about the ambiguous possibilities of culpability."--San Francisco Chronicle

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer. Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the heartbreaking truth of her mother's life. Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.

"Impossible to put . . . down . . . well-researched . . . compelling."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"The themes of love, sacrifice and family secrets are at the core of Blum's powerful first novel . . . [a] fast-paced page-turner."--Jewish Book World

"I was much impressed by Jenna Blum's book. It is a powerful evocation of terrible events, moving and persuasive . . . A remarkable first novel, with memorable characters and an exemplary control over structure, bringing past and present together to great effect."--Penelope Lively, author of Moon Tiger

About the Author

JENNA BLUM is of German and Jewish descent. She worked for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation for four years, interviewing Holocaust survivors. She currently teaches at Boston University and runs fiction workshops for Grub Street Writers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0156031663
• ISBN 13: 9780156031660
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 482