Synopsis
The Diary of Anne Frank taught the value of love and forgiveness and became a worldwide, enduring bestseller. In Dear Cara: Letters from Otto Frank, the story continues and expands. Through his letters, Otto, the only survivor in the family, became a treasured wise friend to thousands of young people around the world giving simple, honest responses to their questions. Cara, a young American girl, kept his letters, followed his advice, and honored Otto as her surrogate father. Nearly 20 years later, as a grown woman and mother, she journeyed to Amsterdam to see the home where Anne had been hidden in an attic for two years before her murder. Cara listened to some of the holocaust stories from the Dutch people who had sheltered the Franks, then traveled to Switzerland to fulfill a life-long dream to finally meet her mentor and his second wife in Switzerland. She embraced the tender, frail old man who had been able to live Anne's belief that "In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart." He had not forgotten those who had betrayed their wartime hiding place, nor did he wish for revenge. He had managed, through his own radiant spirit and the poignant words of his dead daughter, to embrace the best in people and forgive those who had been the worst. Cara and Otto, generations apart, know love can bloom in every culture through the most painful of times and their brief coming together was the best of times. Dear Cara: Letters from Otto Frank captures the horrors of war in Europe and the tumultuous postwar decades in America. Most of all, it shares the treasures of love in all its manifestations. Otto is a beloved teacher, and Cara really listens from her heart: each is a blessing for the other. This story tells it honestly as their private letters reveal their true selves and bridges the gap between their ages, cultures and life experiences. Dear Cara: Letters from Otto Frank is a "keeper," a book for young and old readers. PUBCOMMENTS: The Diary of Anne Frank, one of our enduring inspirational books, was written by a young girl who died in a Nazi concentration camp in World War II. Otto Frank, her father and the only family survivor, motivated people all over the world to carry on Anne's message of love and hope in their own lives. Otto never wanted Anne remembered as a victim but as a living spirit through her words. A generation later, a young American girl began conversations with Otto through letters reflecting her own chaotic teenage years and the violence in America in the 1960s and '70s. His responses helped her mature into a loving, trusting woman. Cara Weiss Wilson wrote this book from her extraordinary correspondence with Otto and the inspiration she drew from it. He validated her need to be heard and respected; he became her mentor, her wise "grandfather," as he was for so many others. He taught the importance of tolerance and true spirituality, focusing on the power of love, not revenge. He said, "If the world were ending tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today." He truly lived his message. Cara's twenty-year correspondence with Otto culminated in a memorable meeting shortly before his death, and influenced the rest of her turbulent life. Her remarkable book helps others lead fulfilling lives and renews our faith in the possibility of forgiveness and optimism.
About the Author
Cara Weiss Wilson began her love for writing as a small child and began writing as a professional upon graduation from college. She began her career as a secretary in the Young & Rubicam Inc. advertising agency and later worked there as a copywriter and at Chiat Day Advertising. Born and raised in Ohio, her father was a synagogue administrator and her mother an amateur actor and singer. But her family moved to the fertile farmlands of California's San Fernando Valley and took up farming, whence she developed her love for animals. Soon after her arrival in California, Ms. Wilson began her 20-year correspondence with Otto Frank. She admits to falling in love with the children's story, Heidi, as she says, "longing for a grandfather." In 1988, she visited Otto Frank and his second wife, also a Holocaust survivor, in Basel, Switzerland Her professional credits include writing copy for television, radio and print campaigns for companies like Sea World, The Hilton Hotel Chain, The Tropicana Hotel, Ronald McDonald House and Princess Cruises. She also has worked as a docent and animal keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo and has visited several zoos around the world, over the years, in addition to her work as a writer. Cara met her husband, Kent Wilson, at the University of California/Los Angeles, where she received her bachelor's degree in English with a minor in theater and dance. They are the parents of two sons, Ethan and Jesse. She lives in Pacific Grove, California.
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