Autorentext

Charlie Scheidt is the chairman emeritus of Roland Foods. Born in New York City, he is the only child of German-Jewish refugees and dedicates his time to refugee support and genocide prevention.

Kat Rohrer is an award-winning producer and director. Her recent feature-length films include What a Feeling and the acclaimed documentary Back to the Fatherland.

Klappentext

After his mother’s death, Charlie Scheidt discovered a trove of historic documents that set him on a decade-long journey to uncover his family’s hidden past during the Holocaust. Joined by Kat Rohrer, the granddaughter of a Nazi officer, Scheidt embarked on a quest to trace his family’s harrowing efforts to escape from Nazi-occupied Europe. As they investigated, they uncovered stories of survival and loss. Their journey takes them across generations and continents, revealing a legacy of love, loss, and resilience. Grappling with questions about the long-lasting effects of inherited trauma, the book asks whether it is possible to break free of a familial cycle. This memoir, rooted in his family’s escape and the lasting trauma that followed, is a powerful reflection on history’s enduring scars, the importance of remembrance, and healing across generations.

Inhalt

Foreword By James Waller
Family Tree
Prologue

1 The Armoire
2 Jewish and German: The Scheidts
3 : Germans Who Happened to Be Jewish: The Ballins
4 An Imperfect Reprieve
5 Rubble and Embers
6 A Fateful Miscalculation
7 "Mein Lieber Bruder"
8 "The End of Everything"
9 "Caught in a Mousetrap on a Powder Keg"
10 Nowhere to Turn, No One to Trust
11 A Fragile Silence
12 Making Sense of the Present
In Memoriam

Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Sources
Index