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

by Fern Schumer Chapman

Book Overview

A moving account of a mother and daughter who visit Germany to face the Holocaust tragedy that has caused their family decades of intergenerational trauma, from the author of Brothers, Sisters, Strangers

Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award

In 1938, when Edith Westerfeld was twelve, her parents sent her from Germany to America to escape the Nazis. Edith survived, but most of her family perished in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140286233
• ISBN13: 9780140286236
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Motherland by Fern Chapman

After meeting Fern Chapman at a reading of her book, I purchased the book & read it almost non-stop. I was deeply touched by it, as I was by meeting the author, who is embued with warmth & kindness, which allowed me to share with her, a total stranger then, but no more, some of my profound & deep hurt.Though Fern Chapman & I have written our respective books separately (My book: "Erinnern ist nicht genug, an autobiography" {Remembering is not enough}, published in German by UNRAST Verlag in Muenster, Germany, ISBN 3-928300-86-5), not knowing each other, or about each other, in two instances the author and/or her mother & I used almost identical words. The mother, describing her departure from Germany & separation from her parents, is quoted "...I watched them (her parents) become dots..." In my book I describe my leaving Germany on a Kindertransport (children's transport) & how "...my parents ran along the train as it pulled out of the railroad station in Frankfurt. I watched them get smaller & smaller, & finally they were just two dots & then they were gone...." Elsewhere Chapman writes "...In a way, her parents gave birth twice to the same child..." I wrote "...I did not realize it then, but my parents gave me life a second time by sending me away...""Motherland" is beautifully written, full of sensitive insights. I hope writing it has helped the author & her mother to reach a new & deeper understanding of each other & of themselves as individuals.

Don't Miss This Amazing Journey!

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.

Praise for Motherland by Chapman

A Deeply moving and insightful memoir about mother/daughter relations, the effects of trauma on the human spirit, and the choices we all make that change our lives. Beautiful literary style with a stunning use of metaphors.

Universal Appeal

To read "Motherland" is to experience a whole different side of the Holocaust and its far-reaching implications. Lovingly told in vivid accounting and imagery, this story of a daughter's search to uncover her mother's past, and therefore fill in her own family history, will have a powerful impact on readers regardless of their religion. You don't have to be Jewish, a mother or a daughter to appreciate the beauty and truths Chapman displays. "Motherland" touches the spirit as well as the mind.

A "Must-Read"

Once you begin this book, you will not be able to put it down until you finish it. Chapman grabs the reader on many fronts: with a compelling story; with beautiful writing full of creative imagery and insight; and with lots of food for thought. Motherland holds appeal for many different types of readers. It is simultaneously a book about the Holocaust, the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships, and most importantly, the effects the past can have on the present and future. I laughed and cried many times as I read this exquisitely-constructed book. And now that I have finished it, I continue to think about it. Motherland is very easy to read, but there is nothing light about it. I know it will stick with me for a long time to come.