Those Who Save Us - Paperback

by Jenna Blum (Author)

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An estranged mother and daughter reunite to confront their family's role in World War II in this harrowing, unforgettable novel about lost love and inherited shame.

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer 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, Jenna Blume's Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive.

The winner of the 2005 Ribalow Prize, awarded by Hadassah Magazine and adjudged by Elie Wiesel.

Back Jacket

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"