“Fascinating . . . A tragic saga, but at the same time it often reads like a thriller filled with acts of extraordinary courage, descriptions of dangerous journeys and a series of secret identities.”—Chicago Tribune“To this day, I don’t even know what my mother’s real name is.”Helen Fremont was raised as a Roman Catholic. It wasn’t until she was an adult, practicing law in Boston, that she … adult, practicing law in Boston, that she discovered her parents were Jewish—Holocaust survivors living invented lives. Not even their names were their own. In this powerful memoir, Helen Fremont delves into the secrets that held her family in a bond of silence for more than four decades, recounting with heartbreaking clarity a remarkable tale of survival, as vivid as fiction but with the resonance of truth.
Driven to uncover their roots, Fremont and her sister pieced together an astonishing story: of Siberian Gulags and Italian royalty, of concentration camps and buried lives. After Long Silence is about the devastating price of hiding the truth; about families; about the steps we take, foolish or wise, to protect ourselves and our loved ones. No one who reads this book can be unmoved, or fail to understand the seductive, damaging power of secrets.
Praise for After Long Silence
“Poignant . . . affecting . . . part detective story, part literary memoir, part imagined past.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Riveting . . . painfully authentic . . . a poignant memoir, a labor of love for the parents she never really knew.”—The Boston Globe
“Mesmerizing . . . Fremont has accomplished something that seems close to impossible. She has made a fresh and worthy contribution to the vast literature of the Holocaust.”—The Washington Post Book World
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A wonderful World War II book
How much do we ever know about those who raise us? Learning about their parents secret past was haunting and suspenseful. I felt I was on this journey with the 2 sisters.
A great story.
very good book
The first person story of children of Holocaust survivors was very emotional for me, after having read extensively about that time period before traveling to Poland and Germany this year. PTSD is a new term, but certainly describes the effects of this atrocity on more than one generation. Well written and very authentic.
I thought this was exceptionally interesting.
Based on true story of the Holocaust. However, this story shows how the children and other family members are affected by the secrets survivors of the Holocaust hide from them. Interesting viewpoints.
So unusual to read of Holocaust survivors who never told their children. Interesting how it affected their girls even though they tried to prevent that. Brave family all around.
Love to read the survival stories they are inspirational
Could not really get into it
Inspirational.
Jumps around too much and the author’s style is not easy to follow. A little too artistic in the language. I also felt she didn’t respect the wishes of her family. She could have done this research and not published such personal details.
Always like history. It is amazing how any one lived through this.
This is an inspirational true story about Holocaust survivors, their courage, and how their horrific experiences during WWII continued to impact their lives and the lives of their children long after the war was over. I can’t find the words to do their journey justice. You’ll just have to read the book yourself.
Well written, and I didn’t want to put it down.
This was a very good book.i enjoyed reading it. the characters were very interesting. This was a true story.
Good book about future generations that were impacted by the Halocaust.
The author did an excellent job contesting her life with that of her parents.
Realistic account of what many Jews endured before, during and after WWII.
It still amazes me what happened in WW2, hopefully we learned from it.