"Uncovering the story of how my grandma ran, hid, and stole her way to survival—at 13 years old—helped me piece together many other questions about my family."
Hi, Brooke! Congratulations for having such a wise Bubbie and for being her vessel at exactly the right time. I loved reading your author questionnaire, most of all your sage advice: "Know the books that came before yours. It’s so vital to read widely, not just for inspiration and craft ideas, but to understand the current conversation. Much of writing can feel solitary, but your writing is part of a larger landscape of words, and it’s important to look up from your work and take in what others are saying." Welcome to the "current conversation"--yours is a powerful voice.
As the granddaughter of a German-Jewish refugee who died when I was five, I'm so envious of the time you've had with your bubbie and her story. I only know my grandma's second-hand, and it remains a central mystery and guiding narrative of my life.
Wow, Brooke! What a cool project, telling your grandmother’s story. When I was much younger, I interviewed my grandma a few times, thinking I would do it anymore and pass her story into something, but never really did. I would love to find that interview notes. But I’m fairly certain they’ve gone the way of lost for everything.
Thank you for sharing your process. And thank you, Sari, or sharing Brooke. ♥️
I liked the way Brooke talks about writing, memoir, and her family. This resonates me with me because my most recent book is a memoir from the opposite side: Api's Berlin Diaries. My Quest to Understand my Gradfathher's Nazi Past. I discovered the diaries of his work as dotor in Berlin 1945 only after my mother's death.
I, too, love Brooke's inspiration as drawn from family history. I, too, have family letters and journals to draw from in my own memoir, and I write at one point about the way Nazi history was relived while I lived in Berchtesgaden. But a Nazi grandfather? Gotta be morbidly interesting, and a chance to try to understand humanity's shadow side among us all.
Thank you so much for your cmments. I am interested in your book.
My grandfather had joined the Nazi party when Hitler "coordinated" all doctor's associations under the Nazis. He never was active in the party and railed against them in his diaries. It's complicated by the fact that he had been both father and grandfather to me for the short time I was able to live with him. Nevertheless, there still remains a political responsibility for him and, perhaps, all of us for the acts of our government.
You will have an amazing book. I can feel the heart as well as the mind coming through. I consider you an inspiration for honoring the best that is in our ancestors.
Great interview with Brooke. I adored ALSO HERE. Such an insight to recognize her grandmother gave her a gift in pushing her to find her voice as a writer. She has a long career ahead of her.
I only paywall the Thursday writing prompts, as a perk for paid subscribers. Otherwise, the rest of the week, all the other content I work so hard on is free. Paid subscribers support my work, and help me to pay contributors.
Ok, so it’s possible as a paid subscriber to get paid for a written piece? I understand that it also helps you keep the page going and supports the contributions of all your hard work, which I’m sure doesn’t come close to worth what you take in as these types of sites normally, in my opinion, take a lot of effort to keep alive, current, and interesting for your subscribers.
Hi, Brooke! Congratulations for having such a wise Bubbie and for being her vessel at exactly the right time. I loved reading your author questionnaire, most of all your sage advice: "Know the books that came before yours. It’s so vital to read widely, not just for inspiration and craft ideas, but to understand the current conversation. Much of writing can feel solitary, but your writing is part of a larger landscape of words, and it’s important to look up from your work and take in what others are saying." Welcome to the "current conversation"--yours is a powerful voice.
I LOVE how Brooke read her Holocaust memoir draft aloud to her grandmother - a powerful moment of connection across generations.
As the granddaughter of a German-Jewish refugee who died when I was five, I'm so envious of the time you've had with your bubbie and her story. I only know my grandma's second-hand, and it remains a central mystery and guiding narrative of my life.
Wow, Brooke! What a cool project, telling your grandmother’s story. When I was much younger, I interviewed my grandma a few times, thinking I would do it anymore and pass her story into something, but never really did. I would love to find that interview notes. But I’m fairly certain they’ve gone the way of lost for everything.
Thank you for sharing your process. And thank you, Sari, or sharing Brooke. ♥️
I liked the way Brooke talks about writing, memoir, and her family. This resonates me with me because my most recent book is a memoir from the opposite side: Api's Berlin Diaries. My Quest to Understand my Gradfathher's Nazi Past. I discovered the diaries of his work as dotor in Berlin 1945 only after my mother's death.
I, too, love Brooke's inspiration as drawn from family history. I, too, have family letters and journals to draw from in my own memoir, and I write at one point about the way Nazi history was relived while I lived in Berchtesgaden. But a Nazi grandfather? Gotta be morbidly interesting, and a chance to try to understand humanity's shadow side among us all.
Thank you so much for your cmments. I am interested in your book.
My grandfather had joined the Nazi party when Hitler "coordinated" all doctor's associations under the Nazis. He never was active in the party and railed against them in his diaries. It's complicated by the fact that he had been both father and grandfather to me for the short time I was able to live with him. Nevertheless, there still remains a political responsibility for him and, perhaps, all of us for the acts of our government.
You will have an amazing book. I can feel the heart as well as the mind coming through. I consider you an inspiration for honoring the best that is in our ancestors.
Michele, are you the one with "Stories from the Heart of Nature and Culture?" If so I'd love us to be in touch. My email is grobinso@iu.edu
Great interview with Brooke. I adored ALSO HERE. Such an insight to recognize her grandmother gave her a gift in pushing her to find her voice as a writer. She has a long career ahead of her.
What are the benefits of becoming a paying subscriber?
I only paywall the Thursday writing prompts, as a perk for paid subscribers. Otherwise, the rest of the week, all the other content I work so hard on is free. Paid subscribers support my work, and help me to pay contributors.
Ok, so it’s possible as a paid subscriber to get paid for a written piece? I understand that it also helps you keep the page going and supports the contributions of all your hard work, which I’m sure doesn’t come close to worth what you take in as these types of sites normally, in my opinion, take a lot of effort to keep alive, current, and interesting for your subscribers.