Scan barcode
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘When I started the research for this book I had no idea what, if anything, I would uncover.’
Juliet Rieden grew up in England during the 1960s and 1970s, knowing very little about her Czech father’s life. He had come to England as a refugee in 1939 and spoke little about his family. After he died in 2006, Juliet embarked on a quest to find out more about his family history. On a trip to Prague, she found the Rieden name written many times on the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue memorial.
How did her father escape the fate of so many of his relatives? I read of the decision taken by Ms Rieden’s Jewish grandparents which saved their 8-year-old son’s life. Ms Rieden travelled to the Auschwitz and Theresienstadt concentration camps and I read, through tears, of the fate of his cousins, aunts and uncles.
‘The first thing I learn is that Rieden is not actually our family name at all.’
And there is the history behind the name change, of Jewish persecution, of what happened during the war years. This is a memoir about one family, almost annihilated. It is also a tribute to Ms Rieden’s grandparents and father, to the heart-breaking decisions and sacrifices they made.
It is uncomfortable to read this account, to be reminded of the horrors. But we must not forget.
‘This deeply moving account reminds us that even those who did not perish in the flames were severely burned by their cruel heat.’ (Magda Szubanski)
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Juliet Rieden grew up in England during the 1960s and 1970s, knowing very little about her Czech father’s life. He had come to England as a refugee in 1939 and spoke little about his family. After he died in 2006, Juliet embarked on a quest to find out more about his family history. On a trip to Prague, she found the Rieden name written many times on the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue memorial.
How did her father escape the fate of so many of his relatives? I read of the decision taken by Ms Rieden’s Jewish grandparents which saved their 8-year-old son’s life. Ms Rieden travelled to the Auschwitz and Theresienstadt concentration camps and I read, through tears, of the fate of his cousins, aunts and uncles.
‘The first thing I learn is that Rieden is not actually our family name at all.’
And there is the history behind the name change, of Jewish persecution, of what happened during the war years. This is a memoir about one family, almost annihilated. It is also a tribute to Ms Rieden’s grandparents and father, to the heart-breaking decisions and sacrifices they made.
It is uncomfortable to read this account, to be reminded of the horrors. But we must not forget.
‘This deeply moving account reminds us that even those who did not perish in the flames were severely burned by their cruel heat.’ (Magda Szubanski)
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
More...