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A review by nomadiclibrary
Those Who Forget: My Family's Story in Nazi Europe - A Memoir, a History, a Warning by Geraldine Schwarz
4.0
This lovely work-in-translation by French-German journalist & documentarian Géraldine Schwarz brands itself partly as a memoir, & it is, but it reads much more like a reference text in it’s clear conveyance of fact & analysis regarding the “Mitläufer” - the “middle people” who bear responsibility for the atrocities of the Second World War & Holocaust, no matter how passive their involvement, & perhaps because of it. Where the memoir bit comes in is through Schwarz’s exploration of this via the lense of her own grandparents, who, while not explicitly fanatical German Nazis, certainly aligned themselves with Nazism either out of naïveté, fear, opportunism, or a combination of these.
This book really surprised me - I was hooked about 30 pages in & read it cover to cover in under 24 hours. I was captivated by the personal family history represented in here, but too, in the clear parallels Schwarz’s study draws to both the American history and the American present - politically & sociologically.
Schwarz examines the Mitläufer of both past and present, including members of her own family, with a frankness & objectivity that lends the story further credibility, and presents with depth & clarity a warning of the dangers of the passivity of the majority of people who fall somewhere in the middle ground between hero and villain - those who may witness crimes against humanity, & turn away in shame.
I was left with a prescient urging to ensure care in examining what our economic systems are justifying by way of human atrocities & violations of life, a testimony to the power of the masses - for better or for worse, & perhaps most impressively, a hope for the balm that responsible & conscious memory work can provide for a society, provided we are diligent about taking it on & passing it on to future generations.
Would highly recommend to anyone seeking answers in the face of rising populist & nationalist movements worldwide, or to anyone interested in a more dynamic & fresh take on WWII & Holocaust History.
This book really surprised me - I was hooked about 30 pages in & read it cover to cover in under 24 hours. I was captivated by the personal family history represented in here, but too, in the clear parallels Schwarz’s study draws to both the American history and the American present - politically & sociologically.
Schwarz examines the Mitläufer of both past and present, including members of her own family, with a frankness & objectivity that lends the story further credibility, and presents with depth & clarity a warning of the dangers of the passivity of the majority of people who fall somewhere in the middle ground between hero and villain - those who may witness crimes against humanity, & turn away in shame.
I was left with a prescient urging to ensure care in examining what our economic systems are justifying by way of human atrocities & violations of life, a testimony to the power of the masses - for better or for worse, & perhaps most impressively, a hope for the balm that responsible & conscious memory work can provide for a society, provided we are diligent about taking it on & passing it on to future generations.
Would highly recommend to anyone seeking answers in the face of rising populist & nationalist movements worldwide, or to anyone interested in a more dynamic & fresh take on WWII & Holocaust History.