In the Unlikeliest of Places
How Nachman Libeskind Survived the Nazis, Gulags, and Soviet Communism
by Annette Libeskind Berkovits
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Pub Date Aug 08 2014 | Archive Date Sep 30 2014
Description
Using a box of her father’s tape recordings, Annette Libeskind Berkovits weaves together the story of a Jewish family before, during, and after World War II.
Annette Libeskind Berkovits thought her attempt to have her father record his life's story failed. But in 2004, three years after her father's death, she was going through his things and found a box of tapes―several years' worth―with his spectacular life, triumphs, and tragedies told one last time in his baritone voice.
Nachman Libeskind's remarkable story is an odyssey through crucial events of the twentieth century. With an unshakable will and a few drops of luck, he survives a pre-war Polish prison; witnesses the 1939 Nazi invasion of Lodz and narrowly escapes; is imprisoned in a brutal Soviet gulag where he helps his fellow inmates survive, and upon regaining his freedom treks to the foothills of the Himalayas, where he finds and nearly loses the love of his life. Later, the crushing communist regime and a lingering postwar anti-Semitism in Poland drive Nachman and his young family to Israel, where he faces a new form of discrimination. Then, defiantly, Nachman turns a pocketful of change into a new life in New York City, where a heartbreaking promise leads to his unlikely success as a modernist painter that inspires others to pursue their dreams.
With just a box of tapes, Berkovits tells more than her father's story: she builds an uncommon family saga and reimagines a turbulent past. In the process she uncovers a stubborn optimism that flourished in the unlikeliest of places.
A Note From the Publisher
Features a foreword from the internationally renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind.
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Advance Review Copies Available
New York City Launch, Date/Location TBA
Press Release
Advance Review Copies Available
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781771120661 |
| PRICE | $34.99 (USD) |
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Average rating from 9 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 49862
I had a hard time with this book. It was a well-written account of the self-recorded story of Nachman Libeskind's life. It was a fascinating read, but it made me feel uncomfortable and wistful at the same time. Rather confusing, I know. To explain a little, I come from a family that has its own amazing stories of survival from the Nazis and the turmoil of WWII. I would LOVE to have the family stories I heard growing up recorded (hence the wistful aspect), but it has been almost impossible to get the stories recorded although I have tried several times. The tales made me feel uncomfortable because of how they mirrored some of my family's experiences and reminded me of how frightening trying to survive in such difficult circumstances can be. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone interested in personal biographies, as well as personal accounts of the years during and after WWII.
I received a copy of this book to peruse through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mandy J, Reviewer
The subtitle of this book says it all really. “How Nachman Libeskind Survived the Nazis, Gulags, and Soviet Communism”. Nachman Libeskind was a remarkable man and this biography is the story of his remarkable life. It’s the saga of a Jewish family before, during and after World War Two and an incredible tale of survival, courage, determination and, to a large degree, sheer luck. His daughter encouraged her father to record his life and three years after his death in 2001 she discovered he had done just that. She found a box of tapes on which he had recorded in great detail the trajectory of his journey to ultimate safety in the US. Based on these tapes, she compiled this wonderfully moving and compelling account of just how he managed to survive all that the 20th century threw at him and his family.
Annette Libeskind Berkovits herself forged a successful career at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, and her brother is the internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. So this is not only their father’s story but also theirs, and as such is a testament to the human spirit’s ability to triumph over adversity.
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