The Unanswered Letter - by Faris Cassell (Hardcover)
Similar Products
Products of same category from the store
All
Product info
<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"'Dear Madam: You are surely informed about the situation of all Jews in Central Europe and this letter will not astonish you.' In August 1939, just days before World War II broke out in Europe, a Jewish man in Vienna named Alfred Berger mailed a desperate letter to a stranger in America who shared his last name. 'By pure chance I got your address. I beg you instantly to send for me and my wife.' Decades later, journalist Faris Cassell stumbled upon the stunning letter and became determined to uncover the story behind it. How did the American Bergers respond? Did Alfred and his family escape Nazi Germany?"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>In 1939, as the Nazis closed in, Alfred Berger mailed a desperate letter to an American stranger who happened to share his last name. He and his wife, Viennese Jews, had found escape routes for their daughters. But now their money, connections, and emotional energy were nearly exhausted. Alfred begged the American recipient of the letter, "You are surely informed about the situation of all Jews in Central Europe.... By pure chance I got your address.... My daughter and her husband will go... to America.... Help us to follow our children.... It is our last and only hope...." <p/>After languishing in a California attic for decades, Alfred's letter ended up in the hands of Faris Cassell, a journalist who couldn't rest until she discovered the ending of the story. Traveling across the United States as well as to Austria, the Czech Republic, Belarus, and Israel, she uncovered an extraordinary story of heart-wrenching loss and unforgettable love that endures to this day. <p/>Did the Bergers' desperate letter find a response? Did they--and their daughters--survive? Did they leave living descendants? <p/>You will find the answers here. <p/>A story that will move any reader, <i>The Unanswered Letter</i> is a poignant reminder that love and hope never die.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><i>"It's possible that The Unanswered Letter, which brings a far more global perspective to the Holocaust than do most survivors' memoirs, will typify the new scholarship"</i> <i><b>-</b><b><b>Sa</b>n Diego Jewish World</b></i><br><br><i>"Through her determined investigation, Cassell illuminates a hitherto unknown chapter of the Holocaust: the heart-stopping story of Alfred and Hedwig Berger, 'a blind salesman of socks and a homemaker with a song in her heart.'"</i> <i><b>-</b><b>The National Book Review</b></i><br><br><i>"The author vividly portrays a rich culture's unspeakably cruel destruction...the story is a historical treasure."<b> -Kirkus Reviews</b></i><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>FARIS CASSELL</b>, a journalist and writer, lives with her husband in Eugene, Oregon. She earned a B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke College and an M.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon. Her decades of research into Alfred and Hedwig Berger's story was supported by a Mount Holyoke Alumnae Scholarship and by the generous cooperation of the Berger family.
Price History
Price Archive shows prices from various stores, lets you see history and find the cheapest. There is no actual sale on the website. For all support, inquiry and suggestion messagescommunication@pricearchive.us