Motherland: A Mother-Daughter Journey to Reclaim the Past
by Fern Schumer Chapman
Overview
From the Publisher
One woman's moving story of her journey with her mother to find their past and the tragedy that haunts it.
In 1937, Edith Westerfeld's parents--before being killed by the Nazis--sent her from Germany to live with relatives in America. Fifty-four years later, Edith decided that it was time to, with her grown daughter Fern, revisit the town she had left so many years before. For Edith the trip was a chance to reconnect and reconcile with her past; for Fern it was a chance to learn what lay behind her mother's silent grief. On their journey, Fern and her mother shared many extraordinary encounters with the townspeople and--more importantly--with one another, closing the divide that had long stood between them.
My thoughts
This is an amazing book. I don't know where I have been all these years to have missed the ongoing grief and struggles of holocaust survivors -- this is a story that caught me off guard. I had no idea that these feelings still linger in our world today -- that there is still so much hurt in the hearts of victims, and so much healing that needs to occur.
The story is about a mother who escaped Nazi Germany as a child. She was sent to America to live with family members who never really accepted her as their own. It is the story of a daughter who grew up without a past, without a history, because it was too painful for her mother to share. It is a story of a mother and daughter in a difficult relationship who travel back to Germany together to reclaim their past.
A co-worker of mine asked me how I could read such a personal, emotional story. I'm a little surprised that I handled it as well as I did, which I think is a testament to the author's writing style. She infused enough distractions that the power of the story is told without becoming so depressing that a reader is turned off.
It's a powerful story that needs to be told. I recommend this book highly.
Favorite Passage
This is near the end of the book when the mother is dealing with the memories of her mother shipping her off to safety in America, and the loss of her parents at the tender age of twelve.
She stops speaking, takes a deep breath, and brings her knees up under the covers. The silence is a relief. She clears her throat to continue -- but her tone has shifted abruptly.
"I've never been able to understand it," she steams, suddenly incensed. "How could they do it?"
"What?" I ask, confused.
"How could they send me away?"
"But they didn't just send you away," I say incredulously. I run her question through my mind; what can she be thinking? "Imagine how desperate your mother must have been to reach that decision."
"But how...how could she stand there and watch me go?"
"Just imagine how hard it was for her," I say, baffled that we are even having this conversation. "Imagine what it felt like for her to see that ship leave the dock."
My heart tears as I picture my grandmother, any mother, standing on that dock. "She was there because she didn't see any other option," I try to explain. "Your parents didn't believe that they could get out of Germany. So they had no choice."
"No, that's not true," she argues. "Of course they had a choice. They could have chosen to let me stay with them."
"What?" I say, struck by her irrationality. I have an impulse to throw on the lights, as if that would make her see things more clearly.
Instead, I contain myself and press on, "But you would have died."
"Yes," she sighs, as if that wouldn't have mattered much. "But at least I would have been with them. We would have been together."
FROM THE AUTHOR
I'm always pleased when I get to hear from the author! Fern Schumer Chapman writes:
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 3:06 PM
Subject: from the author of "Motherland"
Becky,
Thank you for posting on-line such kind words about my book. I know
that the book is emotionally difficult at times, but I'm glad readers
like you press ahead. The passage you quoted really is the core of the
story. It's amazing that that was my mother's painful secret. I really
appreciate a reader like you who carefully considers the story.
All best,
Fern Schumer Chapman
Dear Friends:
I wanted to share with you some exciting news. Please excuse the mass e-mail.
I have sold my latest book, "Is It Night or Day?" to Farrar Straus & Giroux. I will be working on improving the manuscript over the next six months and the book will be published in late 2008 or early 2009. The book is a prequel to "Motherland."
Thanks for all your interest and support. It means so much to me.
Fondly,
Fern
