Online for Authors Episode 11-14-24

Threads of Survival: A Holocaust Family Memoir Across Generations by Author Willie Handler

Willie Handler, author of the book Out from the Shadows. Both of his parents are Holocaust survivors. In 2020, while struggling with the effects of the pandemic lockdown, he decided he needed to know what happened to them during WWII. Thus began a journey into his family’s past, eventually revealing their extraordinary survival and painful losses. Their story and his memoir published late in 2024.

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I recently had the privilege of interviewing Willie Handler, author of the powerful memoir "Out from the Shadows: Growing Up with Holocaust Survivor Parents". In our conversation, Willie shared his incredible journey of uncovering long-buried family secrets and history from the Holocaust era, despite his parents' reluctance to discuss their traumatic past.

What struck me most was how little Willie knew about his own family history for much of his life. His parents, like many Holocaust survivors, chose to shield their children from the painful details of what they endured. It wasn't until Willie was an adult, after his parents had passed away, that his curiosity compelled him to embark on a quest to fill in the missing pieces.

Through painstaking research across various archives, databases, DNA testing, and even a trip to his father's Polish hometown, Willie slowly stitched together a fuller picture of his family's experiences. There were shocking revelations along the way, like discovering his father had another child who perished in the Holocaust, a tragedy so devastating that his father seemingly blocked it from memory.

Willie's book delves into the concept of generational trauma and how the impact of his parents' experiences reverberated through his own upbringing and adult life in sometimes invisible ways. As he writes, "The legacy of the Holocaust, or the shadow as I call it, lives on and the descendants are invisible victims."

Perhaps most urgently, Willie hopes his book can be a warning and a call to action in an era of rising anti-Semitism. While another Holocaust may not be imminent, Willie sees alarming parallels in the current climate of hate. His plea: Educate yourself on the history. Don't turn a blind eye to persecution. Speak out and be an ally.

"Out from the Shadows" is a moving excavation of family history, a powerful treatise on trauma's long tail, and an urgent appeal to stand against hate in all forms. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

To learn more about Willie's work in Holocaust education or to contact him about speaking to your group, visit williehandler.com.

If any of Willie's story resonated with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just leave a comment.

P.S. Want to dive deeper into this important conversation? Head over to the Novels N Latte Book Club on Facebook, where we'll be discussing "Out from the Shadows" and giving away a copy of the book!

Purchase Out From the Shadows on Amazon:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4hh2cPr
​Ebook: https://amzn.to/3NGpQY1
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