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Ophelia 
Beyond Awesome
Fiction Moderator
Book Discussion Leader
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1073
Gender: 
Location: France
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 Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:22 pm Post subject: Like to join us? "Tearing the silence" by Hegi
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"Tearing the silence" by Ursula Hegi.
I've only read the first two chapters, and I have a lot to say, but I'll start with a review to save time.
| Quote: |
amazon.com
Ursula Hegi grew up in Germany and moved to the United States at age 18. As she grew older and raised a family, questions about her roots and her native land haunted her until, at last, she felt compelled to write about them. Tearing the Silence brings together her interviews with dozens of German-born Americans, and their confrontations with the taboo of the Holocaust. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Hegi's outstanding fictional accounts of life in World War II Germany were the catalysts for this powerful nonfiction collection of interviews of first-generation German Americans. Herself a German-born American, Hegi aims to shatter the reluctance, even refusal, of Germans to mention the Holocaust other than to say, "We suffered, too." The Germany Hegi grew up with and ultimately struggled against is reflected in the personal accounts by other Germans, now living in America, whom she interviewed informally. For example, there is Eva, who remarks, "Just because I'm German doesn't mean I am a Nazi," and Hans-Peter, who says, "It's my heritage?yet I had no say in it." This singular work is an important addition to a greater understanding of the Holocaust and to giving credible cognizance to submerged feelings.
Kay Meredith Dusheck, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City |
I'm going to write about the main theme of the book of course (the fact that the Holocaust was a taboo subject in Germany after the war, this is the reason why I am reading the book), but one aspect that strikes me and that I think the author does not particularly stress is that most of the people who testify are Germans who emigrated to America, and for me it is interesting to compare with the situation of Germans from the same generation in Germany and in Europe.
My guess is that it's very different.
From what I read the German immigrants were happy to live in the States, which is only natural, but I can't help feeling the dreadful irony of emigrating to escape the horrors of the Nazi past of your nation and choosing a host country where a certain number of people are likely, on meeting you, to throw questions at you like :
"Germany. Are you the guys who had Hitler as a leader?" (in 2008).
" You're German. Does that mean you're a Nazi?" (in 1984).
I can't imagine anything that would be more shocking or generally considered to be the worst possible taste in Europe.
Granted, in the two examples I've just mentioned the person who asks is about 14.
I wonder if adults asked questions like this too...
She obviously feels too guilty for being German to find fault with the persons who ask the questions, but to me it is revealing.
What can make people confuse being German with being a Nazi, in 1984 or 2008?
Now that I have done some griping and written what I thought Ursula Hegi had forgotten to say (!) I can turn to the book itself.
It is well written, but the themes make it difficult reading for me-- as I mentioned before, all this is close to home.
I have also bought her novel Stones From the River, but have just read from the first chapter. It sounds very interesting. |
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Saffron
Freshman
Book Discussion Leader
Joined: 01 Apr 2008
Posts: 236
Gender:
Location: Northern Virginia
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| Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject:
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| I'm going out to look for the book tomorrow! I hope a few other people join in the discussion. |
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Ophelia
Beyond Awesome
Fiction Moderator
Book Discussion Leader
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1073
Gender:
Location: France
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:29 am Post subject:
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| OK Saffron, I'll change the title into a question in case it might attract some attention. |
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