As the Holocaust recedes in time; the guardianship of its legacy is being passed on from its survivors and witnesses to the next generation. How should they; in turn; convey its knowledge to others? What are the effects of a traumatic past on its inheritors? And what are the second-generation's responsibilities to its received memories? In this meditation on the long aftermath of atrocity; Eva Hoffman--a child of Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust with the help of neighbors; but whose entire families perished--probes these questions through personal reflections; and through broader explorations of the historical; psychological; and moral implications of the second-generation experience. She examines the subterranean processes through which private memories of suffering are transmitted; and the more willful stratagems of collective memory. She traces the "second generation's" trajectory from childhood intimations of horror; through its struggles between allegiance and autonomy; and its complex transactions with children of perpetrators. As she guides us through the poignant juncture at which living memory must be relinquished; she asks what insights can be carried from the past to the newly problematic present; and urges us to transform potent family stories into a fully informed understanding of a forbidding history.
#2313961 in Books 2005-08-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.60 x 6.38 x 9.18l; #File Name: 1584655054554 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Civil War Up Close and PersonalBy Mark R. BrewerThe 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry had a fairly large number of young men who were either graduates of Harvard University or students there when the war came. Most of these young men would serve as officers in the 20th. Many of them would never come home; and a large portion of those who did survive had wounds they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. The same was true of the enlisted men.Richard E. Miller has written a lively; informative and at times gripping history of the regiment; and in doing so; he also gives a history of the Army of the Potomac. But the focus is squarely on the 20th. Their experience is magnified. And it was quite an experience.The 20th Mass got their baptism of fire at Ball's Bluff in October of 1861. They then participated in most of the major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac; including the Seven Days; Antietam; Fredericksburg; Gettysburg; the Wilderness; Spotsylvania; and Cold Harbor. The regiment had an outstanding reputation for order; discipline; cleanliness and for their ability to stand and fight. They were one of the finest regiments in the entire army.But they paid a price for their bravery; as deaths and wounds so depleted their numbers that only one hundred or so made it home without having been wounded or captured. Captain Henry Patten wrote home in August of 1864 to tell of "the much-suffering Twentieth." So numerous were their casualties; wrote Patten; that there was "Nothing left of it." A week after writing this; Patten was dead too. At one point; the regiment had only fourteen men able to report for duty.This history; though detailing the experiences of the 20th; is a reminder of what soldiers on both sides endured: cold; heat; mud; dust; rain; exhaustion; hunger; and always death; death; death.A Private McAdams wrote home after Fredericksburg; telling his folks that "they Sayed the Country Would Never Forgit us." This book allows us to remember their great sacrifice for our country. We owe them that much; at the very least.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. One of the great regimental histories of the War between the StatesBy M. PerrinWhile doing a research project on Maj. H.L.Abbott; I came across this book. When I purchased it for reading I was impressed on the authors ability to tell a history of a Civil War unit. His research was awesome and his narrative made you feel like you were in the 20th Mass. at Ball's Bluff and Fredericksburg. This quite simply is the most readable regimental history on any Civil War unit.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. GreatBy John SudaGreat
