Little Boy, I Know Your Name - by Mitchell Raff (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Breaking the Inherited Cycle of Trauma

In his unflinchingly honest memoir, Mitchell Raff candidly recounts his journey to overcome generational trauma and break free from decades of addiction. With raw vulnerability, he lays bare his destructive coping mechanisms and the far-reaching consequences they wrought on his life and on those around him.

Beaten mercilessly as a child by his Holocaust-survivor mother, Mitchell was later kidnapped from Los Angeles to Israel before finding refuge with loving relatives back in America. In his adult life, the echoes of trauma forced Mitchell into patterns of substance abuse, sexual vices, and toxic relationships. But at a certain point, Mitchell explains, you need to own your decisions, for better or worse. After years of painful self-examination and work, Mitchell settled into a healthy relationship and found the strength to endure blows that once would have destroyed him.

Mitchell's unfiltered account of his trials, failures, and ultimate breakthrough to become the man he always wanted to be is living proof that cycles of generational trauma can be broken, that even the deepest wounds can soften, and that though the road is difficult, it is within reach to not only survive but thrive.

Review Quotes

"Mitchell Raff reveals a side of the Holocaust - the effects on the next generation - that are not conveyed enough in literature and formal studies. His story is deeply personal, authentic and heartbreaking." - BookTrib"This is one of the most compelling memoirs I have read in a long time... Little Boy is tragic, heartbreaking, captivating, and, in the end, quietly triumphant." - Jason Lulos, Pacific Book Review, Notable Book"An absorbing remembrance of a difficult psychological legacy." - Kirkus Indies"What really makes this book special to me is how it tackles inherited trauma. Raff's family, like so many Holocaust survivors, tried to bury the pain. But it seeped through in ways they couldn't control. It's these quiet and powerful memories that make the book more than just a story about one man's struggles." - Literary Titan, 5 stars"It takes courage and self-awareness to prevent the spread. His story is a lesson, a guide, and a warning." - Online Book Club"Heartfelt and hopeful-a touching coming of age story about a boy born to Holocaust survivors." - Susan Morris, Independent Book Review"Rejecting a family tradition of silence to catalog inherited and individual wounds, Little Boy, I Know Your Name is a powerful memoir." - Foreword Reviews"The book is a powerful exploration of the trauma and pain that can be passed down through generations and the author's struggle to come to terms with his own identity and sense of self." - Cristina Prescott, The Book Commentary, 5 stars"At once intensely personal and historically significant." - Self Publishing Review, 5 stars"If I and many others like me are children of the Holocaust, the Holocaust is a weirdly absent parent. We feel its presence but never enough to truly know it." - The US Review of Books