Those Who Save Us (Reprint) (Paperback) by Jenna Blum

About the Book

Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during World War II, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, "Those Who Save Us" is a profound exploration of what people endure to survive and the legacy of shame.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THOSE WHO SAVE US

"Jenna Blum's accomplished first novel, Those Who Save Us, is both vast and intimate in its reach . . . Utterly believable . . .An absorbing tale of two women's struggles with the burdens and responsibilities of remembrance."-THE BOSTON GLOBE

"The book's power . . . [lies] in examining the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration . . .Those Who Save Us bursts with provocative questions about the ambiguous possibilities of culpability."-SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE


PRAISE FOR THOSE WHO SAVE US

"Jenna Blum's accomplished first novel, Those Who Save Us, is both vast and intimate in its reach . . . Utterly believable . . .An absorbing tale of two women's struggles with the burdens and responsibilities of remembrance."-THE BOSTON GLOBE

"The book's power . . . [lies] in examining the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration . . .Those Who Save Us bursts with provocative questions about the ambiguous possibilities of culpability."-SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

From the Back Cover

"Th[is] book's power . . . lies . . . in examining the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration . . . "Those Who Save Us" bursts with provocative questions about the ambiguous possibilities of culpability."--"San Francisco Chronicle "
For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer. Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the heartbreaking truth of her mother's life. "Those Who Save Us" is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.
"Impossible to put . . . down . . . well-researched . . . compelling."--"Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
"The themes of love, sacrifice and family secrets are at the core of Blum's powerful first novel . . . [a] fast-paced page-turner."--"Jewish Book World "
"I was much impressed by Jenna Blum's book. It is a powerful evocation of terrible events, moving and persuasive . . . A remarkable first novel, with memorable characters and an exemplary control over structure, bringing past and present together to great effect."--Penelope Lively, author of "Moon Tiger"

Book Synopsis

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.
Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.
Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, "Those Who Save Us" is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.


PRAISE FOR THOSE WHO SAVE US
"Jenna Blum's accomplished first novel, Those Who Save Us, is both vast and intimate in its reach . . . Utterly believable . . .An absorbing tale of two women's struggles with the burdens and responsibilities of remembrance."-THE BOSTON GLOBE
"The book's power . . . [lies] in examining the emotional and moral gray area between heroism and collaboration . . .Those Who Save Us bursts with provocative questions about the ambiguous possibilities of culpability."-SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE