Also Here

by Brooke Randel

As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.”






What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman's harrowing survival, and another's struggle to excavate the story from under the sands of time, and her grandma's illiteracy. Chronicling the darkness of the past and the difficult (and occasionally comic) challenges of bringing it to life in a sunny Florida condo, this book offers an insightful look into the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren,
and the impossible pull of both silence and remembrance.

Genres: Memoir, Holocaust, Nonfiction, World War II, History, Biography, Biography Memoir

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The love between the grandmother, Golda, and her granddaughter, Brooke, felt very real, very honest and very sweet which warmed my heart. However, the horrors Golda endured at the hands of the Nazi’s at such a young age was truly heartbreaking. This book is different from the many very well-written books from Holocaust survivors because it was as much about the how hard it can be for Holocaust survivors to bring back the horrific memories of WWII, but it was also about how Brooke, the author, changed as a result of hearing her grandmother’s stories which ultimately forged a very special and unique bond between them. I also appreciated that Brooke openly shared the challenges of interviewing Golda and then the amount of research and patience that went into writing this book since she had never written a book before.

[Audrey Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving story of a granddaughter and grandmother finding connection with each other through experiences both lived and told. The love they have for each other is palpable; you can almost feel it radiating off the page through the writing. It is a beautiful, sweet, and heart-wrenching story of family, loss, strength, hope, and connection.

This is a unique memoir that not only describes a young girl's harrowing experiences with the Holocaust, but also a granddaughter's efforts to record this family history and find a deeper connection and understanding with her grandmother. It's a memoir that is as much about the present as it is about the past. And I particularly love that the author shared recipes for her grandma's dishes that are talked about in the book.

Well written and creatively constructed, this is a quick read that kept me engrossed the whole way, and that will stick with me as well.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this one too!

[Jennifer Furber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the backstory to how this book came to be in the world, perhaps ten times more than the book. Maybe this movie would be better than the book. It read like a first draft. It was poorly arranged and didn’t have an ounce of smooth narrative arc. The most interesting piece of the book was the recipes at the end that belonged to the writer’s illiterate grandmother. I’m not sure what would have helped this. Different tense? Writing it chronologically as a novel? This memoir didn’t read like one. Although the facts and descriptions of Nazi Germany were both horrific and interesting, it wasn’t enough to rate the book higher.

[Naomi Helen Yaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also Here by Brooke Randel and found it deeply moving. Having just completed a manuscript about my mother’s life, I wondered how Randel approached a personal family story. While my mother’s experiences were nothing like the Holocaust, I related to the challenges of interviewing and shaping a narrative.

Brooke weaves between her own perspective and her grandmother Golda Indig’s story. From the start, they had different ideas — Golda saw it as a public testimony, while Brooke expected a private conversation. Golda, imprisoned in three concentration camps starting at 13, never learned to read despite speaking six languages. This made verifying details difficult, and her memories were sometimes unclear. Yet, these moments of uncertainty make the book feel authentic, capturing the complexity of memory and trauma.
What makes Also Here especially compelling is its emotional honesty. Brooke not only shares Golda’s past but also her own struggles in documenting it. The book is as much about the storytelling process as it is about the story itself. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Holocaust memoirs, oral histories, or the challenges of preserving family narratives.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal memoir written by a granddaughter who interviews her illiterate grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. The love these two share, as well as the great divide between the Americanized granddaughter and the Eastern European grandmother, gives such an interesting dynamic to the story, and I found myself wishing that I, too, could reach out and hold Bubbie's hand as she shared her memories. An incredible and tender story of survival and what it took to claw a life out of the aftermath of the Holocaust.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasure to speak with the author about this moving, honest memoir for CHIRB https://chireviewofbooks.com/2024/12/...

[Ashley Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a story that needed to be told, and I am sure glad Brooke rose to the challenge. Words that come to mind when I think of this book: brilliant, thought-provoking and unbelievable.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling story about the bond between a grandmother and granddaughter. Randel combines the tragedy of the Holocaust with heartfelt and comical moments with her grandmother. A must read!

[Glennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read of the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter, as she tries to coax the family history from her memories.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was almost too late. The memories and history were almost buried in the past as the family didn’t want to press the issue. They knew she had lived through one of the most important and traumatic experiences in history, yet she didn’t and wouldn’t talk about it. It only took one phone call to change all that.

This was such a great book to read. I could understand why her family didn’t press her to share the details of her experiences during WWII and yet, Golda had so much to offer her family when she finally does open herself up to them. We know that our own history shapes us and what Golda experienced as a young girl during the Holocaust definitely affected her life. As her granddaughter Brooke brings Golda’s story to light, Brooke struggles herself. Both parties are struggling to bring light to Golda’s past. What a unique story. I commend Brooke for sharing this book with us readers.

The recipes and photographs in the back are an added bonus. 5 star read

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also Here is a story that everyone should hear or read. Brooke writes about herself, her relationship with her family and her grandma, Golda Indig.

I laughed at the grandma/daughter antics. My heart hurt with the stories that Brooke shared about Golda. I imagined the isolation and separateness that Golda must have felt throughout her life.

That's why these stories that Brooke has written are so important. They need to be told, they need to be heard, they need to be shared. And most important - they need to be believed.

[Anca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honored to read an early draft of this memoir, and it's wonderful to have it in its beautiful, final form. A very moving tale of a granddaughter and her grandmother, and the effort to record her grandmother's horrific experiences during the Holocaust. Randel gives respite to the reader by also showing so much more than her bubbie Golda's survival--their sweet relationship, including wacky adventures in Florida, gin rummy with ever-changing rules, and lots of baking.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Nathalia Escobar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, but I feel like the story of the grandma was too short it could have easily been filled up in 10 pages, the rest of the book was more her thoughts and questions in her head.

[Barbara Adde · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a third generation American, I’ve been fascinated by how the Holocaust affects the following generations. This was beautifully done.

[Paula Korelitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the quote at the beginning of this book that resonated with me as a grandmother - “We talked because we liked hearing one another’s voice, not because we ever had much to say.”

So while the author’s intent was to tell her grandmother’s experience during the Holocaust, their relationship changes during the course of the attempt to do so.

Randel has to dig deeper than she had expected.