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Dual Identities: Living in Meier's Shadow
"[A] beautifully rendered and deeply personal narrative." -Peter Salovey, president emeritus, Yale University
A Faux Photo. A Heavy Burden. Two Lives, Forever Intertwined.
"You hear nothing!" his mother shouts. But like many young children of Holocaust survivors, Arthur hears too much. And his mother, Sally Finkelstein Horwitz, has a lot to say. About heroism and horror. Resilience and remorse. Antisemitism and spineless American Jews.
Hiding in closets or a bathtub, Arthur absorbs the tales she shares with friends and other survivors. One day, seeking to swipe a few bucks, Arthur discovers an iconic Holocaust image of a terrified boy tucked in among the other photos in the sleeves of his mother's wallet. "Who's this?" he demands to know. She insists it's her little brother Meier, who was murdered by the Nazis. But Arthur knows it isn't. The photo further cements his growing understanding that he's been saddled with the responsibility of living two lives-his and the one Meier never had. It's a burden that will shape Arthur's life, family, and media career.
Dual Living in Meier's Shadow removes filters previously inhibiting children of survivors from sharing their own unvarnished growing-up-in-America stories while providing new insights on the impact of intergenerational trauma and the path to coping, healing, reconciliation, and remembrance.
A Faux Photo. A Heavy Burden. Two Lives, Forever Intertwined.
"You hear nothing!" his mother shouts. But like many young children of Holocaust survivors, Arthur hears too much. And his mother, Sally Finkelstein Horwitz, has a lot to say. About heroism and horror. Resilience and remorse. Antisemitism and spineless American Jews.
Hiding in closets or a bathtub, Arthur absorbs the tales she shares with friends and other survivors. One day, seeking to swipe a few bucks, Arthur discovers an iconic Holocaust image of a terrified boy tucked in among the other photos in the sleeves of his mother's wallet. "Who's this?" he demands to know. She insists it's her little brother Meier, who was murdered by the Nazis. But Arthur knows it isn't. The photo further cements his growing understanding that he's been saddled with the responsibility of living two lives-his and the one Meier never had. It's a burden that will shape Arthur's life, family, and media career.
Dual Living in Meier's Shadow removes filters previously inhibiting children of survivors from sharing their own unvarnished growing-up-in-America stories while providing new insights on the impact of intergenerational trauma and the path to coping, healing, reconciliation, and remembrance.
276 pages, Hardcover
Published April 28, 2026
About the author
Arthur Myron Horwitz
2 books1 follower Arthur M. Horwitz is a nationally respected journalist, publisher and civic leader whose career is recognized by enshrinement in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame and establishment of the Arthur M. Horwitz Collection at the University of Michigan.
Arthur’s writing has appeared in secular and ethnic publications and academic journals. A persuasive and sought-after speaker, he is a frequent guest on affiliate news programs of ABC, NBC, PBS and NPR.
Arthur chaired the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and the board of Detroit/PBS. He
is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Yale School of Management.
Arthur’s writing has appeared in secular and ethnic publications and academic journals. A persuasive and sought-after speaker, he is a frequent guest on affiliate news programs of ABC, NBC, PBS and NPR.
Arthur chaired the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and the board of Detroit/PBS. He
is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Yale School of Management.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Some years ago, I read Helen Epstein's work on the children of Holocaust survivors, and how they could feel extreme guilt and suffer from PTSD. Thus, I was expecting to read about those things in Arthur M. Horwitz’s book. Turns out, there is little of that in this memoir. This is more a story of a man who handled his mother’s horrors well and did not let such things keep him from having a happy, highly successful life. While at times I felt the book was weighed down with way too many job descriptions and duties, overall, it painted an affecting story of not being defeated by anything.
The author's mother Sala, too, went on to become someone who accomplished much in her lifetime. She was not broken by the Nazis. She never forgot but did not leave behind a legacy of mental problems and defeat. Yes, she repeatedly reminded her son he had to also live the life her little brother never got to live. Yes, she carried a picture in her wallet of a little boy being terrified by Nazis, claiming it was her brother, when it was not. Apparently, though, Mr. Horwitz learned to accommodate his mother’s wishes, without surrendering his own wishes and dreams.
He became a highly successful journalist, editor, publisher and civic leader; fighting not only for Jews, but for others who needed a fighter and defender. Interestingly, the love of his life turned out to be a woman who also had a mother who was a Holocaust survivor. They would go on to create a happy family with children and grandchildren. The Nazis would not wipe out the Jews in the world. Added to that, Mr. Horwitz developed a love for horses and riding as a child, and that love carried over to his adult years. When thinking about the horrors of the Holocaust, what could be more mentally freeing from those horrors than being all alone riding a fast horse across open land in fresh air.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the author or publisher.)
The author's mother Sala, too, went on to become someone who accomplished much in her lifetime. She was not broken by the Nazis. She never forgot but did not leave behind a legacy of mental problems and defeat. Yes, she repeatedly reminded her son he had to also live the life her little brother never got to live. Yes, she carried a picture in her wallet of a little boy being terrified by Nazis, claiming it was her brother, when it was not. Apparently, though, Mr. Horwitz learned to accommodate his mother’s wishes, without surrendering his own wishes and dreams.
He became a highly successful journalist, editor, publisher and civic leader; fighting not only for Jews, but for others who needed a fighter and defender. Interestingly, the love of his life turned out to be a woman who also had a mother who was a Holocaust survivor. They would go on to create a happy family with children and grandchildren. The Nazis would not wipe out the Jews in the world. Added to that, Mr. Horwitz developed a love for horses and riding as a child, and that love carried over to his adult years. When thinking about the horrors of the Holocaust, what could be more mentally freeing from those horrors than being all alone riding a fast horse across open land in fresh air.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the author or publisher.)
July 28, 2026
Arthur Horwitz's Dual Identities: Living in Meier's Shadow is a beautifully written and deeply moving memoir. Arthur shares the remarkable story of living not only for himself, but also in honor of his uncle, who was murdered in the Holocaust.
His storytelling is vivid and thoughtful, bringing generations of his family—from his ancestors to his descendants—to life in a way that makes you feel as though you're walking alongside them.
This is an inspiring, intelligent, and heartfelt book that stays with you long after you've finished reading. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful and thought-provoking read.
His storytelling is vivid and thoughtful, bringing generations of his family—from his ancestors to his descendants—to life in a way that makes you feel as though you're walking alongside them.
This is an inspiring, intelligent, and heartfelt book that stays with you long after you've finished reading. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful and thought-provoking read.
July 13, 2026
I opened this book not knowing what to expect. To my surpise, I was drawn immediately into the author's childhood escapades in a post-war east coast American suburb, not unlike my own, and couldn't put it down. But there was one major difference: that childhood and young adulthood were shaped and driven by a constant undertone, the scars that the worst ravages of the Nazis left on the author's mother, who managed to survive. This is an auto-biography not about the Holocaust directly but about its reverberations, which will inform the lives and choices of generations to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I see what the author was trying to do in this memoir, but it felt a little forced to me. If we are speaking of dual identities the balance feels a little off. In reality, the author doesn't have the whole story of his ancestors, nor can he. I think he should have just told his own story and perhaps written another book about the Holocaust and his family's experience.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. A story that needed telling.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. A story that needed telling.
June 3, 2026
I'm burnt out on memoirs but this one was incredible! I especially loved it due to the Detroit connection.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews