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A World Erased: A Grandson's Search for His Family's Holocaust Secrets
This poignant memoir by Noah Lederman, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, transports readers from his grandparents’ kitchen table in Brooklyn to World War II Poland. In the 1950s, Noah’s grandparents raised their children on Holocaust stories. But because tales of rebellion and death camps gave his father and aunt constant nightmares, in Noah’s adolescence Grandma would only recount the PG version. Noah, however, craved the uncensored truth and always felt one right question away from their pasts. But when Poppy died at the end of the millennium, it seemed the Holocaust stories died with him. In the years that followed, without the love of her life by her side, Grandma could do little more than mourn.After college, Noah, a travel writer, roamed the world for fifteen months with just one avoid Poland. A few missteps in Europe, however, landed him in his grandparents’ country. When he returned home, he cautiously told Grandma about his time in Warsaw, fearing that the past would bring up memories too painful for her to relive. But, instead, remembering the Holocaust unexpectedly rejuvenated her, ending five years of mourning her husband. Together, they explored the memories—of Auschwitz and a half-dozen other camps, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the displaced persons camps—that his grandmother had buried for decades. And the woman he had playfully mocked as a child became his hero.I was left with the stories—the ones that had been hidden, the ones that offered catharsis, the ones that gave me a second hero, the ones that resurrected a family, the ones that survived even death. Their shared journey profoundly illuminates the transformative power of never forgetting.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2017
24 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
Noah Lederman
3 books12 followersNoah Lederman is the author of A World Erased: A Grandson's Search for His Family's Holocaust secrets. The Philadelphia Inquirer included the memoir on their best books of the year list and Booklist called A World Erased "“a vital contribution to Holocaust collections.”
His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Economist, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Miami Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Tablet Magazine, the Times of Israel, JTA, the Jerusalem Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, the New Republic, and elsewhere. He writes the blog Somewhere Or Bust.
His writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Economist, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Miami Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Tablet Magazine, the Times of Israel, JTA, the Jerusalem Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, the New Republic, and elsewhere. He writes the blog Somewhere Or Bust.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 7, 2017
“A World Erased” by Noah Lederman, published by Rowman & Littlefield.
Category – Memoir (Holocaust) Publication Date – February 07, 2017.
This is a unique book that transcends the normal books written about the holocaust. It is a memoir written by a young man who tries to discover the holocaust from his grandparents who were survivors.
Both of his grandparents were reluctant to tell their stories and when they did it was a watered down version of their experiences. It was only after college and a trip to Europe, where he came to realize the importance of his grandparent’s stories. It was then that he also realized that these stories must keep alive so that no one would forget the holocaust.
It took him some time and prodding to finally get his grandmother to fully open up of what happened to her and her husband during this time. The stories are not the usual gruesome events of the holocaust but one of people trying to survive in a world where no one seemed to care about them.
Noah discovers that his grandparents lived through the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, several concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and incredibly a displaced persons camp.
A different kind of book about the holocaust that has a young man attempting to discover the holocaust through the experiences of his grandparents.
Category – Memoir (Holocaust) Publication Date – February 07, 2017.
This is a unique book that transcends the normal books written about the holocaust. It is a memoir written by a young man who tries to discover the holocaust from his grandparents who were survivors.
Both of his grandparents were reluctant to tell their stories and when they did it was a watered down version of their experiences. It was only after college and a trip to Europe, where he came to realize the importance of his grandparent’s stories. It was then that he also realized that these stories must keep alive so that no one would forget the holocaust.
It took him some time and prodding to finally get his grandmother to fully open up of what happened to her and her husband during this time. The stories are not the usual gruesome events of the holocaust but one of people trying to survive in a world where no one seemed to care about them.
Noah discovers that his grandparents lived through the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, several concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and incredibly a displaced persons camp.
A different kind of book about the holocaust that has a young man attempting to discover the holocaust through the experiences of his grandparents.
February 13, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A touching book by Noah Lederman and his search for the secrets of his family's holocaust experiences. It is poignant that the grandchild would be the one to keep these memories alive and to be a witness, bringing the stories to light in order that we and the world will never forget. Highly recommended.
A touching book by Noah Lederman and his search for the secrets of his family's holocaust experiences. It is poignant that the grandchild would be the one to keep these memories alive and to be a witness, bringing the stories to light in order that we and the world will never forget. Highly recommended.
February 1, 2020
This is unlike any other Holocaust book I have read. The fact that the author's grandparents lived through the Holocaust makes his story special. Noah is constantly asking his grandparents about their experiences. They are very hesitant to discuss their lives with him. It seems that some of the survivor's children and grandchildren have been burdened with irrational thought and fears after hearing their families' stories. Noah's grandparents choose to stay mostly quiet to him.
Eventually Noah goes to the places his grandparents have been, trying to gain a better grasp on their lives. He comes home with a renewed interest and burning questions. As he grows older his grandparents begin to piece together the facts of their existence. Noah promises to keep their stories alive and honor their memory.
A beautiful story of a grandson and the love and respect he has for his grandparents.
*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
Eventually Noah goes to the places his grandparents have been, trying to gain a better grasp on their lives. He comes home with a renewed interest and burning questions. As he grows older his grandparents begin to piece together the facts of their existence. Noah promises to keep their stories alive and honor their memory.
A beautiful story of a grandson and the love and respect he has for his grandparents.
*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
May 8, 2018
Kept my attention. I enjoyed reading it once I got into it.
June 2, 2017
Have you ever read a memoir that you couldn't put down? They are rare, but I've found one: A World Erased: A Grandson's Search for His Family's Holocaust Secrets. Author Noah Lederman delves into his family's past - both in the United States, and at different concentration camps and towns in Europe. His phenomenological work tells of a childhood filled with love, food, and incredible grandparents, which turns into a quest for understanding - of the lives of those we love most, of the horrors of concentration camps during the Holocaust and how people lived through them, of chance and bravery, of travel and research, of tackling such a horrific subject...so that we don't forget.
How much do we know about our family members, our friends, the ones we love? What happens when you uncover the past (as much as anyone can, really), and ask the hard questions? Lederman is an excellent writer, and not only shares family memories, but his journey to understand the lives of his grandparents - what they survived during the Holocaust - and how that affected the rest of their lives. It is powerful, moving, and
I have never read a memoir that held my attention so much that I couldn't sleep; turning out the light at 6am when the sun was rising, as I turned the last page, I felt bereft at finishing, awe at Lederman's words and story, and love for his family. Over my morning coffee, I thought deeply about how important personal histories are - that we must honestly represent lived lives, so that mistakes and horror aren't revisited. I thank Lederman for sharing his family history, for traveling and discovering his family's history, and for writing this incredibly important book.
Highly recommended.
Read our author interview here:
https://www.wanderingeducators.com/be...
How much do we know about our family members, our friends, the ones we love? What happens when you uncover the past (as much as anyone can, really), and ask the hard questions? Lederman is an excellent writer, and not only shares family memories, but his journey to understand the lives of his grandparents - what they survived during the Holocaust - and how that affected the rest of their lives. It is powerful, moving, and
I have never read a memoir that held my attention so much that I couldn't sleep; turning out the light at 6am when the sun was rising, as I turned the last page, I felt bereft at finishing, awe at Lederman's words and story, and love for his family. Over my morning coffee, I thought deeply about how important personal histories are - that we must honestly represent lived lives, so that mistakes and horror aren't revisited. I thank Lederman for sharing his family history, for traveling and discovering his family's history, and for writing this incredibly important book.
Highly recommended.
Read our author interview here:
https://www.wanderingeducators.com/be...
February 17, 2017
This book gives the reader a peek into lives of survivors children and how the holocaust is also a part of who they are.
The book teaches us more than history books. Noah not only showed us his grandparents survival, he showed us his father and aunts survival and in turn, his own.
The book teaches us more than history books. Noah not only showed us his grandparents survival, he showed us his father and aunts survival and in turn, his own.
April 14, 2020
As Noah Lederman was always inquisitive about his grandparents past during the Holocaust. They never told him the complete truth when he was a teen. When his father was his age he had nightmares of Nazi's coming to take him. He always had a suit case packed and stored under his bed.
Noah was in search of the truth after his grandfather died. His grandmother would not tell him much.
After college Noah traveled to Europe to find out about the Holocaust. He tried to avoid Poland, that was were his grandparents lived. One trip led to another, then he was in Poland, looking to find where they had lived and he visited museums.
After he got home, his grandmother began to open up. She felt inspired to tell him what it was like in the camps. By a stroke of luck she wasn't sent to the gas chambers.
She met her future husband after the war in Bergen-Belsen during liberation. She thought Leon Leberman was her lost brother. He became her husband.
Soon after his grandmother died. He felt ever so grateful for his grandparents and what they have meant to him.
Noah was in search of the truth after his grandfather died. His grandmother would not tell him much.
After college Noah traveled to Europe to find out about the Holocaust. He tried to avoid Poland, that was were his grandparents lived. One trip led to another, then he was in Poland, looking to find where they had lived and he visited museums.
After he got home, his grandmother began to open up. She felt inspired to tell him what it was like in the camps. By a stroke of luck she wasn't sent to the gas chambers.
She met her future husband after the war in Bergen-Belsen during liberation. She thought Leon Leberman was her lost brother. He became her husband.
Soon after his grandmother died. He felt ever so grateful for his grandparents and what they have meant to him.
November 14, 2016
Received this book on netgalley, wonderful! Reads like fiction,and you will get lost in the pages. Will be purchasing this when it is released! Noah Lederman recounts his grandparents' Holocaust experiences while visiting the places in their stories. Haunting, moving, and a reminder to "never forget."
September 25, 2019
That the children of Holocaust survivors bear scars from the violence their parents endured is not news. But what of the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors? They, too, have grown up in the shadow of a stunted family. The missing links reach out from bitter and sour memories, hovering over dinners and celebrations in their absences.
Noah Lederman takes us with him on a journey to find those missing links, to fill in the trauma-jumbled facts that don't always align in snippets of sanitized stories, told by grandparents with green numbers stamped on wrinkled skin. A writer and an educator, Lederman is aware of the perils of incomplete stories and unverifiable facts. Holocaust deniers linger, waiting to poke holes in those stories. If it is to be "never again," we have to know and recognize what "it was."
After years of research and heart-to-heart talks with his grandmother, the author ventures on a trip to Poland with 35 Jewish scholars and one camp survivor. This trip unravels some of mysteries that have dogged Lederman about his grandparents' stories. It also brings him face to face with the wounds that reach out from the grave to haunt him two generations later.
"I remembered all of the survivors who had once surrounded me. All of those green numbers reaching toward my face, grabbing handfuls of cheek. Not once when I was growing up had I even thought to ask about their versions of the Holocaus. At that age I was interested in only my grandparents' Holocaust. It pained me to know that the information had once been so readily available, like keys hanging on a wall. Most of those keys to those great fortunes were now melted down. The ones that remained belonged to doors with new locks."
I've read many books about the Holocaust. What can I get from another? Lederman's initimate conversations with his dying grandmother, his determination to understand the timelines, the facts, the details of mass murder and chaos demonstrates how the trauma lives on in suceeding generations and how important it is to never lose the human connection to those stories.
Noah Lederman takes us with him on a journey to find those missing links, to fill in the trauma-jumbled facts that don't always align in snippets of sanitized stories, told by grandparents with green numbers stamped on wrinkled skin. A writer and an educator, Lederman is aware of the perils of incomplete stories and unverifiable facts. Holocaust deniers linger, waiting to poke holes in those stories. If it is to be "never again," we have to know and recognize what "it was."
After years of research and heart-to-heart talks with his grandmother, the author ventures on a trip to Poland with 35 Jewish scholars and one camp survivor. This trip unravels some of mysteries that have dogged Lederman about his grandparents' stories. It also brings him face to face with the wounds that reach out from the grave to haunt him two generations later.
"I remembered all of the survivors who had once surrounded me. All of those green numbers reaching toward my face, grabbing handfuls of cheek. Not once when I was growing up had I even thought to ask about their versions of the Holocaus. At that age I was interested in only my grandparents' Holocaust. It pained me to know that the information had once been so readily available, like keys hanging on a wall. Most of those keys to those great fortunes were now melted down. The ones that remained belonged to doors with new locks."
I've read many books about the Holocaust. What can I get from another? Lederman's initimate conversations with his dying grandmother, his determination to understand the timelines, the facts, the details of mass murder and chaos demonstrates how the trauma lives on in suceeding generations and how important it is to never lose the human connection to those stories.
February 28, 2017
***Netgalley Review***
This book is about the authors search for his families holocaust secrets. His two grandparents both have the emotional scars and number tattoos to prove it. Many involved with the holocaust want to just forget the past...
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
It was a great book...the grandson grew up fascinated and frustrated with the little bit of family history his grandparents had shared with him. He goes out and finds answers for himself with the little knowledge of their past that he knows. Following the death of his Poppy he is determined to get the history out of grandma so that it's not lost. It is such a good read that I would recommend to history buffs.
This book is about the authors search for his families holocaust secrets. His two grandparents both have the emotional scars and number tattoos to prove it. Many involved with the holocaust want to just forget the past...
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.
It was a great book...the grandson grew up fascinated and frustrated with the little bit of family history his grandparents had shared with him. He goes out and finds answers for himself with the little knowledge of their past that he knows. Following the death of his Poppy he is determined to get the history out of grandma so that it's not lost. It is such a good read that I would recommend to history buffs.
May 30, 2019
In "A World Erased," Noah Lederman tackles the question that many second- (or later-) -generation American Jews like me don't want to discuss: What do we secretly feel when we meet a non-Jew from the countries that murdered our families in the Holocaust (Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary...)? We want to ask them: "What did your grandparents do to my grandparents in World War Two?" But of course we know that isn't fair. Or is it?
In this memoir, moreover, Lederman skillfully interweaves two narratives of exploration: His efforts to uncover the story of how his grandparents survived the Holocaust, and his rediscovery of his own ties to Judaism.
Confession: This book is almost the nonfiction version of my recent novel "The Heirs," which confronts the same uncomfortable questions of second-generation Jews. So of course I think it's terrific!
In this memoir, moreover, Lederman skillfully interweaves two narratives of exploration: His efforts to uncover the story of how his grandparents survived the Holocaust, and his rediscovery of his own ties to Judaism.
Confession: This book is almost the nonfiction version of my recent novel "The Heirs," which confronts the same uncomfortable questions of second-generation Jews. So of course I think it's terrific!
September 22, 2020
Lederman's grandparents were Holocaust survivors. As he grows up he begins to feel more and more curious about their stories. He especially admires his grandfather (Poppy) and wants to know his history, which included fighting with insurgents against the Nazis while in the Warsaw Ghetto.
When Poppy dies before revealing his past, Lederman is alarmed, and he begins to pester his grandmother for stories. Through this process he gains respect for his grandmother. As a budding journalist, Lederman had a burning desire to learn and to share the stories. "Never again" has special meaning to him as the atrocities are so close to his own life. I still find it terrible to read and to try to comprehend the cruelty we humans can inflict upon each other. Since the Holocaust, even more atrocities have occurred. When will we say "never again" and really mean it?
When Poppy dies before revealing his past, Lederman is alarmed, and he begins to pester his grandmother for stories. Through this process he gains respect for his grandmother. As a budding journalist, Lederman had a burning desire to learn and to share the stories. "Never again" has special meaning to him as the atrocities are so close to his own life. I still find it terrible to read and to try to comprehend the cruelty we humans can inflict upon each other. Since the Holocaust, even more atrocities have occurred. When will we say "never again" and really mean it?
June 23, 2018
By Noah Lederman
Reporter Michael Matza writes: In A World Erased: A Grandson’s Search for his Family’s Holocaust Secrets (Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95), Noah Lederman, a New York teacher and travel writer, offers a compelling second-generation perspective on the Holocaust, the survivors, and their families. He craves the details about death camps and ghettoes that gave his father nightmares. Part travelogue into the Europe of former concentration camps and his grandparents’ native Poland, part quest for the ugly truths he was shielded from as a child, Lederman’s narrative opens with the death of his grandfather, and the urgent need to learn, delicately, from his grandmother what he can before her stories die with her.
Rowman & Littlefield
8 people found this help
Reporter Michael Matza writes: In A World Erased: A Grandson’s Search for his Family’s Holocaust Secrets (Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95), Noah Lederman, a New York teacher and travel writer, offers a compelling second-generation perspective on the Holocaust, the survivors, and their families. He craves the details about death camps and ghettoes that gave his father nightmares. Part travelogue into the Europe of former concentration camps and his grandparents’ native Poland, part quest for the ugly truths he was shielded from as a child, Lederman’s narrative opens with the death of his grandfather, and the urgent need to learn, delicately, from his grandmother what he can before her stories die with her.
Rowman & Littlefield
8 people found this help
March 18, 2017
A World Erased
A Grandson's Search for His Family's Holocaust Secrets
by Noah Lederman
Rowman & Littlefield
Rowman & Littlefield Trade
History, Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 07 Feb 2017
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of A World Erased through the publisher and Netgalley:
His Grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust, his Grandmother witnessed her family murdereded for the simple fact that they were Jews, and she felt helpless to stop the monsters.
He hears stories of his Grandfather who beat up on Nazi's in a Warsaw Ghetto.
On December 30th 1999 while Noah is finishing out his studies he learns his Grandfather (Poppy) died just after finishing his first Semester at College.
Both his Grandmother and Grandfather had survived Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This is a story of survival, of determination and strength and a story of the pain the Holocaust has put onto families even a generation or two later, but more than that it is a story of strength.
I give A World Erased five out of five stars.
Happy Reading.
June 13, 2017
I liked it. It's sad when history is lost. This grandson researched and had a close relationship with his grandma. His persistence paid off. It also helped his grandma deal with the loss of her husband. Definitely worth reading.
September 20, 2019
The best book about the Holocaust
This may not be the smoothest book. It may not be slick. You may not like Noah at first. Give it your time. It is worth the effort. It is the most honest and loving book about that terrible era you will ever read.
This may not be the smoothest book. It may not be slick. You may not like Noah at first. Give it your time. It is worth the effort. It is the most honest and loving book about that terrible era you will ever read.
May 26, 2020
The world is: terrible and beautiful all in one. The older I get, the more true that becomes to me. This book is the story of one family’s stories, and how their power works. There are terrible things in here, but also the most beautiful things, too. A very good history indeed.
June 15, 2018
A very touching memoir. Noah explores the Holocaust from a point of view few of us could. I was thoroughly engrossed in his explanation and couldn't wait to read what Grandma revealed next.
October 19, 2018
Na můj vkus to bylo zbytečně moc o autorovi. Fakt mě nezajímá, kam jezdil surfovat a jak řešil partnerské problémy s dívkou jiného vyznání.
July 17, 2019
Came upon this title when I was looking for something else and I am so glad I did. Very good read!
January 13, 2021
This look back at the Holocaust was heart wrenching. The author spent hours upon hours coaxing stories from his Grandmother about her experiences.
August 16, 2021
3.5 stars
May 31, 2024
I was spellbound after the first page.
April 30, 2017
Lederman's book chronicles his search for what happened to his grandparents and their families during the Holocaust. He knows they were the only ones out of their families to survive, but not many other details. Through a long search, he uncovers just some of the horrors: babies being thrown off a roof onto a bayonet, a person eating an ear out of starvation, and a girl having blood running down her legs from being raped by Nazi's. Truly horrifying images and it's no wonder that the family doesn't want to talk about that time and recount the memories. However, the stories are important to not forget as we all know history is constantly repeating itself as there are always groups of people in the world being killed due to prejudice. This book also really touched on intergenerational trauma. The children and grandchildren and great grandchildren have effects of the trauma--you can't help worry about what your family went through and whether it will happen again. The author's writing was just a little rough for my style--jumping around often and being repetitive at other times.
Read
July 12, 2017i have read many accounts of Holocaust survival. Several times I was lucky enough to meet survivors.
This account did not surprise me, it was pretty much what i expected, although i was interested to read it. One thing that i am disturbed by is the tone. It seems like the author has adopted the anger for himself--which maybe is what happens if you are directly related--i don't know what happened to my relatives so it's not the same thing. It doesn't help anyone to be mean to people who are doing their best in a terribly awkward situation. The new generation cannot be blamed for the old. Yes, there is still hatred out there, we see it every day, but a little kindness goes a long way. It has to start somewhere...might as well be your own backyard.
Of course forgiveness is not possible in most cases, only forgiveness of oneself. Otherwise, guess who wins?
This account did not surprise me, it was pretty much what i expected, although i was interested to read it. One thing that i am disturbed by is the tone. It seems like the author has adopted the anger for himself--which maybe is what happens if you are directly related--i don't know what happened to my relatives so it's not the same thing. It doesn't help anyone to be mean to people who are doing their best in a terribly awkward situation. The new generation cannot be blamed for the old. Yes, there is still hatred out there, we see it every day, but a little kindness goes a long way. It has to start somewhere...might as well be your own backyard.
Of course forgiveness is not possible in most cases, only forgiveness of oneself. Otherwise, guess who wins?
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews