I Belong to Vienna: A Jewish Family's Story of Exile and Return (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781939931849)

"A must-read for a new understanding of the Holocaust in Vienna."
--Esther Safran Foer, author of I Want You to Know We're Still Here

A defiant memoir from contemporary Europe: In autumn 1942, Anna Goldenberg's great-grandparents and one of their sons are deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Hans, their elder son, survives by hiding in an apartment in the middle of Nazi-controlled Vienna. But this is no Anne Frank-like existence; teenage Hans passes time in the municipal library and buys standing room tickets to the Vienna State Opera. He never sees his family again. Goldenberg reconstructs this unique story in magnificent reportage. She also portrays Vienna's undying allure--although they tried living in the United States after World War Two, both grandparents eventually returned to the Austrian capital. The author, too, has returned to her native Vienna after living in New York herself, and her fierce attachment to her birthplace enlivens her engrossing biographical history. A probing tale of heroism, resilience, identity and belonging, marked by a surprising freshness as a new generation comes to terms with history's darkest era.

Author: Anna Goldenberg
ISBN-10: 1939931843
ISBN-13: 9781939931849
Publisher: New Vessel Press
Language: English
Published: 06/09/2020
Pages: 207
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.20w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2020
Publishers Weekly 05/11/2020