My Father Was in the Room
My father was in the room. I wasn’t the only one who felt him there. I was standing in front of twenty-two people at a
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Walter Stern and his family are forced to flee over the border to Holland on Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. It is Walter’s twelfth birthday. After the Nazis invade Holland, Walter’s father and uncle are sent to Auschwitz. Walter is hidden in a cramped corner of a Dutch farmer’s attic. Despite close calls with Nazis who search the premises, he survives in hiding for 909 days.
Armed with archival documents and her father’s testimony video, Irene Stern Frielich sets out to retrace her family’s escape route. Over three trips to Germany and Holland, and through “beschert” coincidences, she encounters descendants of her family’s protectors and forges unexpected bonds with German citizens who join in her quest to unravel the truth of their shared histories.
In this searing memoir, Irene Stern Frielich beautifully weaves together past and present through powerfully juxtaposed narratives as she grapples with loss, intergenerational trauma, and hope for a more just future.
Readers’ Favorite, 2024 silver medal in Non-Fiction-Cultural
National Federation of Press Women, 2024 2nd place in memoir
The BookFest, 2024 gold award winner
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My father was in the room. I wasn’t the only one who felt him there. I was standing in front of twenty-two people at a
Only five points. The high school junior’s response rang in my ears. I was visiting the German language class in Canton, MA sharing my 2019
It was April 1, 1945. My father, with his mother (my Oma) and his grandmother–and the Lansink family who hid them on their farm–were liberated.
Complete the form below and you will be redirected to the chapter to read.
Submitting your email address for the chapter read also subscribes you to our mailing list. We value your privacy and we do not sell, rent, or lease our email lists to third parties. We promise not to over-email you either.