I read Nora Krug’s book Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home. The book is a powerful and judicious invitation to open one’s heart. That turns out not to be a job for cowards. In a season with ambiguous attempts at crowning art over truth (see Don’t Look Away) this book remains lyrical and imaginative as it builds the story of one German family’s long-dead relatives and their Jewish neighbors. The on the ground reality is always more complex and Krug’s book makes that clear.
It also turns out that the Skirball Museum has chosen the right person to interview Nora Krug, Louise Steinman. Louise Steinman wrote a powerful book The Crooked Mirror: A Memoir of Polish-Jewish Reconciliation. Steinman reports that time after time when she spoke to Jewish audiences the message of the book’s difficult process for reconciliation was ignored. What better person to engage Ms. Krug?
Louise Steinman’s book will appear in Polish in 2020 (this task can be funded here). The readers of this post will get more information about the Polish book soon. I hope for similar success for Nora Krug’s book. See you on Wednesday, April 17.
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