Do daughters feel differently about their mothers in situations of extremity, such as war or genocide? In this illuminating study of six autobiographical works by Jewish Holocaust victims or survivors, Federica Clementi shows that their mother-daughter relationships follow some of the same complex, ambivalent, contradictory, and ultimately devastating trajectories that characterize those in ordinary times. Yet in giving space and close attention to the intimate stories of women, Holocaust Mothers and Daughters discovers unexpected aspects of creativity and survival in times of catastrophe.
Marianne Hirsch, Columbia University After reading [this book], it is impossible to think about Jewish Holocaust experiences without paying attention to gender, family ties, the centrality of mothers, and the distinct dynamics of mother-daughter bonds that shaped these writers' existences
and presumably those of other women
during the war and thereafter.
Alexandra Garbarini, Williams College Given its difficult subject, Holocaust Moth ers and Daughters is obviously not a casual read. Clementi makes the complicated topic accessible to those who have some back ground in the subject. And although readers may not be acquainted with most of the memoirists discussed in the book, much can be learned from Clementi's analysis of their experiences. This is especially true for the last chapter, about Anne Frank, with whom most everyone will be familiar.
Jewish Book Council Women s Review of Books Jewish Book Council Modern Judaism Do daughters feel differently about their mothers in situations of extremity, such as war or genocide? In this illuminating study of six autobiographical works by Jewish Holocaust victims or survivors, Federica Clementi shows that their mother-daughter relationships follow some of the same complex, ambivalent, contradictory, and ultimately devastating trajectories that characterize those in ordinary times. Yet in giving space and close attention to the intimate stories of women, Holocaust Mothers and Daughters discovers unexpected aspects of creativity and survival in times of catastrophe. Marianne Hirsch, Columbia University Poignant and path-breaking.
Holocaust and Genocide Studies [A] brilliant and erudite study. . . . Clementi's perspective is refreshingly feminist; she never flinches from recognizing the patriarchal order and its consequences. . . . This is a welcome and important book.
Women's Review of Books Given its difficult subject, Holocaust Mothers and Daughters is obviously not a casual read. Clementi makes the complicated topic accessible to those who have some background in the subject. And although readers may not be acquainted with most of the memoirists discussed in the book, much can be learned from Clementi's analysis of their experiences. This is especially true for the last chapter, about Anne Frank, with whom most everyone will be familiar.
Jewish Book Council Outstanding. . . . [An] important addition to the historical record.
Modern Judaism Poignant and path-breaking.
Holocaust and Genocide Studies Outstanding. . . . [An] important addition to the historical record. Modern Judaism Given its difficult subject, Holocaust Mothers and Daughters is obviously not a casual read. Clementi makes the complicated topic accessible to those who have some background in the subject. And although readers may not be acquainted with most of the memoirists discussed in the book, much can be learned from Clementi s analysis of their experiences. This is especially true for the last chapter, about Anne Frank, with whom most everyone will be familiar. Jewish Book Council [A] brilliant and erudite study. . . . Clementi s perspective is refreshingly feminist; she never flinches from recognizing the patriarchal order and its consequences. . . . This is a welcome and important book. Women s Review of Books Poignant and path-breaking. Holocaust and Genocide Studies