Holocaust
Coco Schumann and “Guitarists Who Overcame Great Adversity”
In this video featured on the culture blog Laughing Squid, Coco Schumann is the second guitarist discussed by musician Steve Onotera in his list of guitarists who found musical success despite facing great adversity. You can watch the full episode here and learn more about Coco Schumann’s life and autobiography on our book page.
Coco Schumann honored on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Thank you, Julie Carbonara of The Jewish Chronicle for an illuminating obituary honoring Coco Schumann on Yom HaShoah: “He insisted he was a musician who survived the concentration camps, not a Holocaust survivor who happened to make music. Indeed for Coco Schumann, who has died aged 93, music, especially his beloved jazz, was as essential as … Continue reading
“Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life” featured in the journal Manuscripts
Manuscripts, the quarterly journal of The Manuscript Society, writes that this book “fascinates as a case study of a man driven by a lifelong compulsion, a psychological need, to combat oppression…a moving portrait of a compelling figure in a field rarely occupied by noble persons struggling to combat evil and right wrongs.” Continue reading
“Operation Yellow Star/Black Thursday” in H-France Review
An interesting view into the field of investigative journalism as we follow the author’s steps to find more information at the Archives de la Préfecture de Police de Paris [which] exposes the reluctance of the French police to come to terms with its own past. Continue reading
“Hitler, Stalin and I” receives a starred review from Shelf Awareness
“Heda’s torturous path through some of the 20th century’s greatest calamities is rendered with deep wisdom and a poetic eye for detail. Her misfortunes, and her perseverance through them, make Hitler, Stalin and I both an important historical account and a testament to human endurance…A Czech writer who survived the Holocaust, Stalinism and exile gives a compact, … Continue reading
Conductor and music educator Murry Sidlin endorses “The Ghetto Swinger”
This compelling personal and insightful tale of survival brings to light another brilliant and selfless Terezín artist. It is storytelling from the inside by a music-maker who rediscovered the humanizing power of jazz and swing at a time when it was needed most. Continue reading
“The Ghetto Swinger” included in Lives in Music list
Unusually interesting amidst the plethora of self-serving musician autobiographies. Schumann has a better story to tell … survival under the hardest conditions, the value of well-placed friends and the vagaries of fortune as well as the impulse to create. Continue reading
New York Journal of Books praises “Hitler, Stalin and I”
“It is hard to imagine a reader who would not be inspired by the momentous life of Heda Margolius depicted in Hitler, Stalin and I. [… The book] is at once a harrowing journey, a kaleidoscope of images and sounds. If a reader truly hears the haunting words as if they are spoken one can begin to understand … Continue reading
Israel National News highlights subtle aspects of Coco Schumann’s life
In this moving tribute to Coco Schumann, Rochel Sylvetsky of Israel National News comments on the “impossible position” of Jewish Holocaust survivors in the diaspora in relationship to their homelands. Continue reading
Tributes to the extraordinary musician Coco Schumann
Our DoppelHouse Press family is heartened to see so many touching tributes being paid to Coco Schumann. Smithsonian published a feature on Coco’s extraordinary success under horrific circumstances, noting that he “began his career during a fraught time for German jazz musicians.” Having survived the Nazi concentration camps because of his music, “Schumann returned to … Continue reading
Celebrating the remarkable life of Coco Schumann
Coco Schumann was born in Berlin on May 14, 1924. Throughout his life, he appeared in some of the best swing bands in Europe and alongside jazz notables … Continue reading
Erich Hackl wins human rights award
On December 11, 2017, author Erich Hackl (b. 1954, Steyr, Austria) was awarded The Human Rights Award of Upper Austria (“Menschenrechtspreis” des Landes Oberösterreich). “Confronting readers with detailed and meticulous research into the dark side of Austrian history, Erich Hackl [makes] an active anti-fascist contribution to the maintenance of humanity and justice of a humanistic society….” Continue reading
“Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life” on INC.’s List of Books to Read in 2018
“These books will help you understand others–and yourself–to improve your relationships and peace of mind throughout all of 2018.” The full list can be viewed at: https://www.inc.com/mareo-mccracken/12-great-books-you-should-definitely-read-in-2018.html
Association of Jewish Libraries reviews “Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life”
“Ably translated, the prose carries the tension of a spy novel. […] Sights and smells of laboratories are vividly rendered, along with the nuances of photoengraving and careful interactions with strangers and colleagues. […] This is a fascinating tribute to a humanitarian and a glimpse at the nuts and bolts of covert operations.” – Hallie … Continue reading
“Hitler, Stalin and I” receives advance praise from The Virginia Gazette
We are pleased to announce advance praise for Hitler, Stalin and I: An Oral History, scheduled for publication in January 2018. “In today’s political climate of rising extremist ideologies and nationalist tendencies, a new book, Hitler, Stalin and I, is an oral history that examines persecutions rooted in strong political rhetoric of exclusion. Czech author … Continue reading
Editor’s Choice: “Adolfo Kaminsky, A Forger’s Life” by the Journal of Multidisciplinary Research
Eugenia P. Treadwell writes: “This riveting story captures the reader’s imagination, bringing us back in time to Europe, Africa, and South America, including Nazi Germany, and the Algerian War of Independence. These harrowing moments of history are recreated through interviews with Mr. Kaminsky himself, offering rare insight from a forger’s perspective and how one person … Continue reading
The Forger Documentary Selected for DC Shorts Film Festival
The Forger, directed by Samantha Stark, Alexandra Garcia and Pamela Druckerman, is scheduled for multiple screenings at the DC Shorts Film Festival in September 2017. The Forger, is based on the best-selling book, Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life, by Sarah Kaminsky. Buy tickets at: festival.dcshorts.com/films/the-forger.
Red City Review praises Verklempt: Stories by Peter Sichrovsky
Red City Review writes: “What makes these stories so entertaining and engaging is the fact that the characters in each of the stories are the kind of people you’ve met before. They have to face relatable issues like dealing with the complications of a new love, getting older, struggling to keep their families together, and … Continue reading
The Vél d’Hiv Raid: A Blight on France
Maurice Rajsfus, a French Jewish survivor who witnessed this infamous roundup, dissects it in a workmanlike book, The Vel D’Hiv Raid: The French Police at the Service of the Gestapo. … Seventy five years on, this appalling raid still blights French grandiose notions of liberty and equality. Continue reading
Interview by KPFA’s Mitch Jeserich about The Vél d’Hiv Raid
July 16 and 17 marked the 75th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv Roundup. Levi Laub, activist and translator of our upcoming title, The Vél d’Hiv Raid by Maurice Rajsfus, was interviewed on Monday, July 17 by KPFA host Mitch Jeserich on Letters & Politics. Listen, download, or open the interview from iTunes at: https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-july-17-2017.
