Willie Handler, author of the book Out from the Shadows. Willie was a satirist well before he became a novelist. Hailing from Canada, where self-deprecating humor is part of the national character, he finds targets for his humor everywhere. His targets include friends, family, co-workers, politicians, farmers, subway passengers, bureaucrats, telemarketers, Martians and his barber, Vince. His first book, The Road Ahead, is a biting political satire. Book two, Loved Mars Hated The Food, is a hilarious space adventure populated with aliens and bots. With his most recent novel, he has crossed over to the world of black comedy.
Both of his parents are Holocaust survivors. In 2020, while struggling with the effects of the pandemic lockdown, he decided he needed to know what happened to them during WWII. Thus began a journey into his family’s past, eventually revealing their extraordinary survival and painful losses. Their story and his memoir published late in 2024.
In my book review, I stated Out from the Shadows: Growing up with Holocaust Survivor Parents is a Holocaust memoir that will leave you looking at events in our world today differently than when you began. Both of Willie's parents were Holocaust survivors who made it through the war, then on to Israel, before finally settling in Canada. However, the years of deprivation scarred his parents, who in turn left scars on their three children.
This memoir looks deeply at his parents, Shifra and Elija. What was life like before the Holocaust in Poland and Romania? Once the pogroms began? Once extermination was the goal? Once the war was over? What was it like to start over again - and then again? Most importantly, how does what happened to you in the past shape your future - and the futures of those who follow behind.
Additionally, Willie takes an intense look at his own life as a child and now. His research helped him to understand his parents, and the things they said and did. It also helped him understand his own personality and issues.
Finally, Willie asks readers to look at the world today and realize that another holocaust could happen. In fact, a quick look at what is happening in Israel makes one wonder if it hasn't already started.
Very intense memoir/biography that will force you to look deeply. This is a must-read and should be on everyone's list.
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Purchase Out From the Shadows on Amazon:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4hh2cPr
Ebook: https://amzn.to/3NGpQY1
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