Those Who Forget: One Family's Story; A Memoir, a History, a Warning

Géraldine Schwarz explores her ancestors' past during the war and discovers that her grandfather profited from the forced Aryanisation of Jewish businesses. She asks how Germans transformed their collective guilt into democratic responsibility and how we can learn from history in the face of rising populism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2021
Publisher: Pushkin Press

During the war, Géraldine Schwarz's grandparents found themselves caught in the tumultuous currents of history, neither heroes nor villains but simply following the path that lay before them. However, as the years passed, they sought to bury the memories of that tumultuous time, hoping to forget the atrocities they had witnessed. Yet, decades later, when Géraldine stumbled upon a hidden treasure in the basement of their apartment building, she discovered a shocking truth about her grandfather, Karl. It turned out that he had profited from the forced Aryanisation of Jewish businesses, a dark chapter in German history.

Driven by a desire to understand her ancestors' past, Géraldine embarked on a journey to uncover the truth about her family's history. On her mother's side, she delved into the role of her French grandfather, a policeman during the Vichy regime. As she combed through generations of family stories, Géraldine grappled with the question of how guilty her ancestors were. She sought to combine the history of Europe's post-war reckoning with the personal narratives of her family to understand how Germans had transformed their collective guilt into democratic responsibility.

In the face of rising populism in Europe today, Géraldine posed a crucial question: how can we ensure that we learn from history? She believed that by examining the past, we can gain insights into the forces that shape our world and avoid repeating the same mistakes. Through her research and storytelling, Géraldine hoped to inspire others to reflect on their own histories and to work towards a more inclusive and democratic future.

Weight: 262g
Dimension: 130 x 197 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781782275374