Ebook: The survivors: a story of war, inheritance, and healing

Adam Frankel's maternal grandparents survived the Holocaust and built new lives, with new names, in Connecticut. Though they tried to leave the horrors of their past behind, the pain they suffered crossed generational lines, a fact most apparent in the mental health of Adam's mother. When Adam sat down with her to examine their family history in detail, he learned another shocking secret, this time one that unraveled Adam's entire understanding of who he is. While piecing together a story of inherited familial trauma, Adam discovered he was only half of who he thought he was, the knowledge that raised essential questions of identity. Who was he, if not his father's son? If not part of a rich heritage of writers and public servants? Does it matter? What defines a family's bonds? What will he pass on to his children? To rewrite his story in truth and to build a life for his own young family, Adam had to navigate his pain to find answers and a way forward.