On March 15, 1939, Helen Waldstein’s father snatched his stamped exit visa from a distracted clerk to escape from Prague with his wife and child. As the Nazis closed in on war-torn Czechoslovakia, only letters could reach Canada through the barriers of conflict. The Waldstein family received these letters as they made their lives on a southern Ontario farm where they learned to be Canadian and to forget their Jewish roots.
When Helen first read these letters as a mature adult, it changed everything. As her past refused to keep silent, she followed the trail of the letters back to Europe where she discovered living witnesses who could attest to the letters’ contents. She has here interwoven their stories and her own into a compelling narrative of suffering, survivor guilt, and overcoming inter-generational obstacles when exploring a traumatic past.
Letters from the Lost has already been nominated for five book awards. As author, Helen Waldstein Wilkes has given numerous presentations to audiences ranging from book clubs to large auditoriums filled people. Her powerful impact as a public speaker along with the relevance of the book’s subject matter is garnering rave reviews.
Winner:
2011 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction (National)
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2011 Alberta Readers’ Choice Award
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Nominated for:
2011 Book Publishers of Alberta Association Award
2011 George Ryga Award (British Columbia)
2011 Marsha and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award (National)
Listen to the latest radio interview with Helen here:
http://www.lettersfromthelost.com/Wilkes_Helen_Waldstein.MP3
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