Ruth Rotkowitz's Blog
November 14, 2021
Interviews
My series of interviews with children of Holocaust survivors is gaining quite a following! So far, 5 interviews have been posted on my blog. Each person's story is unique, which makes this project so fascinating. The responses to these interviews have been heartwarming.
This project is an extension of the research I have done for my two novels, Escaping the Whale and the prequel The Whale Surfaces. Both novels feature a protagonist who is a daughter of survivors. As she experiences her coming of age, she struggles with her legacy of inherited trauma, the expectations of others, and her own mental battles.
Visit my blog on my website (https://www.ruthswhale.com) to read the interviews. More are on the way!
This project is an extension of the research I have done for my two novels, Escaping the Whale and the prequel The Whale Surfaces. Both novels feature a protagonist who is a daughter of survivors. As she experiences her coming of age, she struggles with her legacy of inherited trauma, the expectations of others, and her own mental battles.
Visit my blog on my website (https://www.ruthswhale.com) to read the interviews. More are on the way!
September 22, 2021
Interview Series
I am launching a new series which will consist of interviews with children of Holocaust survivors. I hope to hear how each of them learned about their family's experiences, how it affected their childhoods and their adult lives, and what strengths and problems they feel they inherited. If you are or know someone who is a 2G (second generation child of survivor), please suggest they contact me. Thank you!
May 4, 2021
Prequel Is Here!
I am happy to announce that my prequel to my debut novel ESCAPING THE WHALE has been released! Entitled THE WHALE SURFACES, it is a short novella (under 100 pages) that presents a picture of my protagonist's childhood. Since so many readers asked questions about her background, this prequel came into being!
The book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in ebook and paperback.
If you read it, I would love to hear your reactions! Since my protagonist deals with mental health issues and inherited trauma from Holocaust-survivor parents, her childhood is of interest to anyone interested in those issues.
Ruth Rotkowitz
https://www.ruthswhale.com
The book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in ebook and paperback.
If you read it, I would love to hear your reactions! Since my protagonist deals with mental health issues and inherited trauma from Holocaust-survivor parents, her childhood is of interest to anyone interested in those issues.
Ruth Rotkowitz
https://www.ruthswhale.com
March 1, 2021
Prequel Coming Soon!
At every talk I have given for my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE, readers have asked me for information about my protagonist's childhood and upbringing. Eventually, they began suggesting that I write a prequel. At first, I was opposed to the idea, believing I had revealed all that was needed to understand the 28-year old protagonist, Marcia Gold. However, as the requests increased, I began to see the advantage of fleshing out Marcia's early years in order to present the beginnings of her personality, especially her fears and delusions. Well....the prequel is written, and will be available soon!! It is to entitled THE WHALE SURFACES, and takes the reader from the period when Marcia is 11 years old until she rents her apartment at 22.
I hope the novella answers readers' questions about Marcia. I look forward to hearing all reactions! I will post when the book is availalbe.
I hope the novella answers readers' questions about Marcia. I look forward to hearing all reactions! I will post when the book is availalbe.
November 14, 2020
PTSD Podcast
PTSD PODCAST
I had the pleasure and honor last week of being featured as a guest on the podcast FLOURISHING WITH PTSD. The planned one hour conversation turned into a two hour conversation as the host and podcast founder Manda and I explored the subject of inherited trauma. This is a topic addressed in my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE through the character of my protagonist, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, who suffers from inherited trauma at a time (1980) when inherited trauma and PTSD were not widely acknowledged.
We discovered many similarities between inherited trauma and any other type of trauma, such as sexual assault. We covered the symptoms of each, the road to healing for each, how one deals with the comments and reactions of other people, and the importance of addressing rather than hiding the effects of any trauma. It was an invigorating and enlightening conversation, and I urge you to listen to the podcast, which is posted as two back-to-back episodes. If you listen , I would love to hear your take on it!
Here are the links to the various venues where it is available:
Apple: https://apple.co/3lhCLQt
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2UjHLby
Google: https://bit.ly/3ePcRRw
It is also available on the following apps:
Anchor
CastBox
Overcast
Podbean
Podcast Addict
I had the pleasure and honor last week of being featured as a guest on the podcast FLOURISHING WITH PTSD. The planned one hour conversation turned into a two hour conversation as the host and podcast founder Manda and I explored the subject of inherited trauma. This is a topic addressed in my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE through the character of my protagonist, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, who suffers from inherited trauma at a time (1980) when inherited trauma and PTSD were not widely acknowledged.
We discovered many similarities between inherited trauma and any other type of trauma, such as sexual assault. We covered the symptoms of each, the road to healing for each, how one deals with the comments and reactions of other people, and the importance of addressing rather than hiding the effects of any trauma. It was an invigorating and enlightening conversation, and I urge you to listen to the podcast, which is posted as two back-to-back episodes. If you listen , I would love to hear your take on it!
Here are the links to the various venues where it is available:
Apple: https://apple.co/3lhCLQt
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2UjHLby
Google: https://bit.ly/3ePcRRw
It is also available on the following apps:
Anchor
CastBox
Overcast
Podbean
Podcast Addict
September 22, 2020
Inherited trauma
A legacy of inherited trauma impacts people in different ways. The protagonist of the fascinating debut novel ESCAPING THE WHALE, Marcia Gold, deals with the experiences of her Holocaust survivor parents by dividing her life in two. Her inner life consists of fears and delusions that torment her; her outer life appears to be normal and successful. In her work as a guidance counselor at a large high school in Brooklyn, New York, she specializes in helping the pregnant teens, whose numbers at the school have been increasing. In her relationships, she has a boyfriend who seems to be Mr. Perfect.
Things are not what they seem, however. Crises mount in Marcia’s life and she can no longer maintain the separation between her two worlds. It is 1980, and the Iranian hostage crisis permeates the atmosphere and reinforces Marcia’s terrors. Approaching a total nervous breakdown, she feels compelled to run away, desperate to believe that she can remake herself. A Mexican resort, singles on the prowl, the roar of the ocean, Mayan sacrificial ruins – all these unfamiliar factors drive Marcia even further to the edge. The reader will root for this well-meaning and troubled heroine as she searches for answers to the dilemmas facing her.
#escapingthewhale#Holocaust#childrenofsurvivors#inheritedtrauma#highschool#teenpregnancy#teensuicide#mentalillness#Iranianhostagecrisis
Things are not what they seem, however. Crises mount in Marcia’s life and she can no longer maintain the separation between her two worlds. It is 1980, and the Iranian hostage crisis permeates the atmosphere and reinforces Marcia’s terrors. Approaching a total nervous breakdown, she feels compelled to run away, desperate to believe that she can remake herself. A Mexican resort, singles on the prowl, the roar of the ocean, Mayan sacrificial ruins – all these unfamiliar factors drive Marcia even further to the edge. The reader will root for this well-meaning and troubled heroine as she searches for answers to the dilemmas facing her.
#escapingthewhale#Holocaust#childrenofsurvivors#inheritedtrauma#highschool#teenpregnancy#teensuicide#mentalillness#Iranianhostagecrisis
September 19, 2020
the post-Holocaust generation
I have been asked if there is a connection between my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE, published in April 2020, and the Kindle short story, "Frau Professor," published September 2020.
The novel features a 28-year old Jewish woman in New York who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Aware of the suffering her family experienced, she has absorbed much of it and suffers from inherited trauma, which makes it difficult for her to lead a "normal," enjoyable life.
The short story, meanwhile, focuses on a Christian student who is a freshman at a Midwestern college. Her background has been very sheltered and small-town. Her English professor is obviously a concentration camp survivor because of the number tattooed on her arm. This student has never had any personal contact with anyone who had experienced the Holocaust, and becomes mesmerized by the tattoo and then obsessed with the professor's history.
Although I offer different protagonists with different points of view, both works examine the after-effects of the Holocaust and explore how the next generation, Jewish and non-Jewish, deals with it. I believe it is important to acknowledge the range of reactions in the next generation, and to encourage knowledge and understanding.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject!
The novel features a 28-year old Jewish woman in New York who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Aware of the suffering her family experienced, she has absorbed much of it and suffers from inherited trauma, which makes it difficult for her to lead a "normal," enjoyable life.
The short story, meanwhile, focuses on a Christian student who is a freshman at a Midwestern college. Her background has been very sheltered and small-town. Her English professor is obviously a concentration camp survivor because of the number tattooed on her arm. This student has never had any personal contact with anyone who had experienced the Holocaust, and becomes mesmerized by the tattoo and then obsessed with the professor's history.
Although I offer different protagonists with different points of view, both works examine the after-effects of the Holocaust and explore how the next generation, Jewish and non-Jewish, deals with it. I believe it is important to acknowledge the range of reactions in the next generation, and to encourage knowledge and understanding.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject!
