Letters from the Lost: A Memoir of Discovery

by Helen Waldstein Wilkes

On March 15, 1939, Helen Waldstein’s father snatched his stamped exit visa from a distracted clerk to get his wife and child out of Prague. Only letters from the rest of their family could follow as the Nazis closed in. Through the war years, letters arrived at the southern Ontario farm where Helen’s small family learned to be Canadian farmers, to speak English, and to forget they were Jewish.

Helen did not notice when the letters stopped coming, but they surfaced intermittently until she couldn’t ignore them anymore. Reading the letters changed everything. As her past refused to keep silent, Helen followed the trail of the letters back to Europe to find living witnesses of what the letters related. She has here interwoven their stories and her own in a compelling narrative of suffering and rescue, of survivor guilt, and overcoming intergenerational obstacles to dialogue about a traumatic past.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History

302 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With vague memories of early childhood, author Helen Waldstein Wilkes felt an immense emotional desire to further investigate her heritage. This started when she opened a box filled with letters that her father had left behind. Letters from the lost, her Jewish ancestors, of whom many never survived their unforgettable journey to freedom.

Many have only read about, or watched on television, the collective history of an era deeply embedded into our minds as the Holocaust. But never have you experienced it so closely, as I did while reading this unforgettable memoir.

Escaping Prague as the Nazi’s moved in swiftly, Helen and her parents were able to enter Canada, where they began a new life. Life was different there. Their only connection to family came from the many letters her father had stored in a cardboard box. With a red lid.

Once Helen opened the box, everything changed. Now retired, she began a journey, traveling all over the world, to find family members and to learn more about her family history – the “roots” she’d been missing her entire life.

In an unforgettable read, the author has cleverly included the context of the letters, pictures she was able to locate, and her own heartfelt story behind the discoveries. It was an emotional journey for me as well, as I learned more about this family and their struggle to survive in a most overwhelming time.

I’ve always enjoyed reading memoirs, but by far this one has been the most memorable. An unforgettable story, filled with history, love, emotions and facts, Letters From The Lost is a read you won’t want to miss. Read the letters in the box and prepare for a historical lesson you won’t read about in the history books. You will experience suffering, joy, love and fear. You won’t close the book as the same person who opened it to read.

[Terry P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puts a very personal face to victims of the holocaust. I devoured the book in a weekend and found it heart wrenching and incredibly moving. I could only read it in chunks, knowing that it would not end well.
A must read for anyone who wants to understand the shame and personal consequences of Canada and the U.S.A barring Jewish immigration. A reminder of the dangers of modern nationalism and xenophobia. Hopefully we will not forget or repeat the past when admitting new refugees.
Made me want to read more about Theresienstadt camp - now I'm reading The Girls of Room 28: Friendship, Hope, and Survival in Theresienstadt.

[Cora Lein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine Rezension zu einer wahren Geschichte zu schreiben ist immer schwer. Noch schwerer ist es, wenn das Buch so gut war, dass einem die Worte fehlen. Und genauso geht es mir. Ich habe den Titel gelesen, habe mir das Cover angeschaut und wurde neugierig, auch der Klappentext versprach eine aufrührende Geschichte, dennoch hatte ich irgendwie Angst dieses Buch zu lesen. Ich bin immer sehr emotional und war mir nicht mehr sicher ob das Buch nicht “zu nah” ist. Als ich es dann doch in den Händen hielt, war ich ziemlich nervös, was erwartet mich beim Lesen? Wie emotional schreibt die Autorin? was haben die Übersetzer aus der Geschichte gemacht? Und dann tauchte ich ein ….

In die Welt von Helen Waldstein Wilkes, wie sie im Alter von 60 Jahren einen Karton mit Briefen ihrer Familie öffnet und wie sie versucht ihre Familiengeschichte zu rekonstruieren. Sie nahm mich, mit ihren Schilderungen und den Briefauszügen, mit in ihr Leben, sie teilte sehr viel mit mir und ich sah ihre Familie vor meinem geistigen Auge auftauchen. Litt, weinte und fühlte mit ihnen. Durch die originalen Abschriften der Briefe war die Bindung so stark zu spüren, dass ich mich teilweise immer wieder distanzieren wollte, aber ich war so versessen auf Aufklärung, dass ich am Ball blieb. Wie muss es erst Helen Waldstein Wilkes ergangen sein?

Der Schreibstil ist sehr gut und passend. Es werden immer wieder Erfahrungen, Begegnungen und Briefe in chronologischer Reihenfolge niedergeschrieben. So wie die Autorin ihre Aufklärungsarbeit begonnen hat, so wird auch der Leser ins Geschehen integriert. Trotz der vielen Übersetzer, im Buch selbst sind 5 angegeben, bleibt die Geschichte authentisch und emotional – sogar sehr emotional – des Öfteren weinte ich und hatte Angst, aber auch Zuversicht mischte sich in meine Gedanken. Ich kann für mich sagen, dass dies eins der bewegendsten Bücher ist, welches ich je gelesen habe.

Hintergrundinfo:

Es gibt eine Lesereise zum Buch.
Helen Waldstein Wilkes spricht Deutsch und wird bei allen Veranstaltungen vom Verleger Wolf-Rüdiger Osburg begleitet.

Termine der Lesereise:

28.08.2014: 18:00 Uhr: Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin (öffentlich)
01.09.2014: Lauenburgische Gelehrtenschule Ratzeburg
02.09.2014, 09:30 Uhr: Gemeinschaftsschule mit gymnasialer Oberstufe Büchen
02.09.2014, 20 Uhr: Pfarrei St. Answer Ratzeburg (öffentlich)
03.09.2014: Anne-Frank-Schule Barkteheide
03.09.2014: Synagoge Bad Segeberg (öffentlich)
04.09.2014, 19 Uhr: Gesellschaft für Christich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit Lübeck (öffentlich)
05.09.2014: Waldorfschule in Ostholstein

[TienvoorNegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gripping story where you get to know the European relatives of the writer through the letters that were sent to her parents, living in Canada, during WW2.
After lying in a box for almost half a century the author reads, investigates and explores her European roots.
A relentless history, and while reading I shed tears more than once.
The big unease that accompanied this read was the bitter fury of the writer. Not directed at Hitler, or the nazis (which she describes would be 'too easy'), but at the Czechs (and many many (most) of the Europeans) for 'welcoming the nazis in'. A justified fury perhaps, but it made me feel very ill at ease..

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters from the Lost is a beautifully written and profound, moving memoir of the Holocaust. I could NOT put the book down...read it in 2 days. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Holocaust literature. In the forward, Helen Waldstein Wilkes uses the 4 words: "moving, searing, wrenching, and inspiring" to describe "memoirs of the Holocaust and the feelings they evoke." These adjectives could not be more perfect in describing the emotions I felt while reading this wonderful book. I feel the need to talk to others, and so am glad my Sisterhood is having a book discussion tomorrow.

[Jane Botelho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an opportunity to participate in a study group on the Holocaust that included survivors on the panel of speakers. That was in depth and looked at the whole event. This book gives a very individual story about one nuclear family and a box of letters saved and never read for over 50 years. I found this non fiction work compelling and we'll worth the read.

[Djdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent.Part of a great series describing the immigrant experience in Canada.There also has a holocaust connection.A different twist to an old history.A must read if you are interested in this topic.

[Eunice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so well-written it would have been a delight to read if the subject hadn't been so painful. At times I shed tears.

[Kathryn Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely compelling read that presents an intimate view of the terror of World War 2 and religious hate. A significant and important contribution.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could only read this memoir in small chunks. Such is the pain of the holocaust. May it never be erased of forgotten. We need to remember so nothing like it ever happens again.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving memoir about a writer who learns more about her family's experiences during the Holocaust and winner of the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.