Out of Hiding: Holocaust Literature of British Columbia

Out of Hiding

Holocaust Literature of British Columbia

by Alan Twigg

$24.95

  • April 2022
  • print ISBN: 978-1-55380-662-2
  • ebook ISBN: 978-1-55380-663-9
  • PDF ISBN: 978-1-55380-664-6
  • 6″ x 9″ trade paper, 99 photos and illustrations, 334 pages
  • Holocaust Memoir/History



A cross-section of stories collected from one region of the globe — British Columbia, Canada — examining 85 authors and 160 books. Outstanding characters include the heroic whistleblower, Rudolf Vrba, credited by historian Sir Martin Gilbert with saving at least 100,000 lives, as well as Robbie Waisman, likely the only person ever to sneak his way into Nazi prison camps, twice. Discoveries include Dr. Tom Perry’s never-published photos of just-liberated Buchenwald, a little-known Warsaw Ghetto memoir by Stanislav Adler and Jennie Lifschitz, perhaps the only Canadian-born Jew to have survived the camps.

This wide-ranging collection is dedicated to Dutch-born survivor Robert Krell who has dauntlessly paved the way for memory retrieval since the 1970s. Illustrated and profoundly educational, with an Afterword by Yosef Wosk, this patchwork quilt of memory and history is the first of its kind with a North American regional lens.

Awards

Winner, George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature

Nominated, Western Canada Jewish Book Awards in the category for writing on the Holocaust

Reviews and Endorsements

“In this profound and riveting collection of essays, Twigg has honoured Holocaust survivors and family members “who knew they had a secret to tell but never found the voice for it until later in life.” Each essay is expertly researched and written. Highly recommended for secondary schools.” – BC Books for Schools

“What Twigg’s stunning testament achieves is to keep alive even unspoken Holocaust truths.” –  subTerrain Magazine

“Out of Hiding is well illustrated, so that people, locales and related artifacts from the BC milieu and its narratives are richly presented.” – The BC Review

“The Holocaust must not to be forgotten, under-estimated or disregarded. This book represents the best way forward in the 21st century.”— Dr. Robert Krell

“Out of Hiding is both inspiring and chilling.”— Dr. Ruth Linn

A “fascinating” overview of BC Holocaust literature. The afterword by Rabbi Yosef Wosk “rounds out the collection with his thought-provoking reflections on hiding.” – Jewish Independent

“A celebration of 85 authors/survivors who have written about their harrowing and inspiring stories.” – Vancouver Sun

“An important publication.” – Zachor (Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre)

In 2022, Author Alan Twigg received  an honorary doctor of letters, conferred on him by Simon Fraser University.