Inheritance

Reviews / Votes

"Inheritance goes to great lengths to tell remarkable World War II stories of resilience and courage. . . . A meticulous, intimate memoir, Inheritance is about a search for meaning in the past and the process of resurrecting stories that should never be forgotten." - Foreword Clarion Reviews

"Inheritance is a heartfelt, urgent message about how the atrocities of the past continue to reverberate in the present. Working with the granddaughter of a 'true believer' in the Nazi Party, Scheidt tells an intricately braided tale of heartache and the inheritance of loss, eloquently capturing the cost of survival and the ache of what's left behind. Scheidt turns a family history into more than dots on a map; from the haunting shrine to a lost cousin to a grandfather's grave, this memoir is both a warning and a message of hope." - Alexi Zentner, author of Copperhead: A Novel

"At a time when there are over 120 million people displaced globally by persecution, conflict, and atrocities, Scheidt's Inheritance compels us to consider the humanity and tears behind all refugee statistics. This is not just a history of the desperate flight of a Jewish family from Nazi-controlled Europe-it's an enduring story about love, loss, and the unconquerable power of hope." - Simon Adams, president and CEO, Center for Victims of Torture

"When Charlie Scheidt inherited a trove of papers and letters from his parents, they raised as many questions as they answered. Working with Kat Rohrer, a documentarian whose own grandfather was a Nazi officer, Charlie built on this inheritance, inviting readers into his family to educate readers on the sacrifices, suffering, resilience, and contributions of refugee families. They are a blessing." - Mark Hetfield, president, HIAS

"Scheidt's Inheritance offers powerful insights into the lasting multigenerational psychological effects of the Holocaust. It is a product of an incisive intellect and a compassionate heart, embracing grief and mourning not with resentment, but with the aim of understanding and preventing further tragedies." - Pablo de Greiff, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence

"Inheritance gives a human face to the story of seeking refuge from violence. As the world faces the largest crisis of forced displacement in its history, this book should be required reading. It reminds the reader that every refugee, past and present, is only seeking what we all deserve: love, safety, and a life free from persecution." - Kerry Whigham, author of Resonant Violence: Affect, Memory, and Activism in Post-Genocide Societies

"In Inheritance, Charlie Scheidt and Kat Rohrer creatively weave together threads from the lives of past generations with contemporary stories of research and discovery. What emerges is a fascinating narrative that provides vital documentation of a history that must not be forgotten now or for generations to come." - William H. Weitzer, executive director emeritus, Leo Baeck Institute

"A remarkable, powerful tribute to family, to Holocaust studies, and to humanity. This work holds extraordinary meaning, not only for one family's survival and legacy, but for society's collective obligations toward one another and the world to ensure 'Never Again!' The courage to remember and share is inspiring in ways that ripple outward as a beacon to us all. This brilliant contribution to the world deserves to be read, taught, and cherished widely for generations to come." - Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, director, Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights

"Charlie Scheidt's captivating story of piecing together his family's escape from Nazi Germany casts the Holocaust as a global history of refugees. In our world of millions of refugees, Inheritance reminds us of the urgency of standing with those targeted by violent states today in their struggle to find refuge." - Raz Segal, associate professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and founding coordinator of the Refugee Studies Initiative

"A treasure trove of private letters, intimate memories, and decades of deep research in half a dozen countries brought into being Charlie Scheidt's beautifully written story of a German-Jewish family before, during, and after the Holocaust. A touching, honest, and meaningful book, filled with empathy, Inheritance is a unique history of the twentieth century that combines the personal and the political as it has rarely been accomplished before." - Thomas Kuehne, director, Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University

"Remembering is a challenge: it requires time, demands taking winding paths, and confronts unforeseen emotions. It can also have a healing effect. While it can never close the gaps violently torn by history, it can make them tangible. Inheritance bears witness to this-it is a touching and impressive story about Charlie Scheidt's family, but also about his own journey of remembrance." - Angela Jannelli, curator, Historical Museum Frankfurt

"Inheritance is a remarkable achievement. Combining rigorous and painstaking historical research with profound empathy, sensibility, and wit, Scheidt vividly reconstructs the lives, struggles, losses, and survivals of one family during the Holocaust. Inheritance masterfully weaves their unique stories into broader tapestry of millions of lives lost, saved, and transformed. The result is a book that anyone interested in the Holocaust-or families-will want to read." - Maxim A. Pensky, co-director, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at SUNY Binghamton

"Meticulously researched, with prose as beautiful as it is moving, Inheritance is a masterpiece. What was a story of displacement and sorrow in the shadow of the Holocaust, marked by whispered names and time cut short, becomes a story of regeneration and joy as the descendants of survivors find each other and rebuild their family. In the end, Scheidt finds a new part of himself hidden in plain sight, weaving archival research with personal revelation into the broader story of a family who refused to be erased." - Douglas S Irvin-Erikson, director of the Genocide Prevention Program, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict

"Vivid and intimate. . . . an excellent contribution to the ever-growing canon of memoirs focused on the post-Holocaust generations, post-Holocaust intergenerational trauma, and the Jewish story." - The US Review of Books

"Timely and relevant. . . . Scheidt has produced a moving reconstruction of his family history and his book is a worthy addition to the literature of the Holocaust and of the generations who are still dealing with its aftermath." - Jewish Book Council