Those Who Forget

Reviews / Votes

An utterly original memoir for our times, elegant, courageous and deeply affecting -- Philippe Sands, author of 'East West Street' I was gripped by Schwarz's book partly because she writes from a new generational perspective... I was moved by this book... she highlights the consequences of acquiescence in wrongdoing -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times * Out of all the books I read this year-and I read many, stuck at home during 2020's endless quarantine-the one that resonated perhaps the most was Those Who Forget... It made the very convincing case that, until and unless there is a full accounting for what happened with Donald Trump, 2020 is not over and never will be -- Susan Glasser * New Yorker * Incredibly moving... I could not put it down -- John Kampfner Although she has written a searing book about the past, Schwarz's work is oriented toward the present and the future... Those Who Forget is as readable as it is persuasive. Schwarz embeds her appeal to citizens and nations to do memory work in a gripping detective story centered on her own family's history... [an] invaluable warning -- Samantha Power * Washington Post * [A] riveting exploration of Germany's post-World War II reckoning with guilt and responsibility... with eloquence and passion [Schwarz] demonstrates that we can never be reminded too often to never forget * Wall Street Journal * [Schwarz] helps us understand the importance of openly facing our past, and of actively learning from it, at a time when our democracy, once again, is under threat. Those Who Forget is a powerful monument to our time, and an urgent wake-up call -- Nora Krug, author of 'Heimat: A German Family Album' It took only two generations for her family's unexceptional wartime past to recede from view. But as the author painstakingly peeled away decades of denial, it was precisely the family's ordinariness that would prove so chilling. Geraldine Schwarz's book is a brave and important contribution to our understanding of memory -- Daniel Okrent, author of 'The Guarded Gate' A powerful and unflinching look at Germany during World War II and Europe's postwar reckoning with far-right nationalism... In searing yet engaging prose, Schwarz makes her case for the need for memory work in this highly recommended read for fans of memoirs and World War II history * Library Journal (starred review) * [An] astute debut... This timely memoir also serves as a perceptive look at the current rise of far-right nationalism throughout Europe and the U.S. * Publishers Weekly *