Resource Book Examples

‘Literature Can Help Bring Forward Every Aspect of Human Life.’

(from the book: Essentials of Holocaust Education: Fundamental Issues and Approaches)

An author’s life is never dull.  After almost nine years, I’ve nearly finished my second and third books (My Dear Boy and Steadfast Ink). As they go through final edits, I’ve entered the stage of wonderment in the modern age of publishing which asks: how can these books best meet their appropriate readership?

In the midst of the new, I haven’t forgotten the ‘old,’ the leader of the trilogy, Adventurers Against Their Will.  Published in 2013, the Global Ebook Award Winner still shares with audiences young and old important messages about working for peace by respecting others and protecting human rights.  Adventurers Against Their Will is recommended reading at various places that care about educating future generations such as the National World War II Museum, Holocaust Memorial & Education Center of Florida, and more.

So imagine my surprise and joy when I stumbled on a prestigious book — Essentials of Holocaust Education: Fundamental Issues and Approaches—edited by Samuel Totten and Stephen Feinberg and published in April 2016 that features a recommendation of Adventurers Against Their Will under their section of “Memoirs”:

“Another memoir teachers may wish to consider using in class is Adventurers Against Their Will by Joanie Holzer Schirm. Schirm had had some information out her father’s experiences in World War II but had not realized the extent of what he experienced until after both of her parents died, and she discovered several letters containing revelatory information. She based her book on letters from family and friends to her father. She learned that her father had worked as a doctor in the Jewish ghetto in Shanghai. “Why didn’t the Jews leave Germany?” is answered in several of the letters, where we read how some of Dr. Holzer’s friends tried to relocate to other countries and were unable to do so because of governmental restrictions and/or financial issues. Sponsors were necessary for entry to the United States, and no matter where the Jews tried to move, it was often incredibly expensive to do so. For example, a friend of Dr. Holzer writes on March 6, 2939, asking for an introduction to a cousin of Valdik Holzer who lives in the United States, hoping this cousin will vouch for him and provide him with an “affidavit of support.” Another friend writes him on March 2, 1940, stating that “the visas they {the US} are issuing now are for people who registered at the beginning of May,” and that it will take about two years before they “are called.”  Students who are studying the Holocaust know that those two years will see the implementation of the Nazis plan to murder the Jews of Europe. By reading such letters, students will also learn of the optimism, the pessimism, and the frustration felt by Jews as governments made decisions that impacted their lives in the most profound ways possible.”

Having Adventurers Against Their Will referenced in the same section with books such as Elie Wiesel’s Night, Gerda Weissman Klein’s All But My Life, and Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz, is an incredible honor. I’ve never doubted that the WWII letters my father preserved and the stories he told me in interviews about his life as a forcibly displaced person, bring great value to understanding the history of the Holocaust. They also have significant relevance for today as we find the world trying to help millions of people displaced by war and persecution.

More from Essentials of Holocaust Education:

“Literature is ‘capable of challenging students to examine their own lived lives and world’ (Totten, 2001, p. 32). It also provides students with the opportunity to probe how individuals and groups acted, reacted, and interacted in a world that was turned upside down by the evil endeavors of the Nazis and their collaborators. That said, a cautionary note is called for here: teaching a book, a short story, a poem, or a play in isolation, without placing the work within a historical context, is problematic.  Those who wish to incorporate literature into a study of the Holocaust must choose wisely when selecting such literature. It should be high-quality literature that is thought-provoking, germane to the history being taught, and highly engaging.”

I know my father—Dr. Oswald Holzer—who saved his secret collection of WWII letters to be discovered after his death, would be proud that their thought-provoking and engaging words can help students better understand the past. Hopefully, this awareness will inspire us all to care enough to take action as creating a peaceful and respectful world takes diligent hard work.

Peace.

Joanie Holzer Schirm

As I think over the past year, I realize how blessed I have been to have had this extraordinary journey to become a published author. I thank you for helping me make this amazing dream come true. The spring bloom ushered in worldwide distribution in print and electronic version in English of my debut book, Adventurers Against Their Will.  This was followed in the fall by an award for Best Biography in the 2013 Global Ebook Awards.  Round this off with continuous supportive family, friends, and professional colleagues to which I’m forever in debt and 2013 was indeed magical.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to share these true stories of life from the lost Czech world of my father that he protected by secretly storing away his treasure trove of World War II letters. The lessons they impart are clear. Knowledge and understanding of one another is the enemy of prejudice. Together we have a responsibility to humanity to build a more harmonious world.

One gift I fully understand now is how deeply my parents worked towards this goal during their lifetime. With a continuing sense of mission towards their legacy of love for the people of our world, I remain hard at work to soon deliver my father’s, Dr. Oswald “Valdik” Holzer’s remarkable story in My Dear Boy: The Discovery of a Lifetime.

As we enter the New Year with renewed hope, please watch this short video to be reminded why our work for unity must continue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akjaidEL-1U

Best wishes to you for an incredible 2014.