Jumping Over Shadows by Annette Gendler

Courtesy of author for an honest review

Book Blurb:

“History was repeating itself when Annette Gendler fell in love with a Jewish man in Germany in 1985. Her Great-Aunt Resi had been married to a Jew in Czechoslovakia before World War II – a marriage that, while happy, created tremendous difficulties for the extended family once the Nazis took over their hometown in 1938, and ultimately did not survive the pressures of the time. Annette and Harry’s love, meanwhile, was the ultimate nightmare for Harry’s family of Holocaust survivors. Weighed down by the burdens of their family histories, Annette and Harry kept their relationship secret for three years, until they could forge a path into the future and create a new life in Chicago. As time went on, however, Annette found a spiritual home in Judaism – a choice that paved the way toward acceptance by Harry’s family, and redemption for some of the wounds of her own family’s past.”

My Review: 3.5 stars – Guest Review

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Jumping Over Shadows is a well-written and candid memoir. The Chicago based author interweaves her personal story with the story of her great aunt. The memoir moves back and forth between the author’s romance in the 1980s and the historical tale of her great aunt. The difficulties and challenges surrounding these relationships are explored in complex detail. The journey that is chronicled by the author covers not only the personal relationships of her aunt and herself, but also includes a history of pre- and post-World War II treatment of the European Jewish population. Gendler seamlessly weaves her present day story with the story of her parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and the story of her great-aunt, who was forced to divorce her Jewish husband when the Nuremberg laws were imposed.

Although not consistently compelling, I found parts of this memoir thought provoking, such as the scrutiny of, and societal barriers to inter-faith marriage.The book is detailed in its description of Jewish tradition. The parts of this memoir where Gendler talks about her introduction to the Jewish faith, and what she needs to do to convert to Judaism are extremely interesting. I particularly enjoyed the chapter describing how to make gefilte fish from scratch!

I was definitely transported to another place and time as the author includes vividly rich descriptions of historical details and geographical landmarks. This memoir puts a different spin on the Holocaust, compared to many Holocaust stories from other memoirs and historical novels. The photographs included enhanced the storyline significantly, but with so many family members mentioned, a family tree would have been helpful.

Overall, this story illustrates how our past impacts our present. I think that this is a meaningful and timely read, given the current rise of bigotry in our country. If you enjoy family histories set in Europe during WWII, or books about Jewish history and ancestry, this memoir is worth reading. Review written by Guest Fairy Ronna.

Quotes I Liked:

I have to jump over my own shadow here, and I don’t know if I can do that”.

-“If no one spoke up about a small injustice, or an injustice against the dead, who would speak up against a big injustice, or one against the living, when things could still be rectified?’

-“It was a rare moment when we both felt that we came from different backgrounds, different experiences. Majority versus minority. If you’re part of the majority, you simply have not lived with prejudice. Dealing with bigotry is merely an intellectual exercise, something you discuss in history class.”

-“And so everything in our life, whenever we think about it, is there, is available, all that has been before, and all that will be, lies, like bud or seed, in us.”