My Lost Family

An Audible Original

By: Danny Ben-Moshe, Dasha Lisitsina

Narrated by: Danny Ben-Moshe

A family must come to terms with the past when two missing children reappear after 40 years. As the secrets unravel in this real-life tale, can the family lay to rest the ghosts of the past? Growing up in a poor Yiddish-speaking home in 1950s London, teenager Lillian marries a charming older man, Raymond. One day he takes their children to the local park. They never come back. Forty years later, they reappear—and the search for the truth begins.

Unfolding like a mystery novel, the series follows an eccentric Jewish family as they unearth family secrets, attempt to reconcile, and hear shocking news that sheds a new light on events. Creator Danny Ben-Moshe is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. This Audible Original expands and continues the story from his acclaimed documentary, My Mother’s Lost Children, which was reviewed as "heartfelt and unflinching" by The Times of London, "critics choice" in The Sunday Times, and “exemplary work” by the New Statesman.

Danny sets out to find the truth but comes to the conclusion that the truth can be elusive. It seems that every family has a story…and a secret. This engaging tale is told by a dynamic cast, and as the story unravels, the plot thickens. While dealing with serious issues, the story is also full of wit, quirkiness, and laughter.

©2019 Audible, Ltd (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Interesting look into mother and children

This is a very candid story of a woman stunted by becoming a mother too young and then loosing her children. Both parents more focused on themselves than the children. Instead of worrying about how her children were damaged she focuses on her own life. Fascinating.

good story but could have been told better

The mother was not a sympathetic character and should not have been the main focus because of that. She was considerably self absorbed. Only in a few places in the story did she seem be truly upset about her children being taken from her, continually offering the fact of how young she was as the reason why she didn't try to find them. Only when she talked about giving birth to her son from her 2nd husband did she show her emotional turmoil over loss of her children. The rest of the time she offered a seeming sense of relief over the children's being taken from her and how it turned out to be a better thing for her because she was still young enough to find a better husband and have a good life. I don't think she knows how she came off as a self-centered woman, but I find it hard to believe the son Danny who was making the film was oblivious to it. It would have been much better if the story had been told from the two "lost children" point of view. The mother may not have had the where withal to hunt for them, but she had no details that made us think she was having deep depression, anxiety, or mental anguish over their loss for the first 2 years. For most mothers their loss would have been intolerable, leaving them with no energy to do or think of anything else. I can't understand why Danny couldn't have told the story better. Instead he opened up his mom to reveal a person who seems to have landed in a better marriage and a better life becase of the kidnapping and counts herself lucky. This was a very different story with the children.

AND I OOP

I'm sorry but I have no remorse for the mother!Her life decisions show the most extreme forms of selfishness.Get ready to get frustrated listening to this! Especially since the writer is an obvious mommas boy.
It's heartbreaking...but not because of a mothers lost but because of the neglect all the children involved experienced and the generational trauma that will follow the family.
Such a shame! From the start of the story, it shows she never wanted to have her first two kids to begin with. I believe she found it extremely convenient for her kids to go missing...since she quickly remarried and lead a "luxurious" life. 
 Because of her new life she felt no desire to search for her kids (who were less than a damn hour away). In addition, she was an absent mom to her other children, who would stay with her neighbors many times because of her depression...but she didn't even do the bare minimum like talk to the police. She blames her baby daddy for everything and takes 0 accountability.
And when she finally meets with one of her kids that was "taken" she has the audacity to say she rather be at the club than meeting her son...SMH WHAT! and these are her thoughts as an old woman - imagine as an 18 year old? I literally CANT.

Fascinating look at a tragic situation

This was a really well-done story. Although the situation was tragic, the author kept it from getting too heavy or depressing. With actual interviews in their own voices, the characters became very real. I couldn't stop listening until it was over.

Strangely engrossing

The story is complicated, but not terribly shocking. The presentation is well constructed, and the players are introduced methodically. Most crucially, the author very deftly walks a tricky familial line, presenting his mother in such a way that the listener can draw their own conclusions.

Interesting

It was interesting because of the mix of cultures. the story itself was good too. I'd like to know more!

Great listen, want to see documentary

I really enjoyed this short story. Details say theres also a documentary that I’d love to watch but I can’t find it online. Does anyone know where I can watch it? Vimeo lists it but says it can’t be viewed in my region (US).

Terrible people, interesting narrative

I enjoyed listening to this podcast-style story, but honestly every single person came out looking terrible. My personal take-away is that not everyone should have children.

Really good, get it free before the month is over!

For being one of the audible monthly choices, it was really good. A quick listen about a family’s story of losing and finding again. Well organized and thoughtful

Great Story!

This was a very interesting story and so well done. The narration was excellent and I loved being able to hear the family describe the events themselves. I'm happy to recommend it.