Survivor Cafe

The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory

By: Elizabeth Rosner

Narrated by: Elizabeth Rosner

As firsthand survivors of many of the 20th century's most monumental events: the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, the Killing Fields begin to pass away, Survivor Café addresses urgent questions: How do we carry those stories forward? How do we collectively ensure that the horrors of the past are not forgotten?

Elizabeth Rosner organizes her audiobook around three trips with her father to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1983, in 1995, and in 2015. Each journey is an experience in which personal history confronts both commemoration and memorialization. She explores the echoes of similar legacies among descendants of African American slaves, descendants of Cambodian survivors of the Killing Fields, descendants of survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the effects of 9/11 on the general population. Examining current brain research, Rosner depicts the efforts to understand the intergenerational inheritance of trauma, as well as the intricacies of remembrance in the aftermath of atrocity. Survivor Café becomes a lens for numerous constructs of memory - from museums and commemorative sites to national reconciliation projects to small-group cross-cultural encounters.

Beyond preserving the firsthand testimonies of participants and witnesses, individuals and societies must continually take responsibility for learning the painful lessons of the past in order to offer hope for the future. Survivor Café offers a clear-eyed sense of the enormity of our 21st-century human inheritance - not only among direct descendants of the Holocaust, but also in the shape of our collective responsibility to learn from tragedy.

©2017 Elizabeth Rosner (P)2017 Novel Audio

So personal!

I really liked that the author read this herself. She had a calming voice and although the content was serious, I enjoyed listening on my commute to work because of that calming influence. Also, the subject matter was pretty personal at times and it definitely just made sense that she would narrate herself (sometimes I don't like author reads).
The book itself was a scientific but also very personal look at the affects of mass trauma on a person and their family. Incredibly fascinating and more relevant to our times that one would hope. Very well written.

A book every generation should read

We should never forget and take all measure to ensure we keep Evil on its leash and never side with it. Moderates must always take a stand for humanity and justice.

I really enjoyed hearing the facts and human approach to all of this. We are flawed creatures but we must always do the right thing.

mixed

BLM and woke politics ruined an otherwise beautiful important history, which may not even be real. I was totally engrossed and deeply feeling the intense stories of human trauma. Such important work to document and preserve i thought. mesmerizing and haunting at the same time. The authenticity of all was shattered by including the debunked and fake white police shooting blacks and the scam called BLM These topics are reasonable to debate but are an insult of the highest order to the very real, horrific suffering endured by millions in the holocaust. It was sad to hear the author destroy such powerful work by including these frauds in the same league with literal torture beyond belief. Now I question the entire work and cannot recommend, it may all be fiction.