In The Inextinguishable Symphony, classical music radio programmer/ host Martin Goldsmith, A&S '71, chronicled his parents' 1941 escape from Nazi Germany and arrival in America. His father's father, Alex, and brother, Helmut, weren't so fortunate. Alex's Wake (Da Capo Press, 2014) tells of their experiences as two of the 937 German refugees aboard the St. Louis, the ship denied asylum by the United States, Canada, and Cuba in 1939. Upon returning to Europe, Alex and Helmut were shuffled through French camps before being killed at Auschwitz. In 2011, Goldsmith and his wife followed their journey, from Hamburg to France and then Poland, telling Alex and Helmut's story along the way. This is family history travelogue as act of repentance —candidly written, deeply considered, and profoundly moving.
Posted in Arts+Culture
