Alex's Wake is a tale of two parallel journeys undertaken seven decades apart. In the spring of 1939, Alex and Helmut Goldschmidt were two of more than 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany aboard the St. Louis , the saddest ship afloat" ( New York Times ). Turned away from Cuba, the United States, and Canada, the St. Louis returned to Europe, a stark symbol of the world's indifference to the gathering Holocaust. The Goldschmidts disembarked in France, where they spent the next three years in six different camps before being shipped to their deaths in Auschwitz.In the spring of 2011, Alex's grandson, Martin Goldsmith, followed in his relatives' footsteps on a six-week journey of remembrance and hope, an irrational quest to reverse their fate and bring himself peace. Alex's Wake movingly recounts the detailed histories of the two journeys, the witnesses Martin encounters for whom the events of the past are a vivid part of a living present, and an intimate, honest attempt to overcome a tormented family legacy.

About the Author
Martin Goldsmith is a host and classical music programmer for Symphony Hall on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and previously hosted NPR's daily classical music program, Performance Today, from 1989 to 1999. He is the author of The Inextinguishable Symphony and lives in Maryland.AlexsWakeBook.com

Reviews
"Beautiful and brave...a chilling yet affirming account of human loss and recovery."--David Maraniss, author of They Marched into Sunlight "The opposite of love, Elie Wiesel has observed, is not hate but indifference. With Alex's Wake, the author proves himself the least indifferent and, because of that, the most loving of men." --Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball "There are six million Holocaust stories. All of them are the same in sadness and devastation. Each is different in circumstance and fear. Martin Goldsmith eloquently tells the story of his search for family in the rubble of memory and distance. It's a moving journey of finding the past and his own determined and compassionate present."--Susan Stamberg, NPR "A new perspective on the Holocaust...powerful and evocative"--New York Journal of Books "Underscores the immense moral challenges and failings of a nation that believes itself the leader of the free world... A heartbreaking story of fear, frustration, anti-Semitism, and betrayal."--Baltimore Sun "A child of persecuted German Jews remembers his tormented, perished forebears--and makes peace with the country that hounded them to death...A well-researched, thorough reckoning of this shameful past."--Kirkus Reviews



Book Information
ISBN 9780306823718
Author Martin Goldsmith
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Da Capo Press Inc
Publisher Hachette Books
Weight(grams) 404g
Dimensions(mm) 219mm * 142mm * 24mm