National Network for Equitable Library Service

Set in the tumultuous 1970s when women, African Americans, and the gay and lesbian community fought for equality while a "New Right" mobilized in defense of political conservatism and traditional family values, Memory's Shadow is the story of a family that survived the Holocaust and their ongoing engagement with that legacy long after World War II has ended. The novella deals with memory and mourning through the lens of the adult sisters in the Berk family. Hetty the oldest, a real estate agent, is fearful of the urban black population moving into her "safe" Jewish suburb. Toni, the second sister, an unmarried intellectual and feminist, is determined to raise a child on her own. Linda Sue, the youngest and most compassionate of the three, is a teacher driven by the need to solve the mystery of her family's survival in the Lodz ghetto during the Nazi occupation. Memory's Shadow is a tale of family loyalty, friendship, and resilience in the face of an unimaginable recurrence of tragedy.