We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein
We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein
20 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
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We Must Not Think of Ourselves

Author: Lauren Grodstein

Narrator: Brad Griffith, Jesse Vilinsky, Sharon Freedman, Amir Levi, Rich Keeble

Unabridged: 9 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/28/2023


Synopsis

From a New York Times bestselling author Lauren Grodstein, a story inspired by a little-known piece of history in the lives of Jewish occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II. Called a "masterpiece", and as seen on The Today Show with Jenna pick (Madeline Miller).

On a November day in 1940, Adam Paskow becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, where the Jews of the city are cut off from their former lives and held captive by Nazi guards to await an uncertain fate. Weeks later, he is approached by a mysterious figure with a surprising request: Would he join a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside these walls? 

Adam agrees and begins taking testimonies from his students, friends, and neighbors. One of the people Adam interviews is his flatmate Sala Wiskoff, who is stoic, determined, and funny—and married with two children. Over the months of their confinement, in the presence of her family, they fall in love. But when Adam discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice: whom can he save, and at what cost ? 

Inspired by the testimony-gathering project with the code name Oneg Shabbat, and told with immediacy and heart, We Must Not Think of Ourselves is a piercing story of love, determination, and sacrifice.

About Lauren Grodstein

Lauren Grodstein is the author of four previous works of fiction, including the New York Times bestselling novel A Friend of the Family, which was a Washington Post Best Book Pick, a New York Times Editor's Pick, a BookPage Best Book, and an Indie Next Pick. She teaches creative writing at Rutgers University.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on November 24, 2023

It’s difficult to read Holocaust stories, but that doesn’t keep me from reading them. It’s always for me so important to remember those who were killed or those who survived the unimaginable. Everyone should remember, so it doesn’t happen again. That’s exactly what this book is about - creating a wa......more

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on March 03, 2024

How can one not think of themselves when the Nazis have stripped you down to nothing: killing your family; your religion; and trying to kill your identity. We meet Adam. A teacher in the middle of a Jewish ghetto in Poland. He teaches English to a few kids in the basement of an abandoned building. He......more

Goodreads review by Mai on December 26, 2024

$7.59 hardcover at Book Outlet Blog Tour As I was reading this book about WWII, and the topic of genocide, I obviously panned to what is currently happening in Israel and Palestine. We must not forget the past. If we do, we are doomed to repeat it. It's a very sad world when the oppressed become the o......more

Goodreads review by Anna on December 18, 2023

The essence of We Must Not Think of Ourselves revolves around the Oneg Shabbat Archive, which Grodstein adopts as the backbone of her narrative. The Archive serves as a treasure trove of knowledge about the Jewish populace within the ghetto. Nonetheless, the data tends to be rather dry, reflecting t......more

"“It is up to us to write our own history,” he said. “Deny the Germans the last word.” A dry chuckle escaped me. “It’s hard to deny the Germans anything, Pan Ringelblum.” “Perhaps,” he said. “Or perhaps after the war, we can tell the world the truth about what happened.”" The above is the book’s prem......more


Quotes

"This book is a masterpiece: profound, gripping, urgent, and beautiful. In its clear-eyed and devastating portrait of the past, Grodstein invites us into the present; to bear witness to the lives that have come before us, while finding meaning and courage for our own." ——Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles

“In We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein writes with such a blazing commitment to the truth of the Warsaw Ghetto that sometimes I had to stop reading and catch my breath. But in the midst of the brutality, she clears a path for the parallel stories of love and decency. Make no mistake: this is a heartbreaking portrait of a dark moment. But this novel shimmers with light.”——Lauren Fox, New York Times bestselling author of Send for Me

We Must Not Think of Ourselves is one of those rare books—beautifully written, seamlessly constructed, quietly devastating—that manages to tell an old story in a new way with no pyrotechnics beyond perfect storytelling, including an ending that will stay with me always. It is far and away my favorite novel of the year, of many years, and I know I will be recommending it to readers forevermore.——Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of One Two Three

"[A] gripping historical novel."——Washington Post

“[A] delicate, warm account of a brutal, cold time, grounded in humanity, small details, and unwavering clarity.”——Kirkus Reviews

“Grodstein brings to life a critical piece of history with her strong sense of place and complex characters... [The Oneg Shabbat archive] is represented beautifully in Grodstein’s first historical novel, supported by her intensive research and the book’s dynamic relationships that show the value of everyday intimacies. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories from all time periods about the extraordinary actions of ordinary people.”——Library Journal

“Grodstein makes her persecuted characters achingly human... This will stay with readers.”——Publishers Weekly

“[A] moving chronicle, a worthy tribute to those who fought to survive the unthinkable.”——Booklist

"[R]ealistic, heartrending… with intimate, detailed portraits… Thought-provoking, tender, and horrifying, this memorable novel of Jewish lives in the Warsaw Ghetto offers timeless lessons."——Shelf Awareness

“This heart-wrenching tale explores love, defiance, and sacrifice in the face of unimaginable circumstances, making it a compelling addition to the literary World War II fiction genre.”——Beyond The Bookends