Troubled Memory Anne Levy, the Holocaust, and David Duke's Louisiana

This powerful work tells the story of Anne Skorecki Levy, the Holocaust survivor who transformed the horrors of her childhood into a passionate mission to defeat the political menace of reputed neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. The first book to connect the prewar and wartime experiences of Jewish survivors to the lives they subsequently made for themselves in the United States, Troubled Memoryis also a dramatic testament to how the experiences of survivors as new Americans spurred their willingness to bear witness. Perhaps the only family to survive the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto as a group, the Skoreckis evaded deportation to Treblinka, by posing as Aryans and ultimately made their way to New Orleans, where they became part of a vibrant Jewish community. Lawrence Powell traces the family's dramatic odyssey and explores the events that eventually triggered Anne Skorecki Levy's brave decision to honor the suffering of the past by confronting the recurring specter of racist hatred. Breaking decades of silence, she played a direct role in the unmasking and defeat of Duke during his 1991 campaign for the governorship of Louisiana. Brilliant. . . . Even readers who are knowledgeable about the Holocaust should be warned: Troubled Memory has the power to sting.--American Jewish History [Powell] tells this tale with wonderful narrative grace and moral force. He deftly explores ethical compromises and nuances.--Time A powerful, harrowing account. . . . Troubled Memory reads like a gripping novel of family survival against impossible odds.--New Orleans Times-Picayune A fine piece of historical scholarship. . . . Troubled Memory is also an inspiring story about standing up against evil.--Journal of American History Combines the sweep of history with the intimacy of memoir.--Chicago Tribune [An] important and riveting book.--Choice This compelling work tells the story of Anne Skorecki Levy, a Holocaust survivor who transformed the horrors of her childhood into a passionate mission to defeat the political menace of reputed neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Through Levy's tale, Lawrence Powell connects the prewar and wartime experiences of Jewish survivors to the lives they built in the United States and shows how their experiences as new Americans spurred their willingness to bear witness.