Fern Schumer Chapman

How far would you go to avoid being forced to kill? 90 is the number that, on a cold December night, hijacks a young man's future.The year is 1969; Bruce is 20, and 90 is his draft lottery number. The number that guarantees he'll be drafted into the military-likely becoming a soldier in the Vietnam War.In this compelling memoir, one young man-an outsider among his privileged peers at Princeton University - questions everything he believes as his life is dramatically reshaped by an overwhelming moral dilemma. His father's death deprives Bruce of the guidance he needs in this most masculine decision: whether to fight or declare himself a conscientious objector who refuses to kill. Would a real man do whatever his country asks? Or must he follow his conscience, placing integrity above friends, family, and his own future?"90 is a living thing to me. Who knew a number could have so much power? It's behind whatever I say or do, every decision I make - getting involved with someone, whether to protest, if I can even go to law school. 90 robs me of my freedom "

Updated edition with new Author's Note How could we leave the only world we had ever known? Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins-all were holding hands, clinging to one another, as if they'd never let go.A story that is more relevant than ever, as parents in our war-torn world are forced to rip their families apart and send their children away to safety.It's 1938, and twelve-year-old Edith is about to move from the tiny German village she's lived in all her life to a place that seems as foreign as the moon: Chicago, Illinois. And she will be doing it alone. This dramatic and chilling novel about one girl's escape from Hitler's Germany was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, one of fourteen hundred children rescued by Americans as part of the One Thousand Children project.BONUS MATERIALS INSIDE Features a discussion guide, Q&A with the author, and a special look at the remarkable true story as seen on the Oprah network, OWN.

Updated paperback edition with new Author's Note How could we leave the only world we had ever known? Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins-all were holding hands, clinging to one another, as if they'd never let go.A story that is more relevant than ever, as parents in our war-torn world are forced to rip their families apart and send their children away to safety.It's 1938, and twelve-year-old Edith is about to move from the tiny German village she's lived in all her life to a place that seems as foreign as the moon: Chicago, Illinois. And she will be doing it alone. This dramatic and chilling novel about one girl's escape from Hitler's Germany was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, one of fourteen hundred children rescued by Americans as part of the One Thousand Children project.BONUS MATERIALS INSIDE Features a discussion guide, Q&A with the author, and a special look at the remarkable true story as seen on the Oprah network, OWN.

Middle School Student Sleuths Refuse to Let History Be Forgotten.In an extraordinary act of service and dedication, a group of committed middle-school students embarked on a mission to reunite two Holocaust refugees who, inseparable in their youth, lost contact 73 years ago after escaping Nazi Germany together in 1938.Through photographs, text, and historical documents, readers witness the determination of these young sleuths as they piece together the lives of these unaccompanied minors, spanning over seven decades. The reunion, captured in this first book of The Legacy of the Holocaust Series, also was featured on Oprah.

An Unaccompanied Minor's OrdealAt just 12, Gerda Katz braved the journey from Nazi Germany to America all by herself as an unaccompanied minor. Her family escaped to the Dominican Republic -- one of the few countries that offered Jews a haven during the Holocaust. Separated from her family for 21 years, Gerda experiences profound loneliness as she adjusts to a new language, culture, and country on her own.Through photographs, historical documents, and text, this compelling narrative sheds light on the long reach of deep-seated racism in the 1930s and 40s across Germany, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.This third book in the Legacy of the Holocaust series is an essential read for understanding the suffering and resilience of young immigrants, past and present.

Who will remember the victims?Eighty-nine-year-old Holocaust survivor Edith Westerfeld escaped the Nazi terror that claimed her family. Returning 76 years later to her small ancestral town, she witnesses the unveiling of the Stolpersteine, memorial stones to remember her family.Through photographs, historical documents, and text, Facing the Past captures how some are confronting and atoning for Germany's national crimes. At the same time, Edith discovers the transformative power of two words: "I'm sorry."This second book in TheLegacy of the Holocaust series is ideal for middle-school discussions on moral guidance, citizenship, and historical responsibility. The book cultivates empathy and reminds readers that the act of remembering is the most powerful memorial of all.

A warm, empathetic guide to understanding, coping with, and healing from the unique pain of sibling estrangement Whenever I tell people that I am working on a book about sibling estrangement, they sit up a little straighter and lean in, as if I've tapped into a dark secret. Fern Schumer Chapman understands the pain of sibling estrangement firsthand. For the better part of forty years, she had nearly no relationship with her only brother, despite many attempts at reconnection. Her grief and shame were devastating and isolating. But when she tried to turn to others for help, she found that a profound stigma still surrounded estrangement, and that very little statistical and psychological research existed to help her better understand the rift that had broken up her family. So she decided to conduct her own research, interviewing psychologists and estranged siblings as well as recording the extraordinary story of her own rift with her brother--and subsequent reconciliation. Brothers, Sisters, Strangers is the result--a thoughtfully researched memoir that illuminates both the author's own story and the greater phenomenon of estrangement. Chapman helps readers work through the challenges of rebuilding a sibling relationship that seems damaged beyond repair, as well as understand when estrangement is the best option. It is at once a detailed framework for understanding sibling estrangement, a beacon of solidarity and comfort for the estranged, and a moving memoir about family trauma, addiction, grief, and recovery.

In this sequel to Happy Harper Thursdays, Harper finally sees her grandmother again, now that a vaccine is available for the "nasty bug" that kept them apart. But, instead of feeling happy and excited, Harper is angry at Mama Fern because she stayed away for so many months. Harper refuses to talk to her grandmother and acts as if she doesn't even know her. This colorful, delightfully illustrated book helps young children sort out their feelings and guides grandparents in how to navigate difficult situations. In The Return of Happy Harper Thursdays, children learn that even when they can't see cherished family members, love burns brightly-like a light that's always turned on.

A picture book to help children understand why they can't see their beloved grandparents during the pandemic.When people who love each other can't be together, it's heartbreaking. And when a child is too young to understand a sudden, prolonged cut-off from a beloved relative or friend, everyone hurts. In Happy Harper Thursdays, Fern Schumer Chapman explains to young children, simply and clearly, why we can't be with the people we love during the Coronavirus.This colorful, delightfully illustrated book captures how this pandemic disrupts the cherished routine of a grandmother and granddaughter. When the two can see and hear each other only electronically, the confused child wonders why she and her grandmother aren't really together. Children often think they are responsible for events that have nothing to do with them. With that in mind, Chapman wrote Happy Harper Thursdays to help her granddaughter-- and millions of other children worldwide-- understand this difficult separation.

When people who love each other can't be together, it's heartbreaking. And when a child is too young to understand a sudden, prolonged cut-off from a beloved relative or friend, everyone hurts. In Happy Harper Thursdays, Fern Schumer Chapman explains to young children, simply and clearly, why we can't be with the people we love during the Coronavirus.This colorful, delightfully illustrated book captures how this pandemic disrupts the cherished routine of a grandmother and granddaughter. When the two can see and hear each other only electronically, the confused child wonders why she and her grandmother aren't really together. Children often think they are responsible for events that have nothing to do with them. With that in mind, Chapman wrote Happy Harper Thursdays to help her granddaughter-- and millions of other children worldwide-- understand this difficult separation.

A moving account of a mother and daughter who visit Germany to face the Holocaust tragedy that has caused their family decades of intergenerational trauma, from the author of Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award In 1938, when Edith Westerfeld was twelve, her parents sent her from Germany to America to escape the Nazis. Edith survived, but most of her family perished in the death camps. Unable to cope with the loss of her family and homeland, Edith closed the door on her past, refusing to discuss even the smallest details. Fifty-four years later, when the void of her childhood was consuming both her and her family, she returned to Stockstadt with her grown daughter Fern. For Edith the trip was a chance to reconnect and reconcile with her past; for Fern it was a chance to learn what lay behind her mother's silent grief. Together, they found a town that had dramatically changed on the surface, but which hid guilty secrets and lived in enduring denial. On their journey, Fern and her mother shared many extraordinary encounters with the townspeople and--more importantly--with one another, closing the divide that had long stood between them. Motherland is a story of learning to face the past, of remembering and honoring while looking forward and letting go. It is an account of the Holocaust's lingering grip on its witnesses; it is also a loving story of mothers and daughters, roots, understanding, and, ultimately, healing.