Also Here with Brooke Randel

Schuler Books, in partnership with the Detroit Jewish Book Fair and the Henry & Delia Meyers Library, present an event with author Brooke Randel and her memoir Also Here. In the words of the author, this book is about “... my grandma, genocide, food, and Florida.” Brooke will be joined in conversation with librarian, Lauren Marcus Johnson.

This event is free to attend, however, it helps us in planning to receive your RSVP. 

About the Book:

As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust-just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: "You should write about my life. What happened in the war."

What results is a fascinating memoir--about one woman's harrowing survival, and another's struggle to excavate the story from under the sands of time, and her grandma's illiteracy. Chronicling the darkness of the past and the difficult (and occasionally comic) challenges of bringing it to life in a sunny Florida condo, this book offers an insightful look into the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren and the impossible pull of both silence and remembrance.

Not able to join us? Order your copy here: https://www.schulerbooks.com/b...

About the Author:

Brooke Randel is a writer, editor, and associate creative director in Chicago. Her writing has been published in Hippocampus, Hypertext Magazine, Jewish Fiction, SmokeLong Quarterly, and elsewhere. The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, she writes on issues of memory, trauma, family and history. Also Here is her first book. Find more of her work at www.brookerandel.com.

About the Conversationalist:

Lauren Marcus Johnson received her Bachelor's of Science in Early Childhood Development and Family/Community Services from Michigan State University in 1997 followed by a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University in 2002. She is currently the Director of Cultural Arts at The J of Metro Detroit. As a professional book club facilitator, she works with a number of individual book clubs in the community on a regular basis, as well as supporting other groups on an ad hoc basis. Her all time favorite book is Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.