Shmuel's Bridge

Following the Tracks to Auschwitz with My Survivor Father

By: Jason Sommer

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

A moving memoir of a son's relationship with his survivor father and of their Eastern European journey through a family history of incalculable loss.

Jason Sommer's father, Jay, is ninety-eight years old and losing his memory. More than seventy years after arriving in New York from WWII-torn Europe, he is forgetting the stories that defined his life, the life of his family, and the lives of millions of Jews who were affected by Nazi terror. Observing this loss, Jason vividly recalls the trip to Eastern Europe the two took together in 2001.

As father and son travel from the town of Jay's birth to the labor camp from which he escaped, and to Auschwitz, where many in his family were lost, the stories Jason's father has told all his life come alive. So too do Jason's own memories of the way his father's past complicated and impacted Jason's own inner life.

Shmuel's Bridge shows history through a double lens: the memories of a growing son's complex relationship with his father and the meditations of that son who, now grown, finds himself caring for a man losing all connection to a past that must not be forgotten.

©2022 Jason Sommer (P)2022 Tantor

Vivid descriptions of an exceptional history

The writing and narration captivate the listener for a journey through both time and the minds of those who have lived it

Riveting and Heart-felt Story

I knew nothing about the author or his writings when I happened upon this book. often it is said, "I couldn't put it down", but being a life-long reader, it is a rarity for me to say the same about a book. However, the author and narrator had me riveted to the story that became Moreno and passionate as it progressed. I'm am thankful to the author for his willingness to be so transparent about his family history, thoughts and emotions.