The Family

Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century

By: David Laskin

Narrated by: Geoffrey Cantor

The author of the The Children’s Blizzard delivers an epic work of twentieth century history through the riveting story of one extraordinary Jewish family

With cinematic power and beauty, bestselling author David Laskin brings to life the upheavals of the twentieth century through the story of one family, three continents, two world wars, and the rise and fall of nations.

A century and a half ago, a Torah scribe and his wife raised six children in a yeshivatown at the western fringe of the Russian empire. Bound by their customs and ancient faith, the pious couple expected their sons and daughter to carry family traditions into future generations. But the social and political crises of our time decreed otherwise.

The torrent of history took the scribe’s family down three very different roads. One branch immigrated to America and founded the fabulously successful Maidenform Bra Company; another went to Palestine as pioneers and participated in the contentious birth of the state of Israel; the third branch remained in Europe and suffered the onslaught of the Nazi occupation.

In tracing the roots of this family—his own family—Laskin captures the epic sweep of the twentieth century. A modern-day scribe, Laskin honors the traditions, the lives, and the choices of his ancestors: revolutionaries and entrepreneurs, scholars and farmers, tycoons and truck drivers. The Family is a deeply personal, dramatic, and emotional account of people caught in a cataclysmic time in world history.

The author’s personal discoveries exploring his family, his insights, his relationships to all of the family and Judaism.

What a great researcher and storyteller! Incredible writing, compelling, sadly graphic, and revealing. The author’s family is so similar to my lost relatives from that area. I cherish learning what likely happened to them…no words or history was ever talked about or shared.

An amazing book

A wonderful achievement of scholarship and retelling. For anyone it is a lesson that our families are often amazing, and well worth knowing. Decisions made seemingly hastily, can have a huge impact on the loves of descendants.

Incredible tale. Incredible research.

The story is so well written I feel I was there witnessing history. Highly Recommended.

Engaging and beautifully narrated, I loved it!

Engaging and beautifully narrated, I loved it! I was hooked from the first moment and every moment after

A heartbreaking yet entertaining story

My family history would be considered gentilian. Prior to listening to this fabulous book I had a general knowledge of the horrible events that occurred. It was so interesting to hear a more intimate version of the lives of this family.

I'm thankful that the author took the time to research his family's story and share it with those lucky enough to partake.