What They Didn't Burn

Summary

What if you uncovered a Nazi paper trail that revealed your father to be a man very different from the quiet, introspective Dad you knew…or thought you knew?

Kirkus Reviews..."A scrupulously researched and dramatic remembrance… the author presents his findings with a remarkable blend of meticulousness and unabashed emotion, movingly communicating what he experienced during the process."

Midwest Book Review..."A memoir and history like no other Holocaust story…Its eye-opening impact makes What They Didn't Burn unparalleled, powerful, and essential reading. that will ideally prompt debates and group studies about Holocaust survivors and Nazi experiences."

Independent Book Reviews..."A deep dive into Nazi records reveals one man’s diamond-hard resolve to survive…With Laytner’s keen ear for dialogue and his evocative language, What They Didn’t Burn eloquently bears witness to the tragedy of a family and a people."

Growing up, author Mel Laytner saw his father as a quintessential Type B, passive and conventional. As he uncovered the documents the Nazis didn’t burn, another man emerged—a black market ringleader and wily camp survivor who made his own luck. But the tattered papers also revealed painful secrets his father took to his grave.

Melding the intimacy of personal memoir with the rigors of investigative journalism, What They Didn't Burn is about a reporter's quest, a son's revelation and a father's unlikely saga of survival -- corroborated by the Nazis themselves. It is an inspirational story of resilience and redemption. It shows how desperate refugees turned hopeful immigrants and rebuilt their shattered lives and families in America, all the while struggling with the lingering trauma that has impacted their children to this day.