ShoeboxTitle:  Out of the Shoebox: An Autobiographic Mystery

Author:  Yaron Reshef

Format:  Paperback and Kindle

Published:  2014

Synopsis: (from Amazon)  A mysterious unexpected phone call hurls Yaron Reshef into an intensive two-year journey, during which he has to solve a mystery that took shape in the 1930s and gradually unfolded in the present.  A mysterious lot, a forgotten bank account, a people long gone along with their memory which were obliterated during the Holocaust.  All of these rise to the surface, bearing with them memories and emotions previously hidden away in the shoebox.  Out of the Shoebox is a fascinating journal that reads like a detective story, comes across as an imaginative quest into the past, yet is the true personal story of the writer, Yaron Reshef.

My Rating: 

I don’t typically read memoir-type books, but it caught my attention over at the Kindle for Genealogy group page on Facebook.  After reading the comments there and then reading reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I decided to take a chance.  I’m glad I did.

While Out of the Shoebox is promoted as an “autobiographic mystery,” I don’t know that I totally agree with that statement.  Yes, there is a mystery element, but that is covered and resolved within the first half of the book.  I’ll admit, it was fun to ride along with the author as he chased down the past to solve the mystery, but I believe what makes the book is what that search did to motivate the author to pursue and share the story of his family and the Holocaust.  This revelation is what makes up the last half of the book, which was riveting.

I won’t say much else about the book itself, as it needs to be read and experienced by the reader.  What I will tell you is that Reshef is a fantastic writer and I was hooked all the way through the book, even though the subject of the Holocaust is not something I know much about, aside from the basics.  This book actually opened my eyes to world I know little about and I found myself thinking, as I turned the digital pages, “I really ought to learn more about this time in history.”  The author shares many details of his family’s suffering during the Holocaust, including entries from his aunt’s journal (grab some tissues).  Unfortunately, we are only taught the basics in school, and I was saddened to learn the harsh reality that is often kept from us as young students.  That being said, after reading Out of the Shoebox, I now feel that I need to explore this subject more to really understand what happened during that dark time.  I think my first stop should be The Diary of Anne Frank (yes, I admit, I’ve never read it), but any other suggestions for reading materials would be greatly appreciated…leave a comment!!

I’d recommend this book for history buffs, especially those with an interest in studying the Holocaust.  I think that genealogists and family historians would enjoy the book as well.  But truthfully, it’s a book that everyone should pick up and experience; we are all affected by this dark veil of the past, whether directly or indirectly.

Purchase Out of the Shoebox on Amazon: paperback or Kindle (free for Unlimited subscribers).