Bending Toward the Sun: A Mother and Daughter Memoir
Leslie Gilbert-Lurie · Rita Lurie
Aug 2009 · Harper Collins
4.7star
7 reviewsreport
Ebook
370
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
This joint memoir details one mother’s childhood struggle to escape the Holocaust and the effect it has on her daughter.
“A memoir that takes us through many worlds, through heartache and noble hopes, through the mysteries of family love . . . Read Bending Toward the Sun and enrich your life.”—Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters
A miraculous lesson in courage and recovery, Bending Toward the Sun tells the story of a unique family bond forged in the wake of brutal terror.
Rita Lurie was five years old when she was forced to flee her home in Poland to hide from the Nazis in a cramped, dark attic with fourteen members of her family. Young Rita watched her younger brother and her mother die before er eyes. But the tragedy of the Holocaust was only the beginning of Rita’s story.
Decades later, Rita’s daughter Leslie began probing the traumatic events of her mother’s childhood to discover how Rita’s pain has affected not only Leslie’s life and outlook but that of her own daughter, Mikaela, as well. The result is Bending Toward the Sun, a collaboration between mother and daughter that brings together the stories of three generations of a family to understand the legacy that unites, inspires, and haunts them all.
“[An] affecting memoir. . . . Vivid. . . . Riveting. . . . An amazing story of wartime survival.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A memoir that takes us through many worlds, through heartache and noble hopes, through the mysteries of family love . . . Read Bending Toward the Sun and enrich your life.”—Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters
A miraculous lesson in courage and recovery, Bending Toward the Sun tells the story of a unique family bond forged in the wake of brutal terror.
Rita Lurie was five years old when she was forced to flee her home in Poland to hide from the Nazis in a cramped, dark attic with fourteen members of her family. Young Rita watched her younger brother and her mother die before er eyes. But the tragedy of the Holocaust was only the beginning of Rita’s story.
Decades later, Rita’s daughter Leslie began probing the traumatic events of her mother’s childhood to discover how Rita’s pain has affected not only Leslie’s life and outlook but that of her own daughter, Mikaela, as well. The result is Bending Toward the Sun, a collaboration between mother and daughter that brings together the stories of three generations of a family to understand the legacy that unites, inspires, and haunts them all.
“[An] affecting memoir. . . . Vivid. . . . Riveting. . . . An amazing story of wartime survival.”—Kirkus Reviews
Ratings and reviews
4.7
7 reviews
Ellen Rinde
- Flag inappropriate
August 2, 2016
I was very interested in the impact of the Holocaust on successive generations, as told by one family. A moving story and a powerful lesson on the ongoing impact of violence and intolerance.
Susan Lester
- Flag inappropriate
January 29, 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your families story. Much Love ❤️
About the author
A writer, lawyer, and former executive at NBC, Leslie Gilbert-Lurie is a member and former president of the Los Angeles County Board of Education and a teacher of Holocaust studies. A founding board member and past president of the nonprofit Alliance for Children's Rights, she has worked at a major Los Angeles law firm, served as a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals law clerk, and is a member of the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations, including the Los Angeles Music Center. Recently Leslie was appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles to a panel to devise a new cultural plan for the city. She is a recipient of the American Jewish Congress's Tzedek Award for Outstanding Commitment to Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and Justice, and the Alliance for Children's Rights Child Advocate of the Year Award. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, two children, and stepson.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
