"A Flower Grows" recommended by Holocaust Historian Dr. Michael Berenbaum

CARTHAGE, N.C. - June 9, 2019 - PRLog -- Dr. Michael Berenbaum (scholar, author, historian, holocaust expert, film and museum professional) whose wife is Melissa Patack Berenbaum, Vice President and General Manager of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), reviewed  "A Flower Grows" novel and screenplay and states,

"This a novel about the grey zone, the world of the in between where a young Serbian Jewish couple, their entire family and guests, are taken from the synagogue celebration on their wedding day, before consummation of their marriage, and shipped to a slave labor camp in former Yugoslavia. One of the bride's captors, a German officer from the educated class, spots the beautiful Jewish woman and has her brought to his home where he beds her and, over time, falls in love with her. The bride, mindful of her situation, compromised as it is, uses it to protect her family who turn a blind eye to the relationship and/or tacitly consent to it to save themselves and her from almost certain death.

"The bride is an innocent victim, at least at the beginning, taken from the bridal canopy to a concentration camp. Ambitious, tempestuous, competitive, but still sexually innocent, she struggles as all struggled to go from a home of middle-class privilege to a concentration camp. The attraction between the officer and the bride is mutual. Did she invite it? What is the moment of consent? What is her allegiance to her groom? What are her feelings of betrayal? The writers don't judge, they explore; they raise questions even without resolving them. The post-war ending, which I will not describe for fear of giving away the ending, is ambiguous. Part of the power of this work is that the questions are deepened, the answers harder to find. Such is the truth of what they describe, in fact. Very few survivors could be so candid of their past. It would be too painful, too dangerous. There are plot flaws, minor nuisances—less in the concentration camp than in the world before - the circumstances are accurate and their insights quite on the mark. And their readers are left to contemplate not merely a story but the heart of the grey zone to sort out the good and the bad, not an easy task indeed."

The authors: actor, screenwriter, John Loretto and publisher, screenwriter, Carolyn Kay Doswell  extended their sincere appreciate to Dr. Michael Berenbaum's and his distinguished review of, "A Flower Grows," which is currently available in pre-release with an imminent release summer of 2019 through Moondust Media an imprint of DonnaInk Publications, L.L.C. (https://www.donnaink.com) for the greatest discounts.

The title is also being made available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine book distributors and/or retailers. The screenplay is available through Judith Moose and/or Eric Canton of Hollywood California.

_________________

About Dr. Michael Berenbaum:

Dr. Michael Berenbaum is an American scholar, professor, rabbi, writer, and filmmaker, who specializes in the study of the Holocaust. He served as Deputy Director of the President's Commission on the Holocaust (1979–1980), Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) (1988–1993), and Director of the USHMM's Holocaust Research Institute (1993–1997). Berenbaum also played a leading role in the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum (HSHMM) and the content of its permanent exhibition. From 1997 to 1999, he served as President and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, and subsequently (and currently) as Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, located at the American Jewish University (formerly known as the University of Judaism), in Los Angeles, CA. His wife, Melissa Patack Berenbaum, is the Vice President and General Manager of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), California Group, and president of the California chapter of the MPAA. Berenbaum is the father of four children: Rabbi Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat, Phillip Lev Berenbaum, Joshua Boaz Berenbaum, and Mira Leza Berenbaum.
_________________

About the Authors:

John Loretto was born in Washington Heights New York City and grew up in New Jersey where he began his acting and writing career.

Carolyn Kay Doswell is the owner of EBD Publishing ASCAP and is a writing partner in Panther Sight Productions.

_________________


Bulk and/or Vendor Purchase Orders:
Fact and Sell Sheets are available upon request.
Purchase Orders are accepted via email.
Standard book industry bulk rate reductions apply.