{"product_id":"the-matryoshka-memoirs-a-story-of-ukrainian-forced-labour-the-leica-camera-factory-and-nazi-resistance-paperback","title":"The Matryoshka Memoirs: A Story of Ukrainian Forced Labour, the Leica Camera Factory, and Nazi Resistance - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSasha Colby\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"[Colby] breathes new life into well-trodden WWII tropes, building a vivid, novelistic narrative focused on memory and family.\" -- \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"The writing is vivid and lyrical, the narratives are arresting, and the women are unforgettable.\" -- Craig Howes, Director, Center for Biographical Research, University of Hawai?i at Manoa\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eA remarkable story of strength and resilience in the crucible of Nazi Germany\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIrina Nikifortchuk was 19 years old and a Ukrainian schoolteacher when she was abducted to be a forced laborer in the Leica camera factory in Nazi Germany. Eventually pulled from the camp hospital to work as a domestic in the Leica owners' household, Irina survived the war and eventually found her way to Canada.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDecades later Sasha Colby, Irina's granddaughter, seeks out her grandmother's story over a series of summer visits and gradually begins to interweave the as-told-to story with historical research. As she delves deeper into the history of the Leica factory and World War II forced labor, she discovers the parallel story of Elsie K?n-Leitz, Irina's rescuer and the factory heiress, later imprisoned and interrogated by the Gestapo on charges of \"excessive humanity.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is creative nonfiction at its best as the mystery of Irina's life unspools skillfully and arrestingly. Despite the horrors that the story must tell, it is full of life, humor, food, and the joy of ordinary safety in Canada. \u003ci\u003eThe Matryoshka Memoirs\u003c\/i\u003e takes us into a forgotten corner of history, weaving a rich and satisfying tapestry of survival and family ties and asking what we owe those who aid us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eSasha Colby\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer, literary historian, performance artist, and director of Simon Fraser University's Graduate Liberal Studies program. She lives in Vancouver, BC.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 248\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.59 x 8.48 x 5.59 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 12, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51764860518688,"sku":"9781770417359","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/907861ef21ea40f0bd4e8f93e165608c.webp?v=1780256717","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-matryoshka-memoirs-a-story-of-ukrainian-forced-labour-the-leica-camera-factory-and-nazi-resistance-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}