#alternate alternate alternate alternate [view-mobile-icon.png] View mobile site January 13, 2016 Huffpost Books Edition: U.S. (BUTTON) Show/Hide + عربي (Arabic) AR + Australia AU + Brasil BR + Canada CA + Deutschland DE + España ES + France FR + Ελλάδα (Greece) GR + India IN + Italia IT + 日本 (Japan) JP + 한국 (Korea) KR + Maghreb MG + United Kingdom UK + United States US * * Follow * Newsletters Get BooksNewsletters Email address ____________________ [ ] Enter Email Address Go * * iOS app * Android app * More * Desktop Alerts * Log in * Create Account $USERNAME + Desktop Notifications + Profile + Settings + Logout * FRONT PAGE * Politics o Donald Trump Endures Most Painful Insult Yet On The Campaign Trail 20 o GOP Rep. 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What Does The Fox Say, And Why Is It Different In Every Language? * Image for YA Books Are For Everyone YA Books Are For Everyone * Image for Emma Watson Asked Fans To Name Her Feminist Book Club And They Nailed It Emma Watson Asked Fans To Name Her Feminist Book Club And They Nailed It * Image for A Hilarious Look At The Surprisingly Diverse World Of Black Cats A Hilarious Look At The Surprisingly Diverse World Of Black Cats * Image for 12 Intimate Photos Of Young Love Around The World 12 Intimate Photos Of Young Love Around The World * Image for HBO Announces Plans For The Future Of 'Game Of Thrones' HBO Announces Plans For The Future Of 'Game Of Thrones' (BUTTON) Previous Story (BUTTON) Next Story THE BLOG Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Hot on the Blog * David Stockman * Peter Salovey * Robert Reich * Shannon Watts Barbara Stark-Nemon Headshot Barbara Stark-Nemon Become a fan Writer of historical and flash fiction, author of 'Even in Darkness: A Novel' * (BUTTON) Email * * Refugee Fever Dreams Posted: 10/13/2015 9:15 pm EDT Updated: 10/13/2015 9:59 pm EDT + + Share + Tweet + + Email + Comment + Share on Google+ + tumblr + stumble + reddit Print A very thoughtful reader left me a message in the discussion section of my author page on Amazon recently, asking me about the resilience that Kläre, the main character in my novel, Even in Darkness, demonstrated. Since the book is based on a real family story, the reader wanted to know about the people or experiences that informed Kläre's character and allowed her to develop that life skill. As I was trying to write to the reader that within the boundaries of their society and times, Kläre's family fostered independence, education, and the ability to get on in the world for Klare and all her siblings, I was distracted by the terrible images of a drowned refugee child, and the thudding drumbeat of news about the flood of Syrian refugees trying to escape to Europe and of course, to the U.S. The 10 years I devoted to learning about my character, Kläre through her real-life counterpart's letters, photos, documents, and my research into the history of her times are once again keeping me up at night. At the crux of her story, and therefore my novel, is the fact that Kläre became trapped in Nazi Germany with her family. Her brother's, and both her sisters' families became refugees to the U.S. and to Belgium, and her children were sent out on kinder transports to England and Palestine. She couldn't leave -- couldn't get the necessary visas and affidavits to emigrate, because of her aged and infirm mother and husband. She was lucky enough, and resourceful enough, and strong enough to survive the Holocaust, despite the horror of her losses, but I've often wondered what would have become of Kläre if she'd gotten out like the rest of her family, (my family,) did. How would her narrative have changed if she hadn't lost all those she fought to save? What if, the borders of the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, or any number of places had been open to a vibrant and resilient woman with a disabled husband, and an aging mother whose only "crime" was their religion? What then? Her strength and resilience would likely have emerged differently, and I'd have had a very different novel to write, but what would it have taken to convince the world that her desperation, and that of literally millions of others deserved their attention and intervention. Never again, we all proclaim solemnly, in our commemorations and remembrances, but here we are again, images of refugees fleeing persecution from Syria, and Africa, and elsewhere, plastered on our screens. I feel Kläre's steady gaze, through her over large eyeglasses, asking me why I'm celebrating resilience rather than rooting out the same type of horror that brought her resilience to such a deep and resonant test. What can each of us bring to make the change that will be needed to transform the fear and loathing of the "other" to acceptance, respect and tolerance? "Humanity, I think, is located in our will to resist evil," says actor Geza Rohrig, star of the film Son of Saul in a recent Fresh Air interview. Notice. Act. Where is our resistance? Why not give humanity a better story to tell? 2015-10-13-1444765134-5591803-P1060778.jpg Follow Barbara Stark-Nemon on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bstarknemon More: Resilience Refugees Syrian Refugees Even in Darkness Genocide Son of Saul Geza Rohrig This Blogger's Books and Other Items from... Amazon indiebound Even in Darkness: A Novel Even in Darkness: A Novel by Barbara Stark-Nemon Click here to view Conversations Conversations Suggested For You FOLLOW HUFFPOST * (BUTTON) Email Email Address Email Address_______ [ ] Sign me up! Please check the checkbox to indicate your consent Options [X] The Morning Email [X] Culture Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. 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