The Survivors

A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing

By: Adam Frankel

Narrated by: Adam Frankel, Rob Shapiro

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A memoir of family, the Holocaust, trauma, and identity, in which Adam Frankel, a former Obama speechwriter, must come to terms with the legacy of his family’s painful past and discover who he is in the wake of a life-changing revelation about his own origins.

"The Survivors is an astonishingly beautiful and profoundly moving book. Frankel’s haunting search to unravel the mysteries of his family is so compelling that it reads like a fine novel." (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

Adam Frankel’s maternal grandparents survived the Holocaust and built new lives, with new names, in Connecticut. Though they tried to leave the horrors of their past behind, the pain they suffered crossed generational lines - a fact most apparent in the mental health of Adam’s mother. When Adam sat down with her to examine their family history in detail, he learned another shocking secret, this time one that unraveled Adam’s entire understanding of who he is.

In the midst of piecing together a story of inherited familial trauma, Adam discovered he was only half of who he thought he was, knowledge that raised essential questions of identity. Who was he, if not his father’s son? If not part of a rich heritage of writers and public servants? Does it matter? What defines a family’s bonds? What will he pass on to his own children? To rewrite his story in truth and to build a life for his own young family, Adam had to navigate his pain to find answers and a way forward.

Throughout this journey into the past, his family’s psyche, and his own understanding of identity, Adam comes to realize that while the nature of our families’ traumas may vary, each of us is faced with the same choice. We can turn away from what we’ve inherited - or, we can confront it, in the hopes of moving on and stopping that trauma from inflicting pain on future generations. The stories Adam shares with us in The Survivors are about the ways the past can haunt our future, the resilience that can be found on the other side of trauma, and the good that can come from things that are unspeakably bad.

©2019 Adam Frankel (P)2019 HarperAudio

Gripping story of betrayal and forgiveness

I started listening to this audiobook not knowing what to expect. Through one gripping narrative after another, Adam Frankel tells a story about mental illness, betrayal, forgiveness and healing.

Thought provoking and addictive.

I found this book to be highly addictive and mesmerizing. Whileiatwning to the audio version I found myself just sitting in my car listening and hanging onto every word.

Amazing story

I enjoyed The Survivors and highly recommend the book to everyone. I can’t stop thinking of the families plight from WWII to the current day. Truly remarkable !

Great compassionate story

Interesting for history, self awareness, and great for those of us who have struggled to take care of ourselves in the context of family challenges. Love the way Adam told the story. Inspiring. I preferred his voice to the narrator because it felt more authentic. I do not always prefer the aurhor's voice, but in this case yes.

GREAT STORY. SAD BUT GREAT

This author's story is the most inspirational book i have listened to yet. I hope the rest of his life is the best of his life.

Compelling and profound

An excellent book. I enjoyed every single chapter! Narrator was especially perfect for the role too.

Heartwarming and messy just like life!

I was able to identify with the character’s and the reality of Trauma that is passed down through the generations as we navigate loving our family but breaking the legacy of chaos for ourselves and future generations. Forgiveness for subjecting us to their pain all our lives is a lifelong struggle.
Borderline Personality Disorder is a complicated situation and this hit the nail on the head. Thank you for telling your story in order to help others better understand their own.

Powerful & Meaningful

In these pages a beautiful and at times haunting depiction of the joys and darknesses of close families, set in the moving timeline of a remarkable family history.

There are easily a dozen tear jerking scenes, but the book is never boring, and never slow. I read through it in just a few days.

It’s worth a read if you have loved someone with mental illness, or have been through trauma yourself. Even if neither is the case for you, it’s a beautiful story worth your time.

I couldn't stop reading!

This book is a biblical drama, betrayed, suffering, faith, love and redemption. It mastered the different traditions and the drama just beautifully. It was a true pleasure to read this book.

An Important Book

I pursued a degree in psychology and ultimately a PHD in counseling psychology because I sensed something was “off” with my family. Reading some of the literature provided much needed context in what was to be come a life long struggle of separating my emotional reactions from my family’s traumatic past. Somehow reading this book, a beautiful and rich story, found on the front page of Audible and not an old library book written by one PhD to another, made it more “real” and validating. The book is engaging, well written, and well researched. The author is not afraid to be vulnerable, and given what they have been through, it is a lot to ask for. Definitely something to pass of to my daughter to give her context for our family and why we interact with each other and the world the way we do.