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The Book of Dirt

By Bram Presser
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3.93 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 388 ratings, 85 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Book of Dirt by Bram Presser is a poignant exploration of love, memory, and survival. It intertwines the past and present, tracing the lives of Jewish family members through harrowing events of the Holocaust and into the complexities of their legacy. The narrative unfolds as a touching testament to discovering forgotten stories and reclaiming history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by stories that interweave history with personal narrative. It offers a poignant exploration of family lore, uncovering hidden truths and bridging the gap between past and present through a deeply moving and imaginative tale.

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An extraordinary and absorbing novelisation of one family’s tale of Holocaust survival and a grandson’s unrelenting dedication to ensuring his ancestor’s stories will never be forgotten, is now available in a smaller competitively priced format.

An extraordinary and absorbing novelisation of one family's tale of Holocaust survival and a grandson's unrelenting dedication to ensuring his ancestor's stories will never be forgotten, is now available in a smaller competitively priced format.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

They chose not to speak and now they are gone… What’s left to fill the silence is no longer theirs. This is my story, woven from the threads of rumour and legend.

Jakub Rand flees his village for Prague, only to find himself trapped by the Nazi occupation. Deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, he is forced to sort through Jewish books for a so-called Museum of the Extinct Race. Hidden among the rare texts is a tattered prayer book, hollow inside, containing a small pile of dirt.

Back in the city, Františka Roubíčková picks over the embers of her failed marriage, despairing of her conversion to Judaism. When the Nazis summon her two eldest daughters for transport, she must sacrifice everything to save the girls from certain death.

Decades later, Bram Presser embarks on a quest to find the truth behind the stories his family built around these remarkable survivors.

The Book of Dirt is a completely original novel about love, family secrets, and Jewish myths. And it is a heart-warming story about a grandson’s devotion to the power of storytelling and his family’s legacy.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Book of Dirt by Bram Presser is widely praised for its captivating and evocative storytelling, blending fiction and non-fiction to explore themes of survival, memory, and love. Reviewers commend its lyrical prose and its ability to illuminate historical truths while maintaining a tender, personal narrative about family history. The novel is seen as a profound meditation on storytelling ethics, offering a rich cultural and historical context that resonates deeply with contemporary themes.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922268259

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 June 2019

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 320

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Biography & Memoir Bram Presser Fiction General Fiction History & Archaeology History & Military In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction Military History New Release Fiction Penguin Books Royalty & Religion Biographies

About the Author

Bram Presser was born in Melbourne in 1976. His stories have appeared in Best Australian Stories, Award Winning Australian Writing, The Sleepers Almanac and Higher Arc. His 2017 debut novel, The Book of Dirt, won the 2018 Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction in the US National Jewish Book Awards, the 2018 Voss Literary Prize and three awards in the 2018 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards: the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing and The People’s Choice Award.

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