The Globe and Mail’s Western Arts Correspondent Marsha Lederman discusses her new memoir Kiss The Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed (McClelland & Stewart, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed by Marsha Lederman (McClelland & Stewart, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Kiss the Red Stairs

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more important books of the year is the memoir by Marsha Lederman, Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed. The book follows the last few years in Marsha’s life, she contends with moving to Vancouver for her job, writing for a national newspaper, getting married, and giving birth to a son. Then in the wake of a divorce, compounded with what’s going on politically in the United States and elsewhere, like the rise of antisemitism, Ms. Lederman, who joins me now, is drawn to her parents, both of whom have died. She needs their help, and she connects with them through family still living, like her two sisters, as well as a diary her father kept, and interviews that her mother gave. Marsha reads all she can about the Holocaust, as she comes to the realisation that her story is very much their story, that the effect of intergenerational trauma has shaped her own life. There’s a lot in this book that’s harrowing like when the author recounts the horrifying journey her parents suffered during the Holocaust. There’s a lot in the book that’s also amazing, as the author recounts their stories, her story, through the help of lore passed down through other family members. There’s beautiful writing, as well as humour, and resilience throughout. Marsha Lederman is the Western Arts Correspondent for the Globe and Mail. She worked in commercial radio as a reporter, newscaster, and host, as well was National Arts Reporter for CBC Radio. Her Twitter handle is @marshalederman. This book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marsha Lederman; Ms. Lederman, good morning.

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