{"product_id":"the-mascot-unraveling-the-mystery-of-my-jewish-fathers-nazi-boyhood","title":"The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood","description":"Product Description\n\n\nOne man’s struggle with memory and prejudice on the way to recovering his past\n\n Mark Kurzem was happily ensconced in his academic life at Oxford when his father, Alex, showed up on his doorstep with a terrible secret to tell. When a Nazi death squad raided his village at the outset of World War II, Jewish five-year-old Alex Kurzem escaped. After surviving the Russian winter by foraging for food and stealing clothes off dead soldiers, he was discovered by a Nazi-led Latvian police brigade that later became an SS unit. Not knowing he was Jewish, they made him their mascot, dressing the little “corporal” in uniform and toting him from massacre to massacre. Terrified, the resourceful Alex charmed the highest echelons of the Latvian Third Reich, eventually starring in a Nazi propaganda film. When the war ended he was sent to Australia with a family of Latvian refugees.\n\n Fearful of being discovered—as either a Jew or a Nazi—Alex kept the secret of his childhood, even from his loving wife and children. But he grew increasingly tormented and became determined to uncover his Jewish roots and the story of his past. Shunned by a local Holocaust organization, he reached out to his son Mark for help in reclaiming his identity. A survival story, a grim fairy-tale, and a psychological drama, this remarkable memoir asks provocative questions about identity, complicity, and forgiveness.\n\n\nReview\n\n\n\"Part mystery, part memory puzzle, it is written in the polished style of a good thriller, and it is spellbinding.\"\n —Dinitia Smith,\nThe New York Times\n\n\nAbout the Author\n\n\nMark Kurzem studied at Melbourne, Tokyo, and Oxford universities. He served as international relations adviser to the mayor of Osaka in Japan. This is his first book.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: B001CJS6FE\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.B001CJS6FE.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Kurzem, Mark\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43366667059261,"sku":"BVV.B001CJS6FE.G","price":74.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/B001CJS6FE-0.jpg?v=1784416388","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-mascot-unraveling-the-mystery-of-my-jewish-fathers-nazi-boyhood","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}