Feb 02, 2010 16:10
Schlepping Through the Alps: My search for Austria's Jewish Past with it's Last Wandering Shepherd by Sam Apple is a really good book. It's a non-fiction account of a NYC Jew trying to figure out why this guy, Hans, goes around giving concerts where he sings Yiddish songs and shows slides of sheep- or why he's a shephard in the first place. I laughed out loud as the author, Sam, tries to fit in with the sheep and Hans' family, but got really pissed as Sam uncovers the constant denial of Austria's Nazi past (and present!)
"Death, I thought. Everywhere I turned there was death. The scythes, the dog attacking the sheep, my hypochondria, and, of course, the real death, the Holocaust. I felt especially ashamed that my obsession with the murder of Europe's Jews could coincide with my hypochondria. The seriousness of my thoughts about the Holocaust should have shocked me into a state of gratitude for my health and reletively comfortable life. But then, my neuroses are not easily overwhelmed. If there is one thing in this world I would not bet against, it's the ability of my deepest feats to withstand an onslaught of perspective."
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