A high school production of The Diary of Anne Frank prompted Steven E. Mayer to ask his father about his experience during World War II. The reaction he got was the catalyst for further investigation into his own father's history that would eventually become the historical biography My Father Against the Nazis.
"He lost too much. He lost everything," says Mayer about his father's life regarding World War II. "I knew there was a story to be told." One morning at breakfast, after having portrayed the father of Anne Frank on stage, the high-school-aged Mayer asked his own father about the war. Details of his parents' struggles and journey came to light slowly thereafter.
Despite the increase in discrimination toward the Jewish population in Germany, Mayer's parents stuck it out, hoping for the best. Mayer's father had just passed the bar exam and was preparing for a life in law, so there were investments and reasons to stay. It was not until Krystallnacht (a night of broken glass and violence) that they decided to leave for England and eventually the United States. "I don't know anyone who stayed longer than my parents did," says Mayer. "The pain and difficulty of leaving everything behind... they took his future."
My Father Against the Nazis can be found readily online. Mayer will also be in Duluth on Saturday, August 22nd from 12-2pm at The Bookstore at Fitger's for a signing and presentation.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
