A narrative of cultural translation, identity, and belonging. The thrill of a new place fades quickly for Caroline Topperman when she moves from Vancouver to Poland in 2013. As she delves into her family's history, tracing their migration through pre-WWII Poland, Afghanistan, Soviet Russia and beyond, she discovers the layers of their complex experiences mirror some of what she felt as she adapted to life in a new country. How does one balance honoring both one's origins and new surroundings? Your Roots Cast a Shadow explores where personal history intersects with global events to shape a family's identity. From the bustling markets of Baghdad to the quiet streets of Stockholm, Topperman navigates the murky waters of history as she toggles between present and past, investigating the relationship between migration, politics, identity, and home. Her family stories bring history into the present as her paternal grandmother becomes the first woman allowed to buy groceries at her local Afghan market while her husband is tasked with building the road from Kabul to Jalalabad. Topperman's Jewish grandfather, a rising star in the Communist Party, flees Poland at the start of WWII one step ahead of the Nazis, returning later only to be rejected by the Party for his Jewish faith. Topperman herself struggles with new cultural expectations and reconciling with estranged relatives. A study in social acceptance, Topperman contends with what one can learn about an adopted culture while trying to retain the familiar, the challenges of learning new languages and traditions even as she examines the responsibilities of migrants to their new culture, as well as that society's responsibility to them.
eBook - ePub
Your Roots Cast a Shadow
One Family's Search across History for Belonging
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Family Tree
- Chapter 1: Are We Really Doing This? Our Move to Poland
- Chapter 2: How Half of It Began, the Maternal Side: My Babcia Paula
- Chapter 3: Assimilation (or Not) by Way of Food
- Chapter 4: The Other Half: My Maternal Side, My Dziadzio Fryderyk’s Story
- Chapter 5: Choinki and Menorahs: A Clash of Holidays in Warsaw
- Chapter 6: In Search of Me: Our First Year in Poland
- Chapter 7: The Paternal Side, My Father: Wojtek’s Story
- Chapter 8: My First Time in Poland: My Father Introduces Me to His Roots
- Chapter 9: Moving and Adapting: Unpacking the Hard Part
- Chapter 10: My Mother: Marysia’s Story
- Chapter 11: A Tale of Two Grandfathers, and the Weight of Politics
- Chapter 12: Finding Myself: As Warsaw Becomes Home
- Chapter 13: Marysia, Meet Wojtek: A ’60s Love Story
- Chapter 14: On Family and Exile: Our Three Uncles
- Chapter 15: Race and Religion: Racism and Acceptance
- Chapter 16: Paula and Fryderyk: Second Immigration
- Chapter 17: Nine Nails for a Coffin: My Parents Are Forced to Make Hard Choices
- Chapter 18: Family Escapes Around the World
- Chapter 19: My Parents’ New Beginnings
- Chapter 20: Roads, Maps, and Grandparents: The Family Travels Around Europe
- Chapter 21: Six Months to a Cup of Coffee: My First Friend in Poland
- Chapter 22: Another Shift in Family Dynamics
- Chapter 23: Home Is Where the Compass Lands
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Your Roots Cast a Shadow by Caroline Topperman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Social Science Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.