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The Mascot

Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father’s Nazi Boyhood

Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father’s Nazi Boyhood

By Mark Kurzem

By Mark Kurzem

By Mark Kurzem

By Mark Kurzem

Best Seller
Paperback $16.00

Aug 26, 2008 | ISBN 9780452289949

Ebook $7.99

Nov 01, 2007 | ISBN 9781101213865

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    The Mascot by Mark Kurzem
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    About The Mascot

    The “spellbinding” (The New York Times) true story of a Jewish boy who became the darling of the Nazis

    When a Nazi death squad massacred his mother and fellow villagers, five-year-old Alex Kurzem escaped, hiding in the freezing Russian forest until he was picked up by a group of Latvian SS soldiers. Alex was able to hide his Jewish identity and win over the soldiers, becoming their mascot and an honorary “corporal” in the SS with his own uniform. But what began as a desperate bid for survival became a performance that delighted the highest ranks of the Nazi elite. And so a young Jewish boy ended up starring in a Nazi propaganda film.

    After sixty-three years of silence, Alex revealed his terrible secret to his son Mark. With his son’s help, Alex retraced his past in search of answers and vindication. His story is at once a terrifying account of survival and its psychological cost as well as a brutally honest examination of identity, complicity, and memory.

    About The Mascot

    The “spellbinding” (The New York Times) true story of a Jewish boy who became the darling of the Nazis

    When a Nazi death squad massacred his mother and fellow villagers, five-year-old Alex Kurzem escaped, hiding in the freezing Russian forest until he was picked up by a group of Latvian SS soldiers. Alex was able to hide his Jewish identity and win over the soldiers, becoming their mascot and an honorary “corporal” in the SS with his own uniform. But what began as a desperate bid for survival became a performance that delighted the highest ranks of the Nazi elite. And so a young Jewish boy ended up starring in a Nazi propaganda film.

    After sixty-three years of silence, Alex revealed his terrible secret to his son Mark. With his son’s help, Alex retraced his past in search of answers and vindication. His story is at once a terrifying account of survival and its psychological cost as well as a brutally honest examination of identity, complicity, and memory.

    Reading Guide

    Reading Guide

    About Mark Kurzem

    Mark Kurzem grew up in Melbourne, Australia. He studied anthropology at the University of Oxford, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar, and also studied at Melbourne, Jochi, and Tokyo universities, where he was a Monbusho Research Scholar. He worked in the… More about Mark Kurzem

    About Mark Kurzem

    Mark Kurzem grew up in Melbourne, Australia. He studied anthropology at the University of Oxford, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar, and also studied at Melbourne, Jochi, and Tokyo universities, where he was a Monbusho Research Scholar. He worked in the… More about Mark Kurzem

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir | European World History

    Paperback | $16.00
    Published by Plume
    Aug 26, 2008 | 432 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | ISBN 9780452289949

    Category: Biography & Memoir | European World History

    Ebook | $7.99
    Published by Plume
    Nov 01, 2007 | 432 Pages | ISBN 9781101213865

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    Praise

    “Part mystery, part memory puzzle, it is written in the polished style of a good thriller, and it is spellbinding…. This is a book to keep you up at night.”—Dinitia Smith, New York Times
     
    “Astonishing.”—Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller
     
    “Powerful.”—Olga Craig, The Sunday Telegraph (LONDON)

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