Fern Schumer Chapman

Fern Schumer Chapman is a journalist and author best known for her autobiographical book '' Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust - A Mother-Daughter Journey to Reclaim the Past''. Her second book, ''Is It Night or Day?'', was released in 2010. She is also the author of a blog
Half-life: A blog about immigration, loss and legacy

Biography

Fern Schumer Chapman is a former reporter for the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''Forbes'' magazine. Her work also has appeared in ''The Washington Post'', '' U.S. News & World Report'', ''Fortune'', and ''The Wall Street Journal''. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Chapman has taught writing seminars at Northwestern University. She is the mother of three children.

''Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust - A Mother-Daughter Journey to Reclaim the Past''

The book is a non-fiction account that follows a young mother's pilgrimage into her family's history. Author Chapman uneasily accompanies her mother, Edith, a Holocaust escapee, on a baffling visit to the German village her mother left at the age of 12. Edith, the youngest member of the town's only Jewish family, was sent alone and terrified to America to escape the Nazis in 1938. Nearly half a century later, mother and daughter return to the village and gradually realize that no one has escaped the shame, guilt and lingering scars of the war. The book is used in middle school, high school and college classrooms, offering young people an opportunity to explore issues of fairness, identity and social justice.

''Is It Night or Day?''

Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Chapman's second book was released in 2010. ''Is It Night or Day?'' captures Edith's immigration experience to America. Edith (the author's mother) was part of a small, little-known American rescue operation that saved about 1,000 children from the Nazis. Edith came to this country without her parents when she was only 12 years old.

Award and honors

Accolades for ''Is It Night or Day?''

:* Junior Library Guild selection, 2010
:* Booklist's Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth list, 2010
:* YALSA Best Fiction, 2010 nominee
:* Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, 2010
:* Sydney Taylor Notable Book for older readers, 2011

Accolades for ''Motherland''

:* Illinois Author of the Year, 2004 (Illinois Association of Teachers of English Award)
:* Selection for Read for a Lifetime, 2008 Booklist
:* Selection for one book/one community for “Quad Cities Reads” and “Racine Reads”
:* Film rights optioned
:* Finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards
:* Featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (watch intervie
here

:* Named a “Discover New Great Writers” title by Barnes & Noble
:* German and Dutch editions available

References

External links

:
Official author website
:
Half-life: A blog about immigration, loss and legacy
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:
MakeItBetter.net article 'The Holocaust and Motherhood: Author Fern Schumer Chapman on Her New Book and Writing About Her Mom'

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Fern Schumer
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male journalists
American male non-fiction writers
Jewish American journalists
Jewish American non-fiction writers
Medill School of Journalism alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni