From the Nominator

When former Wake Forest University Provost Rogan Kersh described to our editor a book underway by two German professors, two history professors, and a student majoring in German, the narrative challenges and academic and historical research possibilities fascinated Managing Editor Carol L. Hanner. A local Jewish family had wanted to know what made their German-born father/grandfather, Curt Baum, cry and refuse to talk when they asked him about the letters he kept in a trunk. The letters to Curt Baum came from family, mostly his Jewish parents, who sent their 16-year-old son to the United States in 1937 to keep their only child safe from Hitler. But the letters' old German script proved unreadable even for most modern Germans. The German professors and their brilliant student transcribed and translated what turned out to be heartbreaking letters, displaying the physical and emotional damage inflicted by the Nazis on one family continents apart. The letters chronicled the descent of Curt's father into desperation and blame as the Holocaust unfolds, while his son struggled in an unfamiliar—and often harsh—American culture. With no letters by Curt, the history professors researched his life and added historical context. The result is new insights into the less-told stories of the Holocaust's Jewish diaspora. The professors' collaboration and intense work with a student showed the best of Wake Forest's liberal arts education, and their book gives a model for students, professors, and families everywhere to research Jewish immigrant experiences.

From the Judges

An example of covering a difficult topic well, and one potentially diffcult for some of its readers. Strong demonstration of valued work by a university and its faculty. Very thorough and interesting.