New Holocaust Memoir for Young Adults

NEW YORK, NY, February 17, 2013 (Press-News.org) A new Holocaust memoir targeted at young-adult readers offers a novel approach to keeping the memory of the genocidal concentration camps alive for generations to come. The book, "Survivor's Game" by David Karmi, is being called "eminently readable and largely remarkable" by Kirkus Reviews.

A contributor to Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, a Holocaust survivor, and a New York businessman, Mr. Karmi is among those concerned this terrible chapter in human history may fade away when his generation is gone.

"If we want the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust to be carried on," says Mr. Karmi, "we need to reach future generations."

By chance he heard the fastest-growing publishing markets were middle-grade and young-adult readers, a tech-savvy group also into the e-book trend.

With a true story to tell--one every bit as dramatic as the most-popular kid's fiction--it occurred to Mr. Karmi that he could both write a terrific YA book and successfully keep the memory of the Holocaust very much alive.

He discussed it with his son, Glenn, who then, as a birthday gift for his father, hired Arbor Books to guide the project.

The result is "Survivor's Game," which reads every bit like a thriller. The book primarily focuses on Mr. Karmi's teen years, a period when he endured the horrors of Auschwitz, Dachau, and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. He also vividly details the ways in which he was constantly able to thwart the Nazi's industrialized, systematized mass-murder machine.

Mr. Karmi's book is a challenge of sorts to the convention of the Holocaust memoir. As Kirkus Reviews states, "The book lacks the tonal despair employed by fellow survivors such as Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel, instead echoing the optimism of Anne Frank's pre-camp diaries."

"I have four goals for the book," says Mr. Karmi. "First, I want to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Second, I need to reach the youth, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Third, I want to help prevent any future holocausts. And fourth, I want to bring my memories to life."

Mr. Karmi believes young adults are the right target audience. "Today's youth will be responsible in the twenty-first century for preventing genocide. With today's technology, including Kindle, Nook, and iPad, I can reach a young audience--and the more kids share this story the better."

After being liberated from the camps, Mr. Karmi went on to fight for the Haganah in Palestine and ultimately made his home in the United States. He holds no animus toward anyone at this point and still goes to work every day.

Mr. Karmi's incredible journey only began in the death camps. After being liberated by the Allies he built an incredible life for himself:
* He moved to New York and worked tirelessly to build a thriving real-estate development business.
* He has spent decades giving back to his community through charitable works.
* He contributed to Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation.

David Karmi is still involved in real-estate development and management. He continues his work to build awareness of human-rights issues.

Website: http://www.davidkarmi.com