On Writing

Another remarkable photo find in my mother's old album! This one shows Mom's sister, Betty, who took mandolin lessons with a group of boys . When the Nazis came to power, her teacher terminated her lessons. Here's how I described the experience in IS IT NIGHT OR DAY? "But now, suddenly, we were filth, Jews polluting the village. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws cut us off completely, and after living ...

Your survey was actually very therapeutic as it helped me to think more deeply about the nature of our sibling estrangement instead of just feeling bad and anxious about it. The survey was challenging to complete. It took me several days. (Here's the link: https://fernschumerchapman.com/sibling-estrangement-survey/#gf_5) I really enjoyed your book. The use of personal anecdotes to illustrate the information you were presenting brought the information to life. Its incredible to know ...

Rosy memories and unrealistic hopes can keep a sibling in a toxic relationship. Destructive thought patterns, such as euphoric recall, future-faking, and self-gaslighting, help us avoid facing the injuries a toxic sibling inflicts.   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202208/3-ways-siblings-undermine-themselves-in-poisonous   .

I am 73 pages {also my age!) from finishing your book - "Brothers, Sisters: Strangers" and had to stop and say "thank you".... I'm spending a month in Maine, my home state, in the fall and am planning on reaching out to my oldest niece. She left me a message last spring and I just wasn't ready to respond. Your book is giving me the insight I need to be ...

Last week, my 97-year-old mother found a remarkable photograph in an old album! It captures the group of unaccompanied minors she traveled with from Germany to America in March, 1938. Taken on the ship, my mother is in the bottom row, hands on her head to stop the sharp winds from blowing her hair in her face. Right next to her is her best friend on the ship, Gerda Katz. ...

Some relationships are too toxic to sustain, but cutoffs may hurt well-being. The estranged often suffer a loss of self-esteem and trust, which may play out in other relationships and ultimately compromise well-being. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202208/five-ways-estrangement-does-lifelong-damage

  The estranged feel judged by a culture that expects family cohesion. Many view a cutoff as a personal failing. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202207/the-stigma-sibling-estrangement?fbclid=IwAR2cNF6t5tHgxiTqpKdshtzyigXB4htDFgrcwApSJTWZVvvIcRgnnYnhFzo

Last night, I had the great thrill of checking out one of my own books to a bookmobile patron!

New edition of IS IT NIGHT OR DAY? with new cover and new Author's note. My mother's story of childhood immigration is more relevant than ever, as parents in our war-torn world are forced to rip their families apart and send their children away to safety. In the 1930s and 40s, Lutherans, Quakers, and Jewish groups organized a program that used cruise ships to rescue Jewish children in Nazi-occupied countries. ...

The pandemic has loosened family ties and changed who attends holiday events.   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202207/how-the-pandemic-has-altered-the-definition-family