THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER : A MEMOIR
by Sonia Taitz

Simon Taitz was a watchmaker. Known as a master restorer of both watches and clocks, people would come from miles around to seek him out. This skill would save him and others at Dachau. The Germans loved order and punctuality so they gave him their broken timepieces and actually respected his ability.
Gita, Simon's wife, could have been a concert-pianist had the Nazis not ruined her fledgling career. She and her mother survived the concentration camp Stutthof by pretending to be dead among the newly killed corpses when the Germans knew the allies were closing in and wanted to leave nobody alive behind.
It was within this insular environment that Sonia was born. The family lived in Washington Heights in a very small apartment. Yiddish was the language spoken at home. The Holocaust was a never-ending subject. Simon and Gita lived in the past and wanted their daughter to know what happened to their families and themselves over and over again.
Sonia wanted to live the American dream and be independent. When she finally left home to forge new adventures, Simon made her promise to always keep her faith.
There have been many books written on the Holocaust (I have certainly read the gamut) but not any, perhaps, of being the daughter of concentration camp-survivors. The love that Sonia has for her parents, in spite of all their flaws, is truly amazing. She wants them to move forward instead of constantly backwards. Sonia's experiences and the people that she meets opens her parents' eyes and helps them heal.
The Watchmaker's Daughter is extremely moving, sad, funny and gorgeously written. Sonia is quite the wordsmith. Every page is both descriptive and lyrical. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.
Very highly recommended.