WHEN TIME STOPPED : A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER'S WAR AND WHAT REMAINS
by Ariana Neumann

In 1939 thirty-four members of the Neumann family were living in Czechoslavakia. Two years later one of them was arrested because he swam in a section of a river that was forbidden to Jews. He would be the first member to be transported to Auschwitz. Twenty-nine members would be deported to concentration camps; of these, twenty-five were murdered by the Nazis. There were four survivors. Two family members escaped the transports completely. One of these was the author's father, Hans. 
Ariana Neumann really didn't know much about her father, especially about his life long before she was born. She had no idea that he was Jewish. He never shared any details with her and never talked about the past. All she knew was that he, and his brother, Lotar, came to Venezuela because where they came from was destroyed by the war. The two of them started a paint factory, and Hans became quite successful. 
There were hints about him while she was growing up that she really didn't pay attention to or really think about. One of them was hearing him screaming waking up from a nightmare and speaking in a language that Ariana did not understand. She certainly couldn't talk to her father about it. Their relationship was difficult. It wasn't until Ariana found this photograph, in a box, of a man that looked like her father, but with a different name and birthday that she realized there was a whole other side about him. She would have to wait until after Hans died to find out and understand who her father really was.
When Time Stopped is a beautiful story that will totally blow you away. There's actually two stories here: her father's secret past and a long-lost history of his extended family. How she pieces everything together is simply marvelous. Ariana found relatives that she never knew she had (thank goodness for the Internet), who helped her with their memories, mementos, letters, documents, and photos. She was quite a tenacious sleuth in her research, never stopping, always searching. Her writing is superb. This is one brilliant book.
Very highly recommended.