The Story Behind the Story with Author Caroline Topperman.

 

We are most fortunate to have Caroline visit us this week.

She was introduced to the Scribbler by one of our previous guest, Hollay Ghadery , publicist for River Steet Publishing.

I know you will enjoy learning more about Caroline and her writing.

Read on my friends.  

 

Caroline Topperman is a European-Canadian writer, entrepreneur, and world traveler. Born in Sweden, raised in Canada with a recent stint of living in Poland. She is a co-founder of Mountain Ash Press and KW Writers Alliance and currently teaches at an underground school for Afghan girls. Her book, Tell Me What You See, serves as a toolkit for her writing workshops. She has written articles for Huffington Post Canada, Jane Friedman’s blog, was the Beauty Editor for British MODE Magazine, and served as managing editor for NonBinary Review. Her hybrid memoir, Your Roots Cast a Shadow: one family’s search across history for belonging with HCI Books, explores explosive intergenerational histories that link war zones and foreign shores with questions of identity and belonging.

 

 

 

Title: Your Roots Cast a Shadow: one family’s search across history for belonging

 

Synopsis:
A narrative of cultural translation, identity, and belonging.
The thrill of a new place fades quickly for Caroline Topperman when she moves from Vancouver to Poland in 2013. As she delves into her family’s history, tracing their migration through pre-WWII Poland, Afghanistan, Soviet Russia and beyond, she discovers the layers of their complex experiences mirror some of what she felt as she adapted to life in a new country. How does one balance honoring both one’s origins and new surroundings?

Your Roots Cast a Shadow explores where personal history intersects with global events to shape a family’s identity. From the bustling markets of Baghdad to the quiet streets of Stockholm, Topperman navigates the murky waters of history as she toggles between present and past, investigating the relationship between migration, politics, identity, and home. Her family stories bring history into the present as her paternal grandmother becomes the first woman allowed to buy groceries at her local Afghan market while her husband is tasked with building the road from Kabul to Jalalabad. Topperman’s Jewish grandfather, a rising star in the Communist Party, flees Poland at the start of WWII one step ahead of the Nazis, returning later only to be rejected by the Party for his Jewish faith. Topperman herself struggles with new cultural expectations and reconciling with estranged relatives.

A study in social acceptance, Topperman contends with what one can learn about an adopted culture while trying to retain the familiar, the challenges of learning new languages and traditions even as she examines the responsibilities of migrants to their new culture, as well as that society’s responsibility to them.

The Story Behind the Story:

In 2015, when I began writing my book, Poland was undergoing a concerning shift. Witnessing Pride parades flanked by police in riot gear and the disturbing rise of neo-Nazi and ultra-Nationalist was a serious reality check. The echoes of history felt chillingly close. I was seeing news headlines that were eerily similar to those my grandparents saw in the 1930s.

These experiences sparked a deep sense of and got me thinking about my own family's history. Their journeys through pre-war Poland, Afghanistan, and beyond were filled with displacement, persecution, and a constant struggle to belong. I felt an urgent need to explore these themes and understand the roots of prejudice and the fragility of acceptance.

My family's story became a lens through which to examine the complexities of identity and the enduring impact of migration and historical trauma. My grandmother navigating the restrictions of a patriarchal society in Afghanistan, my grandfather fleeing Poland ahead of the Nazis only to face rejection from the country he loved– their struggles resonated with the challenges I saw people facing around me in Poland.

I believe stories can help us connect and build empathy. By sharing my family's experiences and my own journey of navigating a new culture, I hoped to offer a personal and relatable way to understand these complex issues. Your Roots Cast a Shadow is more than just a historical account; it's about the human need for connection and belonging. It's a reminder that we need to learn from history to create a more inclusive future for everyone.

Website: Please go HERE.

A question before you go, Caroline:

Scribbler: Where is your favourite spot to write? Are you messy or neat? Your beverage of choice?

Caroline: My favourite spot to write is wherever I can set up my laptop but often I find myself taking notes in the most unexpected places. I have been known to pull out my voice recorder in the middle of a meal, when an idea strikes.

While I would love to say that I am neat and organized, my writing desk is a huge mess with sticky notes and study materials strewn across every empty surface. Lately, my writing involves a lot translating and research. On any given day I may be working through old letters, incomplete family memoirs, maps, and history books.

My go to beverage is coffee which sounds like a cliché but a cup in the morning is how I like to start my day. I am, however, trying to drink more water. I don’t do that enough.

An Excerpt from Your Roots Cast a Shadow

CHOINKI AND MENORAHS: A CLASH OF HOLIDAYS IN WARSAW

Hanukkah comes early in 2013, starting on November 27. Most of our things are still in boxes somewhere on the ocean. It’s at this moment that it hits me. Where do I buy a menorah and candles in a Catholic country? In Toronto or Vancouver, it was easy. But in Poland? I finally realize that the only place to find a menorah and candles is in the general store next to the Nożyk synagogue on Twarda Street, in what was once the Jewish part of town. Entering the courtyard, I feel the same way I do when I first see the boundary marker embedded in the sidewalk on Swiętokrzyska depicting the wall where the Jewish Ghetto once stood. The friend I’m walking with, a longtime resident of Warsaw, admits it is the first time she has noticed the marker. I don’t say anything, but I want to yell out at everyone mindlessly stepping over the metal plaque, “Do you know what you just walked over? Do you know what happened here? How can you go about your day and ignore history? At least take a second to acknowledge it.” This isn’t about religion; it’s more 74 Your Roots Cast a Shadow about humanity. I am frustrated. I am terrified that this is ignored. Why isn’t more being done to educate the public? I know that there is a good chance that the Holocaust will be forgotten in the near future, and that will be dangerous for the entire world. I feel paralyzed with my thinking, and I’m not entirely sure what I can do to relay my fears to anyone who will listen. A uniformed soldier cradling a large gun stands guard out front. This is a very common sight around most European synagogues. The main synagogue in Berlin stands behind a ten-foot fence. The main synagogue in Florence has concrete barricades spanning a six-foot perimeter around the entrance. Paris, Prague, Venice—if the city even has a synagogue, then it’s most likely behind some sort of wall, populated with armed guards. Churches on the other hand are easily accessible, with doors that are open to the public. We approach a man sitting behind a large glass wall. “What do you want? Why are you here? Are you Jewish?” I say that I am, and my husband is not. We have to hand over our passports and with much skepticism he allows us, finally, to enter. I am more welcome in the general store, and when the man behind the counter learns I’m in the market for a menorah, he is thrilled to show me everything they have. I also buy some candles and a few other treats that will get us through the holidays. As we leave, after he tells me that I’m always welcome, he says a few words in Hebrew. I smile and mumble something. I hope he doesn’t guess that I have no idea what he said.

Thank you so much, Caroline. for being our guest this week, and for sharing an excerpt. We wish you continued success with your writing.

Thank you to all our readers and visitors. Please leave a comment below if you have a moment.