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Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia (Holocaust Heritage) Kindle Edition

4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

In quiet, lovely prose, Julie Brill has delivered a powerful reminder of why our stories—personal, familial, historical—are so crucial. A moving excavation of a family story. –Menachem Kaiser, author of Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure

Discover a powerful, untold chapter of Holocaust history and a daughter’s enduring quest to know the story that began a generation before her birth. From childhood, Julie Brill struggled to understand how her father survived as a young Jewish boy in Belgrade, where Nazis murdered 90 percent of the Jewish population without gas chambers or cattle cars. Through exacting research, a bit of luck, and three emotional trips to Serbia, she pieces together her family’s lost past, unearths secrets, and returns to her father a small part of what the Nazis stole: his own family history.

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From the Publisher

Julie Brill, review, Menachem Kaiser

Julie Brill, review, Jonathan Sarna, Holocaust

Julie Brill, review, Omer Bartov, Holocaust, Serbia

Julie Brill, review, Holocaust, Serbia

Julie Brill, review, Holocaust, Serbia

Julie Brill, review, Holocaust, Serbia

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A stand out among Holocaust memoirs. It focuses on Belgrade, a Sephardic community whose horrific experience during the Shoah is often overlooked. (...) It provides an object lesson in how to carry out research, what it takes to recover lost family secrets. Finally, it shines a bright light on the children of survivors, providing an intimate view of the deep trauma inherited and internalized by them, and translated in this case into an extraordinary book."
—Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

"In quiet, lovely prose, Julie Brill has delivered a powerful reminder of why our stories—personal, familial, historical—are so crucial. A moving excavation of a family story."
—Menachem Kaiser, author of Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure

"Julie Brill brings us along as she searches for her family's fate in Serbia during the Holocaust. The result is a compassionate, meticulously researched and powerful testament to the need to uncover our histories and tell our stories."
—Tova Mirvis, author of We Would Never and The Book of Separation: A Memoir

"A remarkable account of one woman's quest for her family's past. In moving, concise prose, Julie Brill recounts years of meticulous research filled with twists and turns, taking her to her father's homeland of Serbia, discovering long-forgotten relatives, uncovering stories and secrets about the family's complex origins, and confronting the improbabilities of death and survival in the Holocaust. A powerful, highly readable book taking the reader into the depths of the largely unknown, fascinating and tragic tale of Jewish-Serbian history."
—Omer Bartov, Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University and author of The Butterfly and the Axe

"Julie Brill does a fascinating deep dive into her family's past, unraveling the secrets of the Holocaust in Serbia. A poignant, heartfelt, haunting story of loss and legacy."
—Susan Shapiro, NYT bestselling author/coauthor of Unhooked, Bosnia List & The Forgiveness Tour

"A heartfelt journey that beautifully intertwines personal anecdotes with the poignant history of a lesser-known chapter of the Holocaust. Julie dives right in with caring and thoughtful storytelling, reclaiming her family's memories and showing us how important it is to share our own stories to uphold the promise to "never forget." Her vulnerability and creativity make the past come alive, bridging generations and drawing readers into a world that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. Julie's memoir is not just a book—it's an empathetic bridge to history that speaks directly to the heart."
—Dave Reckess, Executive Director, 3GNY-Descendants of Holocaust Survivors

"Part Holocaust family memoir and part exploration into the absence of Holocaust memorialization in Serbia, this is a captivating and emotional book. Julie Brill embarks on a multigenerational quest to find out what happened to her grandfather, murdered in the Holocaust. She finds previously unknown family members, documents about her grandparents' prewar life, but also grapples with the general indifference and lack of knowledge about the Holocaust in Serbia today. It is a powerful and important book."
—Jelena Subotic, author of Yellow Star, Red Star: Holocaust Remembrance after Communism

"One of the rare books that sheds light on the Holocaust history of a once relatively small but flourishing community, often overlooked in the broader narrative of the European Holocaust. It speaks on behalf of, and in the name of, the fragmented family histories of many of us descendants of Holocaust survivors in Serbia. (. . .) This book should become mandatory reading in both primary and secondary schools.
With this book, Julie Brill, much like with the Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), ensures that her family's story and the Holocaust history of Belgrade are not forgotten. For this, we are deeply grateful."
—Sonja Viličić, Executive Director of Haver Srbija

"An eye-opening portrayal of the little-known history of Nazi Germany's near-eradication of Serbia's Jewish community, and a daughter's quest to reclaim her family's heritage."
—Karen Kirsten, author of Irena's Gift: An Epic WWII Memoir of Sisters, Secrets, and Survival

"Julie Brill reflects on her lifelong quest to uncover her Jewish family's history in Belgrade. Growing up with a father who survived the Holocaust, she weaves together her own childhood memories with his often fragmented and silenced recollections. This emotional imprint, combined with her later research, leads her on a journey through archives, documents, and places of memory to piece together the story of her family's fate during the Holocaust.
Brill's postmemory quest is a deeply moving account of reconstructing a history that was never fully spoken, highlighting the powerful tension between what was lost and what endures. In this rare work of postmemory literature connected to Serbia, the gaps left in family narratives come to light as she uncovers how silence has shaped her family's legacy."
—Dr. Katarina Melić, Director of the Center for Memory Studies, University of Kragujevac, Serbia

"Julie Brill expertly interweaves two compelling narratives: her father's survival as a young boy in Nazi-controlled Serbia and the disappearance and murder of the boy's father, along with the larger (and largely untold story) of the destruction/murder of Serbia's Jews. Brill's research leads to new discoveries about her family history and connections with Serbian cousins far and wide. A rich, layered memoir that tells an important story, a key part of 20th-century European history."
—Judah Leblang, author of Echoes of Jerry: One Man's Search for His Deaf Uncle and His Own Voice, featured storyteller on PBS World Channel's Stories From the Stage, NPR commentator

"Julie Brill pulls back the many layers of her father's unlikely survival in Serbia to share a meaningful story from a region little represented on the shelf of Holocaust literature."
—Merri Ukraincik, author of One Hundred Years of Jewish History in Images from the JDC Archives and the newsletter Days of Rest

About the Author

Julie Brill has written for Haaretz, the Forward, Balkan Insights, Kveller, Hey Alma, WBUR's Cognocenti, The Times of Israel, and elsewhere. She shares her family's experiences in the Holocaust in middle and high school classrooms through Living Links. Additionally, she is a lactation consultant, doula, childbirth educator, and the author of the anthology Round the Circle: Doulas Share Their Experiences. She is the mother of two grown daughters. She lives in Massachusetts.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DMT6QQGJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amsterdam Publishers
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 23, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 15.5 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9493418066
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ Holocaust Heritage
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

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Julie Brill
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As a child, Julie Brill held two conflicting beliefs. She knew Germans had murdered her Jewish grandfather in occupied Yugoslavia, yet she somehow believed the Holocaust had never come to his hometown of Belgrade. The family anecdotes her father passed down, a blend of his early memories and what his mother told him, didn’t match what Julie had heard about Germany, Poland, and Anne Frank in Holland during World War II.

With so few Jewish survivors and descendants from Serbia, the story of the Shoah there has gone untold. Julie’s quest to understand and share what she learned led to Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia.

Julie has written for Haaretz, the Forward, Kveller, WBUR’s Cognocenti, The Times of Israel, Balkan Insight, and elsewhere. She shares her family’s experiences in the Holocaust in middle and high school classrooms through Living Links.

Additionally, she is a lactation consultant, doula, childbirth educator, and the author of the anthology Round the Circle: Doulas Share Their Experiences. She began attending births and teaching childbirth classes in 1992 and has supported thousands of families in the childbearing year. She graduated from Tufts University with a degree in Sociology and Gender Studies and is the mother of two adult daughters.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
24 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this Holocaust memoir well-written and moving, with one review noting how the author uses sensitive language to explore her family history.

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3 customers mention "Narrative style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative style of the book, describing it as a moving Holocaust memoir, with one customer noting how the author uses sensitive language to explore her family history.

"Beautifully written, Hidden in Plain Sight is a tender family story that blurs the lines between personal memoir, Holocaust account and historical..." Read more

"...Ms. Brill is a talented writer, using sensitive language to explore her inexplicable family history. I highly recommend this book!" Read more

"Very well written, heart felt family story that came in the time when antisemitism is on the rise. Hopefully it will reach large audience" Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as very well written, with one customer noting it's a pleasure to read.

"Beautifully written, Hidden in Plain Sight is a tender family story that blurs the lines between personal memoir, Holocaust account and historical..." Read more

"...Ms. Brill is a talented writer, using sensitive language to explore her inexplicable family history. I highly recommend this book!" Read more

"Very well written, heart felt family story that came in the time when antisemitism is on the rise. Hopefully it will reach large audience" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Beautifully written, Hidden in Plain Sight is a tender family story that blurs the lines between personal memoir, Holocaust account and historical narrative. While filled with oft-times surprising factual tidbits, “Hidden” never seems heavy handed or dry. Instead, author Julie Brill steadily and brilliantly pulls together the emotional and chronological ingredients of her family story until they coalesce into a cohesive and moving family history. Brilliantly tells a lesser- known story of Serbia during the Holocaust and she does so with great finesse. A pleasure to read!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As a reader who is herself a second generation Holocaust survivor, I found the author to be a "kindred spirit." (Similar feelings and experiences, interest in family research, Holocaust education, and genealogy). The author helps to fill in gaps of knowledge in Serbian history during the Holocaust . Ms. Brill is a talented writer, using sensitive language to explore her inexplicable family history. I highly recommend this book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Very well written, heart felt family story that came in the time when antisemitism is on the rise. Hopefully it will reach large audience
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    Julie Brills memoir, Hidden in Plain Sight, is a testament of a daughter's unwavering commitment to honoring her father's story by shedding light on the often overlooked experience of the Serbian Jews during the Holocaust. Through her writing, Brill creates a window into the past for readers to witness new truths and Brill’s ability to reclaim previously neglected history is only feasible through her extensive research efforts. Hidden in Plain Sight can be credited as more than just a memoir as it serves as a vital contribution to Holocaust literature in its strength of being both intimate and historically significant. In retracing her father's past, Brill gives her father the greatest gift a daughter can offer: the chance to be remembered, to be seen, and to have his story finally told.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    Julie Brill’s Hidden in Plain Sight is a poignant and beautifully written memoir that invites readers into a deeply personal journey of discovery, resilience, and healing about the Holocaust in Serbia. Brill’s prose is both lyrical and honest, capturing the nuances of memory and emotion with a rare sensitivity. Through vivid storytelling, she explores how what is unseen can shape us just as powerfully as what is known, and how all of that ultimately leads to discovery and a deeper understanding and appreciation of one's past. The memoir is meticulously structured yet emotionally expansive, making it a moving and immersive read. Brill’s voice is one of clarity and compassion, and her story will linger long after the final page.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    The family memoir, Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia explores the unlikely survival of a Jewish child in the face of ethnic cleansing during World War II-era Belgrade. Julie Brill accompanies her father on a multi-generational journey to understand her family history. Along with her father and her daughter, she unearths a complex past. With keen sensitivity to her father’s difficult past, Julie reveals the horrors of genocide in Eastern Europe, based on her father’s first-person accounts drawn from a child’s memory. She enhances those glimpses of a traumatic past with extensive research, making this memoir unique and important.
    In Hidden in Plain Sight, Julie shines a light on an overlooked part of our human past in this important book of family and world history.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2025
    Format: Paperback
    Julie Brill makes her family's history come alive in this moving tribute to her father and the lost history of Serbia during the Holocaust. Her family story is expertly woven into the history of a country, I for one, knew very little about. It's a powerful family story that keeps you hooked till the very end.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2025
    Format: Kindle
    Through the pain of her family and an unquenchable thirst for truth, Julie Brill opens up the forgotten page in Holocaust history.

    HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: A FAMILY MEMOIR AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE HOLOCAUST IN SERBIA is Julie Brill's quest to uncover her family's roots. How could her father Haim, his mother, and sister survive while almost all Jews of Serbia were killed? Why did her grandmother leave after the war? With the help of Jewish organizations in Serbia, she obtained documents related to her ancestors. Her discoveries and the subsequent two trips to Belgrade helped her deepen her understanding of herself. Some of the discoveries were hard to accept. The author could achieve the almost impossible task of erecting the first Stolperstein in Belgrade commemorating her grandfather, Alexander Brill.

    Part historical record, part memoir, HIDDEN IN PLAN SIGHT resonates today as anti-semitism again rises its ugly head around the world. Out of thousands of Jewish men, women, and children of the Sajmište concentration camp, only one infant, who was smuggled to safety, survived. If we don't know history, it tends to repeat itself.

    I received an advanced review copy through Netgalley, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

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