Fern Schumer Chapman
Encyclopedia
Fern Schumer Chapman is a journalist and author best known for her autobiographical book Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust - A Mother-Daughter Journey to Reclaim the Past. Her second book, Is It Night or Day?, was released in 2010. She is also the author of a blog, Half-life: A blog about immigration, loss and legacy.
and Forbes
magazine. Her work also has appeared in the Washington Post, US News & World Report, Fortune
, and The Wall Street Journal
. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
with a master's degree from Northwestern University
's Medill School of Journalism
, Ms. Chapman has taught writing seminars at Northwestern University. http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/Chapman.html
Accolades for Motherland
Biography
Fern Schumer Chapman is a former reporter for the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine. Her work also has appeared in the Washington Post, US News & World Report, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, and The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
with a master's degree from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
's Medill School of Journalism
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It has consistently been one of the top-ranked schools in Journalism in the United States...
, Ms. Chapman has taught writing seminars at Northwestern University. http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/Chapman.html
Motherland: Beyond the Holocaust - A Mother-Daughter Journey to Reclaim the Past
The book is a non-fiction account that follows a young mother's pilgrimage into her family's history. Author Fern Schumer Chapman uneasily accompanies her mother, Edith, a Holocaust escapee, on a baffling visit to the German village her mother left at the age of 12. Edith, the youngest member of the town's only Jewish family, was sent alone and terrified to America to escape the Nazis in 1938. Nearly half a century later, mother and daughter return to the village and gradually realize that no one has escaped the shame, guilt and lingering scars of the war. The book is used in middle school, high school and college classrooms, offering young people an opportuunity to explore issues of fairness, identity and social justice.Is It Night or Day?
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Ms. Chapman's second book was released in 2010. Is It Night or Day? captures Edith's immigration experience to America. Edith (the author's mother) was part of a small, little-known American rescue operation that saved about 1,000 children from the Nazis. Edith came to this country without her parents when she was only 12 years old.Award and Honors
Accolades for "Is It Night or Day?"- Junior Library Guild selection 2010
- Booklist's Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth list 2010
- YALSA Best Fiction for 2010 nominee
- Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best 2010
- Sydney Taylor Notable Book
Accolades for Motherland
- Illinois Author of the Year 2004 (Illinois Association of Teachers of English Award)
- Selection for Read for a Lifetime 2008 Booklist
- Selection for one book/one community for “Quad Cities Reads” and “Racine Reads”
- Film rights optioned
- Finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards
- Featured on “The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
” (watch interview here) - Named a “Discover New Great Writers” title by Barnes & NobleBarnes & NobleBarnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
- German and Dutch editions available