Hi, I’m Annette.
I’m an author and online course creator. I specialize in teaching others how to write stories from their family history through my online courses, books, and in-person workshops. My award-winning children’s book Natalie and the Nazi Soldiers is based on my mother-in-law’s experience as a hidden child in France during the Holocaust.
Exploring my family history changed my life. When I visited the Czech Republic in 2002, I felt so at home wandering the streets of my grandparents’ hometown, even though I had never been there before. I sensed so many undercurrents that I began to dig into the family history. While I have always written to understand my life, this trip sent me on the journey to become a writer. It was the seedling for my memoir Jumping Over Shadows and for learning how to write an interesting story based on family history, and eventually, for teaching others how to do the same.
Newsletter
Let’s keep in touch via my weekly posts! I publish new content every Friday. Check out what I write about on my newsletter home.
My Books
“An accessibly written story of a young Jewish girl hiding from the Germans during WW2. Superbly illustrated, this would be perfect in a classroom as a way of introducing the Holocaust to young children in a safe way. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!”
“…a treasure chest of advice for any nonfiction writer.”
“Having read other books on writing memoir, I found this book the best at keeping it simple and clear while giving creative suggestions.”
“I’m gathering info about my family history by doing weekly Skype sessions with my parents, and I am trying not to panic about how I will turn this into a book later. This book gave me a lot of great ideas and a way forward.”
“A book that is hard to put down.”
“In this extraordinary work, Annette Gendler illuminates the borders and meeting points between Judaism and Christianity, Germans and Jews, American Jews and Israeli Jews. Writing with eloquent precision, she reminds us why converts to Judaism are among the most precious gifts to the Jewish people. This book confirms Annette Gendler as an indispensable Jewish voice for our time.”
Latest Posts
When in Boston, Make Way for Ducklings
The Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Public Garden in Boston, created by Nancy Schön Oh, the power of fiction! Especially children's fiction! It had my kids and me retracing [...]
How I Found a Most Meaningful Book
Sometimes it is interesting to retrace where something began, when a meaningful connection was made. My interview with Susannah Conway appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books last week, and [...]
A Trip to Bishop Hill (2)
Spinning wheel at the Steeple Building, Bishop Hill, Illinois On our visit to Bishop Hill, my friend Barbara and I spent a considerable amount of time in the Steeple Building, [...]