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 new 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.
My Books
My children’s book won Bronze in the 2023 Wishing Shelf Book Awards in the category: books for 6-8 year-olds!
Natalie and the Nazi Soldiers is the story of a hidden child in France during the Holocaust.
In 1944 in the German-occupied French countryside, a Jewish girl’s quest to save her favorite piglet takes a dangerous turn when she runs into a Nazi officer. Will she manage to keep her secret?
Based on a true story, this book is appropriate for early readers.
“…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.”
Substack
Let’s keep in touch via Substack, where I post new content every Friday! Check out what I write about on my Substack home.
Latest Posts
The Warsaw Jewish Cemetery Makes More Than a Century of Vibrant Jewish Life Tangible
Our November tour of the sites of Jewish history and the Holocaust in Poland and Lithuania began with a visit to the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery. With more than 250,000 [...]
Dad Was an Avid Letter Writer. How to Begin Making Something of his Letters.
Looping back to the beginning is a good way to end. Since I began this series of blog posts on turning letters into stories with How to Transform a [...]
What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough Information about a Fascinating Letter But Still Want to Use it in a Story
Civil War Letter (source: familytree.com) When researching family history, you might come across a letter that you find utterly fascinating. But you don't know much, if anything, [...]