Helen Fremont went to Catholic mass every Sunday, made her First Communion, knew how to pray the rosary, and recite all the prayers at mass. She wouldn’t know until well into adulthood that she was not Catholic, but Jewish.

In After Long Silence, Fremont writes of how she and her sister learned about their heritage and then tells her parents’ amazing story of survival. She is masterful at creating scenes and stringing them together with beautiful language.

Fremont’s second book, The Escape Artist, explores how keeping these secrets impacted her and her family. Listen to Helen Fremont talk about her journey in this interview conducted by author and journalist, Helen Epstein, for the Museum of Jewish Heritage.