An Evening with Arthur Myron Horwitz, author of Dual Identities: Living in Meier’s Shadow
• Tuesday, October 6
• 6–8 PM
• Southfield Public Library
Book Beat is pleased to co-host an evening with Arthur Myron Horwitz, on Tuesday, October 6 from 6:00 -8:00 PM at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road in Southfield MI. Mr. Horwitz will present his memoir: Dual Identities: Living in Meier’s Shadow, in conversation with his daughter Stephanie. For more information or to reserve a copy of the book contact Book Beat at: 248.968.1190.
About the Book:
A memoir about family, memory, journalism, and the long shadow of the Holocaust.
Seeking to swipe a few bucks from his mother’s wallet, Arthur Myron Horwitz discovers the iconic Holocaust image of a terrified boy. “Who’s this?” he demands to know. She insists it’s her little brother Meier, murdered by the Germans. But Arthur knows it isn’t, and challenges her. As punishment for his adolescent insolence, Arthur is saddled with the responsibility of living two lives – his and the one Meier never had. It’s a burden that shapes Arthur’s life, family and media career.
With warmth and candor, Dual Identities: Living in Meier’s Shadow boldly fills a void in Holocaust literature while removing filters previously inhibiting children of survivors from sharing their own, unvarnished growing-up-in-America stories. It also provides new insights on the impact of intergenerational trauma and timeless lessons for combating an alarming rise in national and global antisemitism.
An amazing book. Emotionally moving. Beautifully rendered. Deeply personal.
– Peter Salovey, President Emeritus, Yale University
Horwitz writes with style and good pace. He doesn’t linger too long on particular points of reference but readily provides the details that are the foundation of his story. He moves steadily forward with humor, self-reflection and thoughtful insights.
– Mike Smith, The Detroit Jewish News
A Personal Note:
Arthur Horwitz and I met at Book Beat this summer when we talked about his new book. He brought in some old Book Beat press clippings from the Detroit Jewish News that brought back pleasant memories reading about Danny Raskin’s infamous restaraunt reviews and gossip columns. Horowitz spent thirty years as publisher and executive editor at the Detroit Jewish News helping create something like a small-town community newspaper—full of characters, funny columnists, local gossip, family news, celebrations and arguments, alongside the serious events of the day. That sense of community comes through in Horwitz’s memoir as well.
Before he left Detroit, Horwitz helped create a non-profit status for the Detroit Jewish News in 2008, after a fire and an economic meltdown threatened to close it for good. A lifeline to the paper was created with an endowment from the William Davidson Foundation, and now over a century of local Jewish history in 300,000 pages are preserved, along with the publisher’s personal archive at the Bentley Library at the University of Michigan and as a searchable online archive at: The William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History.
The stories Horwitz tells of his life growing up in New Haven and his career in journalism are all wonderful but the real star is his mother Sala (Sally) Finkelstein Horwitz—a genius of comedic timing, a philosopher, and Holocaust survivor. “Before we die, I hope you’ll make her story into a book,” the author’s father requested. In his memoir, Horwitz has perserved his mother’s memory as a three-dimensional and complex woman, and her lively presence, fate, and history are woven throughout the book with love.
Join us at the Southfield Public
Library for this special evening with
Arthur Myron Horwitz.
About the Author:
Arthur M. Horwitz is a nationally known journalist, publisher and civic leader whose distinguished career was capped by the establishment of the Arthur M. Horwitz Collection at the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library, his 2020 enshrinement into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, and awarding of publisher emeritus status for the Detroit Jewish News, where he served as publisher and executive editor for more than 30 years.
Possessing broad and deep contacts across secular, ethnic and minority media platforms in multiple states and Israel, Arthur is recognized by his peers as a consensus-building leader, effective communicator and media visionary. He is a past chair of Detroit Public Television/Detroit PBS and the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, where he led public hearings and presented its nationally cited final report on the underlying causes of the Flint Water Crisis. He was also co-founder of New Michigan Media, an innovative consortium of more than 120 ethnic and minority media outlets that elevated their visibility and clout.