Join TI and the Shalem Committee for an author talk with TI member, Bonnie Suchman. Bonnie’s recently-published novel, Stumbling Stones (May 2024, Black Rose Press), is about her husband Bruce Heppen's great-aunt Alice, a woman who could not anticipate a Germany where simply being Jewish became an existential threat. While she ignored the early signs of trouble, Alice soon faced the horrifying realization that she may have waited too long to escape. Bonnie's talk will focus on the origins of her book’s title and the challenges faced by German Jews in escaping Nazi Germany.


Book synopsis

Alice Heppenheimer, born into a prosperous German Jewish family around the turn of the twentieth century, comes of age at a time of growing opportunities for women. So, when she turns 21 years old, she convinces her strict family to allow her to attend art school, and then pursues a career in women’s fashion. Alice prospers in her career and settles into married life, but she could not anticipate a Nazi Germany, where simply being Jewish has become an existential threat. "Stumbling Stones" is a novel based on the true story of a woman driven to achieve at a time of persecution and hatred, and who is reluctant to leave the only home she has ever known. But as strong and resilient as Alice is, she now faces the ultimate challenge – will she and her husband be able to escape Nazi Germany or have they waited too long to leave?