Description |
185 pages : color illustrations, maps ; 23 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-174) and index. |
Summary |
"An Afro-Caribbean in the Nazi Era: From Papiamentu to German is the true story of Lionel Romney's wartime experiences as told by his daughter, Mary L. Romney-Schaab. He was one of relatively few Black people to be imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp system and even fewer who survived to tell about it. Lionel Romey was an Afro-Caribbean (West Indian) merchant sailor who by chance was trapped in the politics, chaos, and deadly violence of World War II. As a non-combatant, he spent the four years from 1940 to 1944 in Italy, and the final year of the war, 1944-45, in the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. There, he was subjected to inhumane treatment and near-starvation. He routinely witnessed atrocities that traumatized him so deeply that he was virtually silent about the experience for over four decades. After over 20 years of trying, Mary was finally able to get him to talk about it during a series of oral history interviews. These form the centerpiece of the book, which also chronicles her experience of visiting Mauthausen and Italy after her father passed away. Framed within the context of Lionel Romney's Caribbean origins, World War II and the Nazi camp system, as well as Mary's own thoughts, this volume is part oral history, part memoir, and part history. As such, it is a story of an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances; a father's survival and a daughter's history."--Back cover |
Contents |
Acknowledgments -- Foreword -- Prologue -- Introduction: the story of a journey -- Why I wrote this book -- Who was Lionel Romney? -- Sint Maarten and the Caribbean: Lionel Romney's origins -- Sinking of the SS Makis and entering Italy -- World War II and the Nazi concentration camp system -- Political prisoner in Italy -- 76548: but how did you survive? -- 76548 no more -- PTSD and trauma theory -- My experience at Mauthausen -- Conclusion. |
Subject |
Romney, Lionel.
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Mauthausen (Concentration camp) -- Personal narratives.
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Prisoners of war -- Italy -- History -- 20th century -- Personal narratives.
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Black people -- Caribbean Area -- 20th century -- Biography.
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Merchant mariners -- United States -- 20th century -- Biography.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, Italian.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Italy.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Biography.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Mauthausen (Concentration camp) (OCoLC)fst00723555
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Black people. (OCoLC)fst00833880
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Merchant mariners. (OCoLC)fst01017001
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Post-traumatic stress disorder. (OCoLC)fst01072762
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Prisoners of war. (OCoLC)fst01077227
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Caribbean Area. (OCoLC)fst01244080
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Italy. (OCoLC)fst01204565
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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World War (1939-1945) (OCoLC)fst01180924
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Chronological Term |
1900-1999
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Genre/Form |
Biographies. (OCoLC)fst01919896
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History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
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Oral histories. (OCoLC)fst01726295
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Personal narratives. (OCoLC)fst01423843
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Biographies.
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Personal narratives.
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Oral histories.
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ISBN |
9781710966145 (paperback) |
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1710966149 (paperback) |
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