The Sign on the Door

A Story of Open Secrets and Hidden Identities

John Lorinc

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Paperback

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English

Coach House Books
26 December 2024

Biography: general; European history; History: specific events & topics; Jewish studies

A stolen sign, 'No Jews Live Here,' kept John Lorinc's Hungarian Jewish family alive during the Holocaust.

From pre-war Budapest to post-war Toronto, journalist John Lorinc unspools four generations of his Hungarian Jewish family's journey through the Holocaust, the 1956 Revolution, and finally exodus from a country that can't rid itself of its antisemitic demons.

This braided saga centers on the writer's eccentric and defiant grandmother, a consummate survivor who, with her love of flashy jewelry and her vicious tongue, was best appreciated from afar. Lorinc also traces the stories of both his grandfathers and his father, all of whom fell victim, in different ways, to the Nazis' genocidal campaign to rid Europe of Jews.

This is a deeply reported but profoundly human telling of a vile part of history, told through Lorinc's distinctively astute and compassionate consideration of how cities and cultures work. Set against the complicated and poorly understood background of Hungary's Jewish community, No Jews Live Hereis about family stories, and how the narratives of our lives are shaped by our times and historical forces over which we have no control.

""John Lorinc weaves Hungarian history with the equally fascinating history of his own family to tell a deeply researched story with universal resonance: how events, enormous and seemingly tiny (a genocidal war, foggy skies), conspire to create outcomes with life-and-death implications through generations."" Marsha Lederman, author ofKiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed

By: John Lorinc
Imprint: Coach House Books
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 209mm, Width: 133mm, Spine: 17mm
ISBN: 9781552454923
ISBN 10: 1552454924
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 26 December 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Lorinc is a journalist and editor. He reports on urban affairs, politics, business, technology, and local history for a range of media, including the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Walrus, Maclean's, and Spacing, where he is senior editor. John is the author of three books, including The New City (Penguin, 2006) and Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias (Coach House Books, 2022), and has coedited four other anthologies for Coach House Books: The Ward (2015), Subdivided (2016), Any Other Way (2017), and The Ward Uncovered (2018). John is the recipient of the 2019/2020 Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews for The Sign on the Door: A Story of Open Secrets and Hidden Identities

A Canadian Loan Stars Pick ""Readers will find themselves savouring every word, looking within their own family history as part of the saga of human survival."" – Julie Kirsh, The Jewish Post & News ""Drawing on his understanding of cities and culture, Lorinc traces how his ancestors were swept up in forces beyond their control and fought to survive the swift-moving stream of history."" – Anthony Milton, Toronto Life