Born in 1929, Anita Witt grew up during one of the most tumultuous eras in history. Adolph Hitler came to power in 1933, and a second world war was brewing.
From an early age, young Anita was taught to keep family history and conversations to herself-information that could threaten her own safety and that of the people she loved most. She was, in fact, the daughter of a Jewish mother and an Aryan father, a point that had the potential to draw criticism, or much worse, during this most dangerous period of time in German history.
In Passing, Witt recounts in candid detail her daily life with her family before and during World War II, and the sometimes extreme measures they needed to take to ensure their safety. In particular, a single lie that was imperative to the family's survival in 1942, but so painful that Witt's mother initially asked her not to write about it.
You'll see the author's sorrow as she says good-bye to Jewish family members and friends, as well as the help her family received from some surprising sources-people without whom she would not have been able to write this compelling, true story.
About the Author: Anita Witt, born Anita Maria Schroeder, was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1929. After leaving Germany in 1947, Witt attended the University of Chicago, where she received a degree in biology. She then worked as an au pair in Paris while studying French.
On a trip to England to visit her aunt, she met an American architect named Marvin Witt. Two months later they were married. They live in Portland, Oregon, and have been married for sixty years. They have five children and two grandchildren.
Witt went on to earn a degree in social work from Portland State University in 1975. She worked at Reed College for two decades, and after that began work in private practice.
