No goodbyes

"For any child who worshiped their father, only to discover he was all too mortal. For any parent who wanted to ask for forgiveness, but didn't know how. For anyone who ever left home, only to discover that home never left you. Intimate, honest, humorous and vividly graphic stories of family drama, political upheaval, sexual seduction, divorce, mass murder, betrayal, and the triumph of resurrection pour out when charismatic Holocaust survivor Xavier Piat breaks his long silence to share a remarkable past with his daughter, Naava Piatka. A colorful cast of true-life characters of Jewish visionaries, Nazi tormentors, Yiddish actresses, and international celebrities appear in recollections that span the globe from St. Petersburg to Paris, Vilna to London, Cape Town to Boston, and Jerusalem to New York. When her father, the authoritarian "god" Naava worshiped and feared, is revealed as a sensitive, complex mortal - the sole member of a his once-large family to survive the Holocaust - both father and daughter experience renewed understanding, compassion and forgiveness. An engaging narrative with poetic phrasing and deep personal insight, No Goodbyes reminds us that our lives are interconnected, that suffering can turn into celebration, and that love, family, and the power of stories endure beyond death. Born in South Africa, actress/artist/playwright/author Naava Piatka has traveled the world performing her one-woman show, "Better Don't Talk!" a tribute to her mother, Chayela Rosenthal, star of the Vilna Ghetto Theater. No Goodbyes is Naava's debut book." -- back cover.