Invisible Years is simultaneously an indispensable source and a distinguished work of art. . . . the visuals and words [are] so intimate and so memorable that this extended family becomes part of your life. Forever. . . . You may have thought you knew, by way of the story of Anne Frank and her family, everything about a family hidden in Holland during the Holocuast. But you will discover, as I did, that there is a lot more to learn. [Invisible Years] is, truly, a book for the ages.
Roberta Silman
The Arts Fuse
The words and incredible detail of this family’s accounts graphically demonstrate how so-called normalcy can suddenly be turned into a paradoxically orderly and systematic world of chaos and degradation. While there is no language to adequately describe such experiences, the absorbing eloquence (and wry humor) of the narrators has a profoundly emotional effect. I experienced everything I had known about the Holocaust in a new way.
Brenda Danilowitz
Chief Curator, Josef and Anni Albers Foundation
As an archivist, what I find most remarkable about this book is the manner in which it brings to life a two-dimensional family archive. The book’s design interlaces pictures of personal objects and correspondence alongside transcribed journal entries and interviews, creating an intimacy and texture that animates the extended de Zoete’s family story, while the text consistently reminds us of the larger context of World War II.
Stephen Naron
Director, Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University
This is an important book because many people don’t know what took place in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. I was struck by Chaim de Zoete’s diligence and steadfast hope in his meticulous descriptions of arranging safe hiding places for his family and the many places they had to move to be a step ahead of those who wished them harm. The de Zoete family’s fascinating story also highlights the courage of the rescuers involved in that dangerous undertaking. It is a story that must be told to inspire others never to give up even when it seems all is lost.
Mordecai Paldiel
History Professor, Stern and Touro Colleges; Former Director, Righteous Among Nations, Yad Vashem
I love the history briefs that accompany the text. They allow the reader to understand the import of the allusions in the narrative. Even if you know a lot about the Holocaust, you will learn things.
Michael Sittenfeld
Senior Managing Editor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Calibrating your family memoir to the historical context in which individual lives unfolded (and ended) is a brilliant approach to telling this story, and the beauty of your design provides equally brilliant architecture. I also think the publication of the book is well-timed, given the persistence of deniers and the world's current and tragic drift to the right. I think your book will stand as a poignant, erudite, and handsome addition to the literature and will become and remain as indispensable as Anne's diary.
Peter Antony
Chief Production Manager, The Metropolitan Museum of Art