“Powerful memories from a masterful chronicler of a sprawling family living through the glories and tragedies of Poland over the 19th and 20th centuries.”

“A stunning family memoir . . . that reads less like a conventional memoir and more like an intimate cultural history. . . . This is a triumph of remarkable breadth and capacity, and those drawn to history and lived memory will be enthralled.”

“Olczak-Ronikier 'tells the story with a tender matter-of-factness that makes it come alive . . . Indeed, nothing in this wonderful tale is obvious, nothing is predictable.'”

“The saga of their lives and the four generations who followed them reads like an epic novel . . . a coherent, moving, and fascinating story.”

“Like a great Russian novel bursting with colorful, wildly different characters, In the Garden of Memory presents the human side of the long, rich, poignant, story of Poland from the late 19th century through Partition and two World Wars. Olczak-Ronikier’s relatives are impassioned rebels and patriots; poets, translators, psychiatrists and writers; women struggling to nurture their professional ambitions despite the burdens of gender; and entrepreneurs in publishing and bookselling. We get to know each of them as they navigate the precarious dissonance of being proudly Polish and Jewish. It’s a masterful, multi-generational, portrait of a family that endures even as their world descends into chaos.”

“The book’s engaging text is accompanied by a treasure trove of family photographs, letters, diary entries, and other historical ephemera peppered throughout each chapter. These visual elements combine with the author’s engrossing storytelling to create an intimate, yet sweeping, saga. A poignant, tour de force story of survival across multiple generations of a Jewish family. . . . an instant classic.”