PASS THE TRAUMA, PLEASE is a comedy-drama memoir that presents the most brutal moment of Jewish history in an unorthodox manner. It honors the life lessons of a Holocaust survivor who reveals long-buried truths about surviving as an orphan and soldier who fought for Israeli independence. His scandalous secrets are disclosed to his son during an unforgettable Sunday night dinner in a Chinese restaurant.
But it’s not just stories that were passed down from a survivor to his children. Genetically Inherited Holocaust Trauma hitches a ride, resulting in his son’s dysfunctional relationships and dubious behaviors.
Like many books about the Holocaust, PASS THE TRAUMA, PLEASE addresses loss. But there’s also drug smuggling, attempts to reverse a circumcision, brothels, kibbutz ambushes, divorce, death camp visits, decadent nights at Studio 54, and tales of lost virginity.
Despite his own insecurities as a writer, plus deep concerns that other genocides might soon eclipse the Holocaust, a catalyst that drives the author is... will he finish the book while his father, one of the last Holocaust survivors, is still alive?
Another motivation for the book’s unique structure and irreverent tone is the challenge thrown down by Todd Diamond’s father who said, “Do me a favor, son. No long-winded descriptions of the smells in the Ghetto, the corpses. Everyone knows this already. Elie Wiesel, Primo Levy, Anne Frank, that guy who wrote the comic book about the mouse, they all covered it. Don’t be afraid to slip in a few jokes. What do you call it again… that bullshit you always say… oh yeah, write something poster-punk.”
He meant to say, post-punk. Todd’s father concluded his appeal by saying, “And besides, you’re no Elie Wiesel.”
So, while PASS THE TRAUMA, PLEASE probes the darkness of humanity, you’ll also find an equal amount of irreverence and humor that distinguishes it from most holocaust memoirs.
Put another way, if Mel Brooks and Amy Schumer adopted a second-generat
