Acclaimed author Georgia Hunter stopped by El Rodeo Elementary School on Sept. 15 to discuss her widely read and celebrated novel, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” organized by Beverly Hills Reads!.
This is the second event organized by the Beverly Hills Reads! program, a collaboration between the Beverly Hills Community Services Department, the public library and Human Relations Commission, the Beverly Hills Unified School District and the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.
“We Were the Lucky Ones” is Hunter’s heartfelt account of her family’s experiences during the Holocaust, which Hulu brought to the screen and released as a limited series earlier this year.
What started as a school project to learn more about her grandfather’s experience during World War II evolved into a decade-long research project into her extended family’s history. Hunter sat down with her mother’s cousins and reached out to archives, museums and ministries. The title is an ode to her family of Polish Jewish heritage that improbably and miraculously survived the Holocaust.
In front of a packed auditorium filled with students, their families, and members of the community, Hunter shared primary sources that served as research for her book, including photographs, a letter from her great uncle sourced from the Hoover Institute, and her school project from when she interviewed her grandfather. Attendees received a first-hand look into the materials that were featured in the novel and series.
Hunter discussed the making of the Hulu series, such as the decision to hire an all-Jewish cast, including BHUSD alum Logan Lerman, making the filming just as touching for the cast members as it was for Hunter to see her book come to life.
“The goal was always authenticity,” affirmed Hunter.
Beverly Hills High School retired educator Julie Goler sat down with Hunter to discuss the making of the book and to spotlight questions raised by students before the event. Members from the crowd were also able to ask Hunter their questions, from curiosities about certain characters to the decision to write the book as a novel rather than as a memoir.
“I wanted to write the book in a way that my kids and their kids could pick it up and relate to it,” replied Hunter. “When you look back at this time, you see it in black and white, you see it in sepia tones, but I wanted readers to see it in color.”
One question Hunter was asked was, “Why do you think your family survived?” Hunter answered, “They were a complete statistical anomaly when you look at the number of family members who survived, but they were also very resourceful and constantly moving. And so, they always seem to have a plan. I think a lot of times where the luck came in was that the plan worked out.”
Goler noted how deeply personal this novel and its subjects are to some residents of Beverly Hills, including many of those who could relate to the experiences faced by her family members mentioned by Hunter.
“We have so many students in this room and in the district who come from refugee or revolution or war backgrounds, more than is probably talked about in the classroom. But I want to encourage the kids who are here today, if you still have your grandparents and your parents: please have those conversations. Get their stories.” said Goler.
Citing the recent uptick in antisemitic incidents in the United States, Hunter was asked if she had experienced any antisemitism after releasing her novel, to which she replied she fortunately had not. However, Hunter stated that she could “never have imagined” when she started research for this novel in 2008 that “the world would feel and be as it is today”.
“I think we’re experiencing again what can happen when people stop seeing each other as humans, and it’s terrifying and it’s scary, and I’d like to think that the book and now the series, perhaps bring a bit of humanity back to this story that can feel distant, that can feel unrelatable,” said Hunter.
Many members of the crowd were touched by Hunter’s novel and the words she shared, obligating them to share with her their personal feelings toward her work. Some became emotional, sharing in each other’s embrace after the talk concluded.
Copies of the book were available for purchase, and attendees had the chance to get their book signed and share meaningful exchanges with Hunter.
“At its core, the family survived. It’s a story of courage and perseverance and hope and love. And so, my hope is that people ask what people are taking away from it, because we could all use a good little bit of that right now,” said Hunter.
