Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret

Beth Luxenberg was an only child. Or so everyone thought. Six months after Beth's death, her secret emerged. It had a name: Annie.

Praise for Annie's Ghosts

Annie's Ghosts is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read . . . From mental institutions to the Holocaust, from mothers and fathers to children and childhood, with its mysteries, sadness, and joy--this book is one emotional ride.--Bob Woodward, author of The War Within and State of Denial

Steve Luxenberg sleuths his family's hidden history with the skills of an investigative reporter, the instincts of a mystery writer, and the sympathy of a loving son. His rediscovery of one lost woman illuminates the shocking fate of thousands of Americans who disappeared just a generation ago.--Tony Horwitz, author of A Voyage Long and Strange and Confederates in the Attic

I started reading within minutes of picking up this book, and was instantly mesmerized. It's a riveting detective story, a moving family saga, an enlightening if heartbreaking chapter in the history of America's treatment of people born with what we now call special needs. -- Deborah Tannen, author of You Just Don't Understand and You're Wearing That

This is a memoir that pushes the journalistic envelope . . . Luxenberg has written a fascinating personal story as well as a report on our communal response to the mentally ill. -- Helen Epstein, author of Where She Came From and Children of the Holocaust

A wise, affecting new memoir of family secrets and posthumous absolution. -- The Washington Post

Annie's Ghosts will resonate for many, whether the chords have to do with family secrets, the Depression, memories of a thriving Detroit, the Holocaust's horrors, or the immigrant experience. -- The Detroit Free Press

Author: Steve Luxenberg
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 05/11/2010
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9781401310196
ISBN10: 1401310192
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | General
- Family & Relationships | Siblings
- Psychology | Psychopathology | General

About the Author
Steve Luxenberg has been a senior editor with the Washington Post for 20 years. He lives in Baltimore, MD. This is his first book.