by Joan Dempsey
I’m indebted to the generosity of the Elizabeth George Foundation—their research grant came at a time when I sorely needed a boost, and the novel is immeasurably better because of the primary research I was able to conduct. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, has an incredible archive, and I spent two weeks there, watching interviews of Polish Holocaust survivors, collected and preserved by the USC Shoah Foundation, as well as poring through countless collections of Holocaust art. I also spent a month in Poland, in Warsaw—on Ulica Piwna in Ludka and Izaac’s old Stare Miasto neighborhood. There I spent time at the Jewish Historical Institute, which contains the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, also known as the Ringelblum Archive—I was thrilled beyond measure to stand among the items preserved by the brave men and women who worked with Emmanuel Ringelblum to ensure that the story of the Warsaw Ghetto would never be forgotten.
I am grateful on a daily basis for the Antioch University MFA in Creative Writing Program—for the amazing education I received, the lifelong friends I developed, and the extended, diverse community to which I will always happily belong.
Special thanks go to the team at She Writes Press and SparkPoint Studio, for blazing a trail that I’m proud and honored to walk upon. Thanks also to the She Writes Press community of authors—trailblazers, all!
I appreciate Edite Kroll, who stepped in as my literary agent at a crucial moment, Susan T. Landry for her keen editorial eye, Jim Tierney for telling me what life as an attorney general would really be like for Izaac Rosenberg, and Urszula Humienik-Dworakowska, who dusted off my poor Polish translations (remaining errors are mine).
For the most important gift one can give a writer—the gift of time—I thank the AIM/Hatchfund and the Maine Arts Commission, and this long list of wonderful folks, who came forward to support me when I needed them most: Charlotte Agell, John Bak, Collista Bejjani, Tony Belisle, Paula Berardinelli, Suzy Laurendeau Bigelow, Charlie Borden, Joanne Bourbeau, Dan Bouvier, Shaktima Brien, David Brightman, Ebba Brooks, Brenda Buchanan, Pat Chanterelle, Michael Culliton, Peggy Cunniff, Jim Dwyer, Ellen Fenner, Mike Flanigan, Mary Lee Fowler, Elizabeth Garber, Mark Geffen, Jennifer Genest, Dave Georgis, Lowell Gerber, Caryn Ginsberg, Darlene Goetzman, Che Green, Cheryl Hamilton, Lisa Hammer, Nancy Harding, James Hayman, Graham Haynes, Kara Holmquist, Tara Ison, Rene Jalbert, Alec Koumjian, Kelly Kraemer, Scott Kraft, Lily King, Emily Laurendeau, Bob and Amy Ledwell, Ellen Leone, Christine Little, Carter Luke, Sibyl Masquelier, Katherine Mayfield, Maureen McLellan, Rich McLellan, Julie Morris, Laurie Monty, Shawn Monty, Barbara Nicolazzo, Joel Olicker, Larry Paulhus, Steve Pogson, Ric Plaisance, William Rogers, Vicki Ross, Laura Saba, Irving Sager, Tony Sager, Christine Salem, Kathy Savesky, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Lee Smith, Steven Snelling, Cortney Stanley, Sherry Blake Stanley, Barb and John Stolz, Andrea Tate, Lise Thorup, Joyce Tischler, Hillary Twining, Jane Vella, Brit Vitalius, Stephen Wallace, Zoe Weil, and Emily Weiss.
Second only to time is the gift of solitary space in which to write, and I am indebted to Margaret Broucek and Tracy St. Pierre for their lovely cabin, Tony Sager for year after year in Wellfleet (my all-time favorite place to write), Natasha Yakovlev for #37 (where breakthroughs happen), and Bert Troughton for “The Shed,” where I most happily and gratefully spend my every day.
For early reading and keen observations that improved the manuscript, thanks go to Margaret Broucek, Susan Dempsey, Sue Digeser and her book group (you finally get to read the ending), Catherine Gentile, Silke Georgi, Andrew Gouse, Kathy Johnson, Mary Plouffe, Pat Reilly, Ken Shapiro, and Bert Troughton.
Mary Plouffe, an admirable writer, has been a stalwart writing companion, special “psychological advisor” and dear friend. Ken Shapiro gave crucial support, accompanied me through the streets of Warsaw, and never fails to challenge me in scintillating and witty conversation. Jim Lapierre came through at a critical time, and never tired of hearing me talk about the book—his long friendship and endless enthusiasm for my dreams sustains me. Kathy Johnson, lifelong friend, has championed me and this project from its inception, and is as excited as I am to get it out into the world. My sister, Susan Dempsey, is dearer to me than I can say—she has been there for me every step of the way. Matthew Goodman, my dear old friend who has inspired me since the early 1980s with his own impressive writing, is one of my most trusted readers. If Matty says it’s good, I trust it’s good. Natasha Yakovlev—dearest companion of my days—has read and reread this book in many incarnations, and has been my most steadfast champion; the novel and I are both much improved for her friendship. My mother, Margi Dempsey, and my late father, Chuck Dempsey, taught me to read and adore books, and always encouraged me to follow my heart, no matter where it might take me—I am a writer thanks to them.
Of special note are my dearest Antioch writing companions and friends—Dawna Kemper, Mary Rechner, and Christa Mastrangelo Joyce. For more than ten years we have diligently communicated every single month, supporting each other through absolutely everything, and each of them read this manuscript countless times over the past seven or eight years. I have them to thank for a breakthrough with Warren Meck; “Give him a wife and kids,” they said, and they were right. I am the writer I am in large part thanks to them.
Finally, I dedicate this book to Bert Troughton, who knows all there is to know and loves me still. My writing life has forced her to repeatedly stretch far beyond her own comfort zone, and I am eternally grateful for her willingness to accompany me on this journey. You are my one good thing, Sweetie.
About the Author
© Greta Rybus
New England native Joan Dempsey received an MFA and teaching certificate in creative writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles. Her writing has been published in the Adirondack Review, Alligator Juniper, Obsidian: Literature of the African Diaspora, and Plenitude Magazine, and aired on National Public Radio. Dempsey was the recipient of a significant research grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation for her work on This Is How It Begins. She lives in Maine with her partner, Bert Troughton, and their family of animals. Find her online at www.joandempsey.com.
Reader’s Guide
Questions for Discussion
1. At the heart of This Is How It Begins lies the theme of empathy—the ability to share someone else’s feelings. At what key moments in the novel do you see empathy in action, either from the characters themselves, or in the way the author portrays the characters? Why are these moments so important?
2. As you read, when did you yourself feel empathy? Who did you feel it for, and why? Were you at all surprised by your feelings?
3. Warren Meck and Izaac Rosenberg demonstrate mutual respect for one another. What is it that allows them each to feel such respect, despite their differences?
4. In the final chapter, Ludka testifies before the legislative committee, and one of the things she says is “The Holocaust began in hearts of people. As soon as you go and say ‘that Jew,’ it has begun. That is where it starts. That is the beginning.” Name-calling dehumanization, bullying, ridicule, and slurs are all early behaviors that, if left unchecked, can develop into discrimination, bias-motivated violence, and—ultimately—genocide. Where in the novel do you see these behaviors? From whom?
5. Violent assaults, including arson, play an important role in this novel. What happened as a result of those actions? What do you think those perpetrating the violence hoped to gain? Did they or didn’t they succeed?
6. In the final chapter, Ludka decides to testify, and also to sketch, to bear witness once again to the rise of hatred, as she did during WWII. What prompted her decision—what does testifying and sketching indicate about how Ludka has changed?
7. The author takes care not to directly compare the discrimination in her story with the Holocaust. Why do you think she made that choice?
8. Meck and Ludka both face crushing blows when they discover they’ve been betrayed by the people closest to them—Pastor Royce, and Oskar, respectively. How are th
ese betrayals important to the plot?
9. Think about the myriad artworks in the novel—at the Baldwin Museum, in Ludka and Izaac’s home, at the State House, at the Jewish Historical Institute, and in Oskar’s studio. Why do you think art is so central? What role does art play?
10. What secrets are the characters keeping from each other, and what motivates them to keep those secrets? What happens when each secret is revealed? What might have been different in the lives of the characters had each secret been revealed earlier?
11. Why do you think Ludka hoarded the Chopin portrait over all those years? And why do you think Izaac secreted his father’s watch? Why didn’t they tell each other about these items? What do these objects represent?
12. Warren Meck wants to ensure that Christian kids can speak about their sincerely held religious beliefs, and those supporting Tommy and the other teachers who were fired want to ensure that this religious speech does not contribute to homophobia or incite discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Do you think these two competing rights can peacefully coexist in our American democracy? How might we achieve this?
13. The two sides in this novel—the progressive left and the conservative Christian right—each contain a political spectrum that ranges from liberal to conservative. How does the author show each of these spectrums on both sides? What do you make of this?
14. Participatory democracy is on full display in this novel. Think about all the ways in which the characters engage politically. How effective or ineffective do you think they are? What does this tell you about democracy in general?
15. What does how fathers are portrayed in the novel—in both minor and major roles—say about fatherhood?
Books I Found Helpful
On Art
Blatter, Janet and Sybil Milton, Art of the Holocaust, The Rutledge Press, New York, 1981
Czapliński, Czesław, Polish Art Collections in America, Fundacja Dobrej Ksiażki, 2005
Edsel, Robert M., The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, Center Street, New York, Boston, Nashville, 2009
On the Christian Culture War
Alexander-Moegerle, Gil, James Dobson’s War on America, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1997
Gilgoff, Dan, The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War, St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 2008
Goldberg, Michelle, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, W.W. Norton & Company, New York and London, 2006
Harris, Sam, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, W.W. Norton & Company, New York and London, 2005
Hedges, Chris, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, Free Press, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, 2006
O’Reilly, Bill, Culture Warrior, Broadway Books, New York, 2006
Sheldon, Rev. Louis P., The Agenda: The Homosexual Plan to Change America, FrontLine, Lake Mary, FL, 2005
On Human Nature
Block, Gay and Malka Drucker, Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc., New York and London, 1992
Fogelman, Eva, Conscience & Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust, Anchor Books, New York, 1994
Tec, Nechama, When Light Pierced the Darkness: Christian Rescue of Jews in Nazi-Occupied Poland, Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1986
Zimbardo, Philip, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York, 2007
On Warsaw During WWII
Ackerman, Diane, The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 2007
Grynberg, Michał, Ed., Philip Boehm, translator, Words to Outlive Us: Eyewitness Accounts from the Warsaw Ghetto, Picador, New York, 2003
Gutman, Israel, Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York, 1994
Ringelblum, Emmanuel, edited by Jacob Sloan, Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto, iBooks, Inc., New York, 2006
Tomaszewski, Irene and Tecia Werbowski, Żegota: The Council for Aid to Jews in Occupied Poland 1942–45, Price-Patterson Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1999
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Visit us at www.shewritespress.com.
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