Recently releasing her 10th book, New York Times best-selling author Pam Jenoff draws on her experience while working at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the U.S. State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland, for her works of historical fiction.
“The Lost Girls of Paris,” which Jenoff will discuss on Monday, Nov. 4, at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, is the story of a group of British female spies sent to France during World War II. One morning, while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healy finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Healy opens the suitcase and discovers a dozen photographs – each of a different woman. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, she finds herself drawn to a young mother-turned-agent, Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.
“The book was inspired by a true story,” Jenoff said. “Winston Churchill started the Special Operations Executive – or SOE – to support the resistance movement. Men stood out if they weren’t in the Army during World War II, so women were often chosen to be special agents.”
Born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia, Jenoff attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and University of Cambridge, England. After receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as special assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing, and attending ceremonies to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.
Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff began working for the U.S. State Department in Europe. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. There, she developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. She worked on various matters, such as the preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland.
“I was there by myself, and at that time, there was no internet, no cell photos, and I started going to synagogue,” Jenoff said. “I became very close to the Jewish community and a number of Holocaust survivors.”
In 1998, she returned to the U.S., and decided to attend law school, earning her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania.
“I was a practicing lawyer for eight years,” she said. “But I always wanted to write.
“For me, 9/11 was a turning point,” she said. “I became an attorney on Sept. 4 of that year, but I realized I wanted to start writing my first book.”
The novels that followed were inspired by history and events that she learned about through her work, and especially as a Jewish woman, she was inspired by the stories of Holocaust survivors. Most of her books are based during World War II or post-war. “The Kommandant’s Girl” in 2016 was well received and became an international bestseller, but Jenoff said it took 10 years to gain real recognition as a writer, and in 2017, “The Orphan’s Tale” became a New York Times bestseller, as has “The Lost Girls of Paris.”
Jenoff travels around the country discussing her new book and her own history, as she will at 1 p.m., Monday, Nov. 4, at the St. Louis Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur, as part of the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival.
In addition to writing, she teaches law at Rutgers. For more information on Jenoff, visit pamjenoff.com.
The St. Louis Jewish Book Festival is nationally recognized for its excellence and size, as one of the largest in the country. People from all backgrounds and faiths attend festival events to hear premier authors speak on topics such as history, music, politics, cooking, family, religion, sports and more.
During the 2019 Festival, more than 30 authors will present their latest titles, including New York Times best-selling author Dr. Michael Roizen with “What To Eat When” on Nov. 11. The Premier Pass is $110, and allows entry to opening night and all Jewish Book Festival events through June 2020. Passes can be ordered by calling 314-442-3299 or visiting stljewishbookfestival.org.
The festival, which runs Nov. 3 to 15, is a program of the Jewish Community Center.
