Furthermore, anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the psychological and historical forces that facilitated the rise of Nazism will learn quite a bit from reading the book as I explain my thinking in a non-didactic fashion.

Joanne Intrator – 4 August 2023

The Back Flap

On his deathbed, Dr. Joanne Intrator’s father poses two unsettling questions:

“Are you tough enough? Do they know who you are?”

Joanne soon realizes that these haunting questions relate to a center-city Berlin building at 16 Wallstrasse that the Nazis ripped away from her family in 1938. But a decade is to pass before she will fully come to grasp why her father threw down the gauntlet as he did.

Repeatedly, Joanne’s restitution quest brings her into confrontation with yet another of her profound fears surrounding Germany and the Holocaust. Having to call on reserves of strength she’s unsure she possesses, the author leans into her professional command of psychiatry, often overcoming flabbergasting obstacles perniciously dumped in her path.

The depth and lucidity of psychological insight threaded throughout Summons to Berlin makes it an attention-grabbing standout among books on like topics. As a reader, you’ll come away delighted to know just who Dr. Joanne Intrator is. You’ll also finish the book cheering for her, because in the end, she proves far more than tough enough to satisfy her father’s unnerving final demands.

About the book

What is the book about?

Following my father’s death in 1993, I took it upon myself to fight for restitution of a building in Berlin; I uncovered a malicious history of Nazi crimes whose reach extended into the 21st century. My psychiatric expertise gave me professional insights into the behavior of bureaucrats, critical to my negotiating with obstructionists. I uncovered how descendants of the Nazi perpetrators continue the financial bleeding of the rightful Jewish owners and how   so-called “legal” process can lead to immoral outcomes. “They all die before they get their property,” said the judge to me in an unguarded moment about the Jewish claimants.

When did you start writing the book?

2010 when I took notebooks and files that included some early attempts with me to Munich to visit the investigator in my case, a former journalist. He set up 10 boxes, designated chapter titles to which all the papers were sorted amongst. That was my first full draft. It was a coffee filled four days, and tremendously satisfying. I knew I had the makings of a good book;

How long did it take you to write it?

Nearly thirteen years

Where did you get the idea from?

I realized my father’s death bed questions, “Are you tough enough yet? Do they know who you are?” were his challenge to me to go after the restitution of a family-owned manufacturing building taken by the Nazis in Berlin. He knew I would be inclined   to but also knew that I was afraid.  The book evolved from the growing need to tell this important restitution story as I learned our opponents claimed my grandfather was a bad businessman, thus losing the property in a forced auction five years into the Nazi regime, claiming antisemitism had nothing to do with my grandfather’s loss.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Explaining the complex legal details of the case to the reader.  Deciding how the book should be organized which I did get help from a wonderful editor who suggested a developmental edit rather than a straight chronological story. A major decision of mine was not to use to create pseudonyms for those in Berlin who failed to help me.

What came easily?

The story had a distinct beginning and end, and I was also very clear about the emotions I felt throughout.

Are your characters entirely fiction borrowed from real world people you know?

This a true story of my experience in Berlin after the wall came down fighting for a restitution case that involved Nazi thievery of a large center city building owned by grandfather. Our ownership was challenged by the very descendants who won the building in a forced auction. The restitution case involved lawyers purported to help me and judges whose job it was to assess the value of the claim. When stalemated, I hired an international investigator who quickly found the evidence of the Nazi thievery which included documentation of membership to the Nazi Party.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I admire Graham Greene especially because he writes fictionalized stories of major historical events in which the characters face crucial ethical dilemmas. I am interested in reading about people   like the Germans Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sophie Scholl and her brother and Franz Jagertatter in Austria whom all  stood up against the Nazi rule at the cost of their lives.

Current writers whom I greatly admire are Abraham Varghese, and Dani Shapiro. Eyal Press and John Irving.

Do you have a target reader?

I think the book has wide relevance to people interested in World War 2, The Holocaust, and Racism. Furthermore, anyone interested in a deeper understanding   of the psychological and historical forces that facilitated the rise of Nazism will learn quite a bit from reading the book as I explain my thinking in a non-didactic fashion.

As I started my Berlin journey with a handicap, that of a lifelong anxious temperament, I both feared and was fascinated by the Nazis.  The fact that I was able to manage my anxiety sufficiently to keep pushing forward will be an encouraging aspect of my book for many readers. Anxiety and courage can coexist.  Those readers interested in generational trauma will also be interested.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I have kept diaries since I was a teenager, so it is natural for me to write thoughts, observations and feelings down. Writing a book, article it comes directly from my diary notebooks.

Writing must be fit into my psychiatric practice, so I often must block my calendar a few times a week. I don’t listen to music while writing but will take dance breaks to reenergize.  4 to 5 minutes of intense moving helps me. I might also watch a movie as a break from the intensity. Both methods relieve the pressure I feel when I write.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Chapter headings have been helpful with a few key goals.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I waited until the draft of the book was done. I have written this book several times. Only in recent drafts have I edited specific areas. That is because I am pleased with the how the book reads in general and then I can drill down and edit specific chapters.

Did you hire a professional editor? (May skip if being published by a small press rather than self-publishing) 

Yes, I have worked with several editors over the dozen plus years

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No finger tapping but I might file some chart notes or clean a closet, organize books or do a serious office cleaning.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, it was a tedious process, taking much more time than I had to spare. Ideally if I was younger, I would have gone the agent route but I did not feel I had that leeway in my 70s.   Though there was some interest, it was always coupled with, “perhaps you could rethink  such and such…”

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher?

Age and the tediousness of the traditional process.

Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Gradual

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The publisher SWP’s Art Director, Julie Metz did the cover.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I am working with Sparkpress as well as my own contacts developed during the many years working on the book.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Do as much research about the process and the estimated costs as you can.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Forest Hills Queens New York

Where do you live now?

Manhattan

What would you like readers to know about you?

I have a lot of what is called grit. As much as I can get overwhelmed and anxious, I am able to move past the obstacles that face me.  My book really is about the fierceness with which I lived this painful story and though at times it overwhelmed me, I regrouped and pushed ahead. Grit is how I got into medical school at age 30 with a background in history and film.

What are you working on now?

I want to continue writing for Psychology Today, My Blog is called Break Down The Walls where I use movies and television series to educate the reader about complex psychological issues and moral dilemmas.

As hard as I work, I enjoy my life, my close friends, especially being a mother. I have traveled throughout the world and hope to get back to doing more.

End of Interview:

For more from Joanne Intrator visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

Get your copy of Summons to Berlin from Amazon US or Amazon UK.