Found and Lost Mittens, Miep, and Shovelfuls of Dirt

A luminous memoir from the Holocaust writer, Alison Leslie Gold, told through a series of letters to the living and the dead.

Alison Leslie Gold is best known for her works that have kept alive stories from the time of the Holocaust, stories of courage and survival - most famously her Anne Frank Remembered, co-authored with Miep Gies (who risked her life to protect the Frank family). She has never chosen to write about her own life or what made her into a gatherer of other people's stories, until now, in Found and Lost.

Starting with her childhood experience of running her primary school 'Lost and Found' depot, Gold charts the origin of her need to save objects, stories, people - including herself - whom she has sensed to be on a road to perdition. After a series of deaths of people close to her (mother, lover, mentor, friend), she develops, though a series of letters, a meditation on aging, friendship, loss and the forces that link us to the dead. The letters tell of her early activism; her descent into alcoholism and subsequent recovery; and they tell of her discovery of the power of writing to give shape and meaning to a life. Found and Lost is both a tender memorial to the extraordinary people in her life, and a compelling tale of redemption.

Alison Leslie Gold's works include Anne Frank Remembered, written with Miep Gies, Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend, A Special Fate and Fiet's Vase and Other Stories of Survival. Her non-fiction work has received numerous tributes including a Best of the Best Award, a Notable Book for a Global Society Award and a Christopher Award. She has also published fiction, including Clairvoyant and The Devil's Mistress, the latter being nominated for a National Book Award. She divides her time between New York City and Greece.