Thus, grounding my course work in real, tangible, and meaningful resources and assignments has been my greatest goal. As we move farther and farther away from the material that we teach, engaging students in a way that allows them to feel that they authentically understand or empathize with the content of our courses can feel, at times, like our very own white whale.
To this end, finding resources that not only discuss content-specific epochs and cultures but further ground them in a Canadian, and better yet, British Columbian, context is paramount. Where the Straight Path Leads by Arthur Propp provides an insider's perspective into the cultural norms of pre-Nazi Germany, the history of antisemitism, Jewish traditions and diaspora, and how the Holocaust displaced, disconnected, and massacred Jewish families, ultimately affecting communities around the world into present day. Propp accomplished this indirectly, in the form of an autobiography written largely for his son, Dan, while living in the small town of Gibsons, B.C. Propp outlines his childhood in Eastern Prussia in the late 1800s and early 1900s, his eventual escape to England thanks to the British underground, his emigration to Bolivia, and final settlement in British Columbia. The writing is heartfelt, filled with poignant descriptions of all aspects of the human existence, including family, business, politics, and of course, tragedy. Propp's autobiography, whether used in its entirety or in pieces, would undoubtedly serve as an excellent addition to the Social Studies classroom. Not only does it provide a meaningful perspective on both Germany and Canada's intricate history of antisemitism and culture, but also places a human quality of understanding to the Holocaust: how it affected those who lived through it, even those in our very own backyard. I am a firm believer in the importance of teaching history through literature. Memoirs, testimonies, and biographies let students experience the content we teach from a first-hand perspective and explore the importance of primary sources and personal narrative. But most importantly, literature, Arthur Propp's Where the Straight Path Leads included, allows students to experience why history should be important to them. Where The Straight Path LEads
Music complements of Bensound.com.
In series of letters to his son, Arthur Propp guides the reader through the life of a German Jew from East Prussia from the end of the nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth century. During this time he comes across many other secular Jews who feel a strong German identity but are nonetheless forced into the role of the “evil other”. After finally managing to escape to England thanks to the support of the British underground, he finds himself, for the first time in his life, at the age of forty-eight, in the position of a foreigner in a country whose language he does not speak and whose culture he is not familiar with.
During his short stay there, he decides to emigrate to Bolivia. There he reinvents his life before undertaking his last emigration, which leads him to the coast of British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province. On these pages the narrative is interwoven with observation and reflection. Everything the author experiences is an opportunity for him to think about the human condition and to comment on how fragile and yet indispensable friendship is and why life is worth living all the same.
MORE BOOKS BY DAN PROPP
EDGE-U-CATION
provide wonderful rubber chicken fast-food cafeterias, all the high-end coffee franchises to improve the perks, and out-of-this-world fees for the privilege working for that degree. And what a useful education degree it becomes!
Dan says, “Many teachers are tired being social workers and day care activity providers. Our field is teaching, not field trips.” He has a lot more to say about the education world, and he says it with his characteristic, quirky wit and a lick of biting sarcasm. Be prepared for an overdose of peculiar puns in this book that takes a piercing look at education today. The Postcard Photographer
Vancouver, British Columbia, is a special city. It has brought peace, dignity and anonymity to so many from all walks of life and nations.
The Postcard Photographer takes the reader on a leisurely walk back to the 1960s, the years of Viet Nam, soul-searching, the sudden and sad ending of the Kennedy era, the peace marches and the folk music that stirred the hearts of a generation. The first story in this book focuses on two rather lost individuals, one from Los Angeles and the other from the B.C. pulp and paper town of Powell River. In Vancouver both discover their identities, passions and goals. Though fiction, the two stories reflect the journeys of photographer and author, Dan Propp, who imparts many nostalgic memories as a photo student in 1960s Los Angeles. With tales of publishing scenic postcards in B.C., doing wedding photography, teaching adult education classes and chasing fire engines, Dan’s stories bring to life the intimate history of the times and places. Click HERE to buy. Dan Propp's new book, Von Königsberg Nach Kanada has just been released in German. The English translation coming soon.
VON Königsberg Nach Kanada
In diesem autobiographischen Werk fuhrt der literarisch begabte Holzkaufmann Arthur Propp den Leser durch das Leben eines deutschen Juden aus Ostpreussen vom Ende des neunzehnten bis hin zur Mitte des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts. Seine Wege kreuzen sich mit denen vieler anderer sakularer Juden, die wenig auf Religion und Tradition achten, sondern sich mehr als Deutsche denn als alles andere fuhlen, sich aber nichtsdestoweniger in die Rolle des “bosen Anderen” gedrangt wiederfinden. Als der Nationalsozialismus langsam, aber unerbittlich das sonst eher konservative Ostpreussen erobert, schliesst sich der Kreis um Arthur, der erst verhaftet und um sein ansehnliches Vermogen gebracht wird, dann um sein Leben furchten muss, wahrend der Zweite Weltkrieg immer naher heranruckt. Nachdem er schliesslich dank der Unterstutzung des britischen Untergrunds zunachst nach England entkommen ist, findet er sich zum ersten Mal in seinem Leben, im Alter von 48 Jahren, in der Rolle des Fremden in einem Land, dessen Sprache er nicht spricht und dessen Kultur ihm neu ist. Wahrend seines kurzen Aufenthalts dort beschliesst er nach Bolivien auszuwandern. Dort erfindet er sich das Leben neu, bevor er die letzte Auswanderung seines Lebens vornimmt, die ihn an die Kuste von British Columbia, der westlichsten Provinz Kanadas, fuhrt. Auf diesen Seiten ist die Erzahlung stets mit Beobachtung und Philosophieren verwoben. Alles, was dem Autor widerfahrt, ist ihm eine Gelegenheit zum Nachdenken über das Menschsein, die Zerbrechlichkeit und doch Untentbehrlichkeit von Freundschaft und daruber, warum es sich trotzdem zu leben lohnt.
Click HERE to buy. nostalgic roads
In his well known, inimitable style, Dan Propp takes the reader down Nostalgic Roads that meander through British Columbia’s coastal history. In short stories, punctuated by Dan’s own photographs and song lyrics, Dan covers such topics as B.C. radio, the politics of the past, Hollywood, and gefilte fish.
Dan’s past as a postcard photographer is evidenced in his plethora of images from times gone by that are scattered throughout this book. Gibsons Landing of the 1950s and ‘60s, the town where Dan spent much of his youth, brings back many memories of what life was like when the local dock was the centre of a boy’s existence. The streets of Vancouver and the happenings throughout the years play a big role in Dan’s life as a young man. When he hit the road as a salesman in a clunker that was by no means trustworthy, Dan recorded his experiences in song and photos. Take a leisurely trip with Dan Propp through the gentler days of yesteryear and down nostalgic roads. Click HERE to buy. Landing on my feet
At five years of age, Dan Propp became mesmerized by the world outside the windows of his parents’ rented waterfront suite in Gibsons Landing, British Columbia. Born at 9,000 feet elevation in Sucre, Bolivia he landed in Gibsons in 1950.
In the calm, protected Pacific waters down by Armours Float, young Dan set out to explore his new surroundings. Landing on my Feet takes the reader on a leisurely stroll back in time where memories have been netted like ling cod, with tales of a coastal boyhood as captivating as fishing for shiners on the Pacific coast where Union Steamships landed at Government Pier after coming all the way from Vancouver. From the liquor store, only steps from the pier, to Mrs. Fisher’s Cafe that served the best apple pie in the world, the memories tumble from the pages. Smitty’s Marina, down by the dock, rented wooden rowboats for twenty-five cents an hour, and a “put-put” cost only a dollar. It was a great place to start off from with rented fishing gear and perfectly cut herring strip to try one’s luck for Coho or Spring salmon off Gospel Rock, Salmon Rock and Gower Point. Click HERE to buy. |
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