Author of Worse than War, Daniel Goldhagen, Speaks in Memphis

Facing History and Ourselves welcomed author, filmmaker, and scholar Daniel Goldhagen for a Community Conversation in Memphis on April 22. Over 320 students, educators, and community members attended the event, where local Allstate representative and Marketing Distribution Leader Tom Barrick kicked off the evening by giving the audience a warm welcome. Director of Facing History’s office in Memphis, Rachel Shankman, then began the programming by providing an overview of Facing History and introducing Goldhagen’s work, specifically his most recent book and its documentary film adaptation, Worse than War.

Dr. Steve Haynes, a Memphis Advisory Board Member and professor at Rhodes College, introduced Goldhagen as "one of the world's most renowned scholars of the Holocaust and genocide." During his talk, Goldhagen focused on our collective civic responsibility to help end genocide.

After Goldhagen's presentation, each member of the audience was asked to converse with a neighbor, discussing the film excerpts shown, Goldhagen's remarks, and how each helped them to better understand the potential for preventing genocide. The evening concluded with questions from the audience, followed by a book sale and signing. Local partners for the event included Bornblum Judaic Studies at the University of Memphis.

Prior to the event, Goldhagen participated in and helped to facilitate the first Facing History workshop for teachers looking at the documentary film based on his book, Worse Than War. Teachers, board members, and other Facing History supporters joined the workshop and an intimate conversation with Goldhagen. Participants viewed and discussed several excerpts from the film, and heard Goldhagen’s suggestions on how to incorporate the film into their classrooms.