Words to Live By

by Laura Breen Galante

“I was born in a displaced-persons camp in Germany, two years and one day after my mom was freed from Auschwitz,” says Mark Newhouse, the elder member of a father/son duo of Orlando authors who are bringing new perspectives on tragedy to new audiences.

Mark says the Holocaust remained a shadow in his life. His understanding of the Holocaust and how his parents had lived in Poland’s Lodz ghetto was never really discussed.

“When they mentioned living in the Lodz ghetto and they met up with other immigrants from Lodz, I pictured it like Anatevka from Fiddler on the Roof,” Mark says. “I had no idea that it was set up by the Nazis in 1939 as a holding tank for Jews before the final destination.”

It wasn’t until after his mother passed away that Mark came across a book she had given to him. It turned out to be a chronicle of the Lodz ghetto, clandestine entries kept by a group of Jews who risked their lives to document the atrocities they witnessed.

“If they were talking about a shipment of laundry bags out of the ghetto, it was a disguise for people,” Mark says, describing the horrific accounts in the journal. “They were talking about people who were being sent out of the ghetto.”

After three days of being immersed in the chronicle, Mark decided that he had to write about it. His mother lost five siblings in the Holocaust.

“I owed it to my children and my grandchildren so they would know what I did not know for most of my life,” says Mark.

After 30 days of what he says was nonstop typing, Mark emerged with a 700-page historical fiction manuscript, The Devil’s Bookkeepers, based on his family’s amazing experience    and survival.

A respected teacher by profession, Mark used his passion for storytelling in various ways over the years, going the extra mile to inspire his students. He taught in Central Islip, Long Island, for more than three decades, where he was named Elementary Secondary Teacher of the Year by the New York State Reading Association. A Newsday article featured him and his students donned in costumes with the title Madcap Teacher Opens Minds. But Mark never thought he would be a published author, himself.

Encouraged by others in the field, Mark entered the manuscript into a contest hosted by the Florida Writers Association, where he is a member and volunteer. The book emerged a finalist, and Mark used feedback from the judges to split the lengthy tale into two parts. He reentered the revised manuscript the following year, and it won book of the year. It’s also taken home various other awards: a 2020 grand prize in fiction series from the Chanticleer International Book Awards and a 2021 grand prize from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards. Mark later wrote a third book, which completes the trilogy.

Mark’s son also has a passion for writing, and like his father, Keith Newhouse is using books to pass down the most difficult lessons of history.

Keith is the author of My Tío’s Pulse, a book designed to help parents explain the Pulse nightclub tragedy to children.

“Every cent of profit earned from the book goes back to the One Pulse Foundation,” says Keith.

Together, Mark and Keith operate Newhouse Creative Group, a publishing house for new and established writers that gives back to the community. They often speak in local classrooms about social justice, acceptance, and dealing with hate, and the Newhouse Creative Group publishes study guides to help teachers deliver their own lessons.

Father and son recently appeared in a program hosted by the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida via Zoom. The program was called Naming My Monsters: Messages from the Holocaust and was about finding hope in hopeless, bleak situations.

“We really should call it Messages of Love and Hope,” says Mark. “My message is one of hope.”

Unlike many who speak about the Holocaust, Mark doesn’t deal directly with death. Instead, he focuses on the need to preserve the stories of survivors before they are lost.

“It isn’t about hate or the need for revenge going forward – but how to overcome hate, fear, and prejudice,” he says. “Violence is not the way to solve problems.”

Instead, Mark uses his words to educate, inspire, and keep memories alive.