Lerner Pulls 'Angel Girl'

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 12/30/2008 7:54:00 AM

Upon learning that the widely publicized Holocaust love story of Herman and Roma Rosenblat, which inspired the picture book Angel Girl, is not entirely true, Lerner Publishing Group announced yesterday that it would pull the book from shelves. Lerner imprint Carolhroda Books published Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman in September 2008. The house has canceled all pending reprints and is issuing refunds on all returned books. The company is no longer offering the book for sale and is recalling the book from the market.

Angel Girl retold a portion of Mr. Rosenblat’s story about surviving a work camp during the Holocaust by receiving food from a girl from the other side of the fence, and then meeting this same girl many years later on a blind date in the U.S. and marrying her. After investigation by the New Republic, Rosenblat and his agent, Andrea Hurst, released statements on December 27, saying parts of his story were fabricated. Hurst’s statement said that although Rosenblat’s stories from the concentration camps were true, he invented the love story. Rosenblat also revealed that he made up the chance reunion with the girl.

Mr. Rosenblat first told his story in the 1990s, when he entered a newspaper contest. Over the years, his story was covered by the media and he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 and 2007. Friedman first read Rosenblat’s story in an online newspaper and contacted the Rosenblats. She interviewed the couple for her book, and said, “My goal in writing Angel Girl was to communicate that even in the darkest of times, no one should give up hope.”

Now that she knows the truth, Friedman added, “I, like many others, am disappointed and upset to now learn of Herman’s fabrications.” Adam Lerner, president and publisher of Lerner Publishing Group, said, “We have been misled by the Rosenblats, who gave us and our author what we believed to be an authentic and moving account of their lives.”

Berkley Books, which was set to publish Rosenblat’s memoir, Angel at the Fence, has cancelled its project as well. Berkley will demand that the author and the agent return all money they have received for this work.