Chapter 5

Personal Essays about Hearing Stories of Helping

Authors

  • Mimica Tsezana-Hyman American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece
  • Alexander George Katopis University of Southern Maine
  • Susan Santiago Private Practice

Abstract

This chapter presents three personal stories about the experience of hearing stories of courage and moral choice within the context of family or work environments. These stories range from the retelling of experiences in Greece during the Nazi occupation to stories shared by senior citizens looking back at responses to discriminatory practices in Puerto Rico as they offered shelter and support to the author during Hurricane Katrina. In each case, the stories were either told repeatedly by relatives, or the stories echoed similar stories told in the past by family members. In each of these contexts, the listener describes the experience of learning about moral choices made in challenging situations that have helped to shape the choices that they continue to make long after hearing those stories.

Keywords: Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina, Zakynthos, loyalty, forced sterilization, elders

Author Biographies

Mimica Tsezana-Hyman, American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece

Mimica Tsezana Hyman, BA, is a Board member of the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece in Newburgh, New York.

Alexander George Katopis, University of Southern Maine

Alexander Katopis, MS, is a Lecturer and Field Placement Coordinator in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine.

Susan Santiago, Private Practice

Susan Santiago, PhD, is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor in private practice in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

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Published

2020-01-23

How to Cite

Tsezana-Hyman, M., Katopis, A. G., & Santiago, S. (2020). Chapter 5: Personal Essays about Hearing Stories of Helping. Narrative Works, 9(1), 93. Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NW/article/view/30520