Their Promised Land: My Grandparents in Love and War

Ian Buruma's maternal grandparents were born into the same world: children of German-Jewish émigré stockbrokers living in London. Bernard (""Bun"") and Winifred (""Win"") Schlesinger were married for more than sixty years, but the heart of the story Buruma tells with characteristic grace lies within the span of the two world wars. With the outbreak of war in 1939, Bun was drawn into service, stationed in India as a military doctor. No matter what else befell them, Win and Bernard sustained a remarkably consistent stream of letters back and forth. Their Promised Land is Ian Buruma's spellbinding homage to the sustaining power of a family's love and devotion through very dark days.