American Experts with Best-Selling Author Marty Brounstein:
By: Aurora DeRose, PhD
For 25 years, Marty Brounstein led the consulting firm The Practical Solutions Group, serving a wide variety of clients on issues of leadership and organizational effectiveness. Through this work, he wrote eight books related to business management.
But his 9th book, Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust, is quite different and special. It has put Marty in the interfaith business, as he has a story of a Christian couple, Frans and Mien Wijnakker, who saved the lives of at least two dozen Jews during World War II and the Holocaust. This book takes Marty back to his early career as an educator, when he was teaching history including the Holocaust. This true and remarkable story has a meaningful personal connection as well, which Marty reveals in his engaging storytelling presentations.
Q: Where were you born?
A: In the Chicago area. I’m from Illinois.
Q: Did you go to high school there?
A: Yes, all the way until undergraduate.
Q: In your early years, did you always want to be a writer?
A: Probably not, although I gravitated towards it because I liked writing and I had stories I could write about. It’s never been a full-time occupation, but always been part of something I was doing. Those early years definitely helped shape it.
Q: Other than being a writer, what did you aspire to do?
A: I had two areas of interest back then. One was sports broadcasting, and the other was education. The second one was the one I ended up doing for a few years, specifically history.
Q: When did you “get bitten” by the book writing bug?
A: Probably when I was doing my management consulting business. That’s when I wrote my books on business management. I met someone who was a publisher, and they helped me out, and that lead to more and more work in that field.
Q: Now explain how do you pivot to eight books on business management to your current books on history?
A: A trip to the Netherlands pivoted me over ten years ago, when I was there with my wife on a six-week visit. By accident, we stumbled upon the 5 children of Frans and Mien Wijnakker, and that sparked me writing about their parents, which eventually became “Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust.” My next project is a book focusing on the resistance titled “Women of Valor.” I’m hoping to find a publisher for that.
Q: When did you get thunderstruck by the idea that it would make a good book?
A: The first child we met was Frans Wijnakker Jr., who lives in the house where the rescues took place. He was excited to see my wife after 25 years, and he pulled out a picture and told us, “My wife and I went to the Yad Vashem holocaust museum. This is a picture of the plaque they received in the Avenue of the Righteous.”
I understand what that meant. It’s awarded to non-Jews who attempted to save lives during the holocaust. That immediately sparked my interest. He asked us how much longer we were going to be in town for, and he invited us to re-meet and see the rest of the children. That night, more sparks flew and they gave me a Dutch book that had stories on them. I incorporated many of those into my future novel. That night, I thought it would make a great story that the world should know about.
Q: Before you met them, did you have any particular interest in the Holocaust or World War 2?
A: A strong interest. Always have. Even back when I was a history teacher, I would always made it my special unit, and that background came in handy when writing.
Q: The book has gotten a great deal of critical mention and success. How has that changed your life?
A: Good question. It’s put me on this journey that has definitely shaped my life, where I get to speak around the country about it. The most amazing thing is the audience reception to it. I want people to hear this story of positivity and how we can make a difference in difficult times.
Q: As you look around the world today knowing what you know, do you find yourself an optimist of pessimist?
A: Neither. I tend to be more of an optimist personally, because I tend to see the good in people, but I still recognize that there is a lot of evil out there. I’d rather label myself a pragmatist. It’s all about balance.
Q: If people want to learn more about you or your book, where should they go?
A: They should go to my website:
https://www.martyabrounstein.com
Or my Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MartyA.Brounstein/
Q: Thank you so much, Marty.
A: You’re welcome. It’s been a pleasure.
