In Family Declassified social scientist Katherine Fennelly delves into the rationale and consequences of family secrets by studying her grandfather, Francis Kalnay, a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who overcame a childhood marked by tragedy and rose to become the head of an elite espionage unit for the Allied Forces during World War II. In 1954 Francis abandoned his family and fled to Mexico for two decades where he reinvented himself as a children’s book author, an architect, and a gourmand.
It took several years of examination of declassified government records, personal interviews, and genealogical searches to piece together the life of a man who kept secrets about his Jewish identity, the nature of his work as a spy, and the murder of his sister by Hungarian Nazis. The result is a manuscript that examines the nature of family myths and presents the gripping story of a man whose life was shaped by some of the most extraordinary events of the 20th century.
Nonfiction
Family Declassified: Uncovering My Grandfather’s Journey from Spy to Children’s Book Author
September 1, 2023
Discussion Questions
Courtesy of Katherine Fennelly
- What did you learn from Family Declassified about the causes of anti-semitism in Hungary?
- What explains the transformation of Budapest from a city that welcomed Jews to what has been called “Holocaust City”?
- What examples are presented of antisemitism in the US government during WWII?
- Have you read about the rule of Victor Orban in Hungary and his popularity among some American politicians? What similarities exist between his positions and those exhibited by Hungarian rulers during WWII?
- How did Ferko’s role as a father who abandoned his wife and children contrast with his actions as a war hero?
- Can you think of examples of famous figures who demonstrated these contradictions?
- Were you surprised by the story of Ferko’s mother? What does it tell us about the treatment of women with mental health problems in Central Europe during the early 20th century?
- What does the author suggest as the reasons for Ferko’s self-imposed exile in Mexico for two decades? Which explanations seem most plausible to you?
- What is at the root of family secrets about identity?
- Are there examples of secrets in your family that have been guarded for generations?
Jewish literature inspires, enriches, and educates the community.
Help support the Jewish Book Council.
