"He examines "the paradoxical combination of the trauma of loss and the desire for belonging” (2) and how place-based memories have been constructed after war, destruction, mass murder, and displacement. Following the introduction's theoretical analysis, six chapters discuss urban ruination, memory loss and martyrdom, representations in popular literature, and the importance of photographic images in remembering lost urban communities. The conclusion summarizes these diverse strategies of “memory culture” and how they have been crucial in creating urban cultures in East-Central Europe."--B. Osborne, emeritus, Queen's University at Kingston, CHOICE, March 2020 Vol. 57 No. 7Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduates through faculty, and professionals.