In this translation from the 2008 Polish original, Kazmierska (sociology of culture, U. of Lodz, Poland) focuses broadly on displacement throughout modern history of peoples in Central and Eastern Europe and how a return to one's birthplace influences perceptions of one's biography. Drawing on the work of German sociologist Fritz Schutze on narration, interviews with Holocaust survivors residing in Israel, and published memoirs, her analysis treats individual and collective dimensions of the experiences and memories of Jewish returnees to Poland following the war plus those of local Polish communities who witnessed their return. Narrative themes include marginality, ambivalence vs. rootedness, and viewing the past in terms of subsequent life stages. Some new references have been added. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)