Karen Batshaw
Karen Batshaw is an author and native of Chicago, Illinois. She currently resides in Washintgon, DC and Williamsburg, Virginia. Karen has a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology and a Masters Degree in Social Work. Karen developed an International Adoption Program in Cambodia. Today Karen is a world traveler and enjoys immersing herself in other cultures, with a particular fondness for Greece and its people. It is her special passion to educate people about the “lost events” in Greece during the first half of the twentieth century.
Light and Shadows
April 12, 2019
In 1923, during the Asia Minor Genocide, Andreas, a young Greek Orthodox boy, witnesses the massacre of his family. And so begins Light and Shadows, from the burning of Smyrna by the Turks, to 1943 and the story of Rebecca, a young woman eluding the deportation of Greek Jews by the Bulgarians. The lives of Rebecca and Andreas intertwine when they are forced to make choices of life or death as they flee the Nazis.
Hidden In Plain Sight
June 15, 2016
As Nazis expand their domination of the European continent, nearly sixty thousand Greek Jews mistakenly believe they are safe.
Anna, a young Jewess from Salonika, has gone to live in Athens. Trained as a doctor, Anna knows if the German army invades, she will no longer be allowed to practice medicine at the hospitals.
With great anguish, Anna masks her faith and her vocation to live as a Christian and avoid arousing any suspicion. Anna falls in love with Alexander, an Orthodox Christian.
Documenting the terrible brutal occupation of Greece by the Nazis, Hidden in Plain Sight shines a light on the plight of Greece’s Jews and the brave attempts of the Archbishop of Athens to protect them. Carefully researched and expertly plotted, this novel’s attention to detail and compelling characters will appeal to fans of historical fiction and those of Jewish faith or Greek heritage.
Speaking Engagements
Karen is available for presentations about Greece in World War II and/or the burning of Smyrna in Asia Minor.
The cost of airfare for speaking engagements is requested. Many groups and organizations have combined their resources for several presentations in one location.
Contact Karen to arrange for skype presentations for groups and book clubs.