San Francisco: "Annie's Ghost,' March 4

Steve Luxenberg, author of the award-winning "Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret," will speak at the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society on Thursday, March 4.

The program begins at 7.30pm at the Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis Street (free parking).

Don't miss meeting Steve and hearing about how he uncovered the family secrets. As a good investigative journalist - he's been a reporter and editor for more than 30 years - Steve's quest utilizes the same skills that all genealogists should be using.

Tracing the Tribe couldn't put the book down and read it at one sitting. It's a must-read for everyone who knows there are secrets in his or her family.

Part memoir, part detective story, part history, Annie's Ghosts untangles one family's long-protected silence. Steve Luxenberg employed his skills as a journalist while struggling to maintain his empathy as a son to piece together the story of his aunt's unknown life, his mother's motivations, and the times in which they lived.

An investigation that began with a lifelong family secret turns into a journey through imperial Russia and Depression-era Detroit, the Holocaust in Ukraine and the Philippine war zone, and back to the hospitals where Annie and many others languished in anonymity.

Steve is an associate editor at The Washington Post and has worked for more than 30 years as a newspaper editor and reporter.

From 1996-2006, he was the editor of The Washington Post's Sunday Outlook section, and he currently focuses on special projects and in-depth reporting including the causes and consequences of the financial crisis.

For directions and more information on the SFBAJGS, click here.