Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Souvenir cover art

The Souvenir

By: Louise Steinman
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.99

Buy Now for $22.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Louise Steinman has published essays and articles in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Washington Post, and Salon. She has also led writing workshops and curates literacy programs. The Souvenir, a powerful, best-selling book, was a featured selection of the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and others.

Growing up, Louise Steinman never understood the private hell that tormented her father. Years later, among her late parents’ belongings, she discovers a metal ammo box. In it are almost 500 letters written by her father to her mother during World War II. It also contains a silk Japanese flag inscribed to Yoshio Shimizu. When she reads the letters, Steinman begins to see what her father experienced in the endless days of combat. She also embarks on a decade-long search to find out who Shimizu was-a search which culminates in a trip to Japan to return his flag. The result is a powerful story of discovery, connection, and reconciliation. Weaving together her father’s letters, historical details and the political propaganda of both sides, Steinman creates a narrative that is a unique examination of the personal and universal costs of war.

©2001 Louise Steinman (P)2002 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about The Souvenir

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.