The Silence

Monty Helfgott, Ed.D. is an educational psychologist by profession and author of five books focusing on the needs of special education students. Apart from his professional involvement in the fields of special education and psychology, other interests have contributed to the fictional fabric of The Silence- among them, an abiding fascination with history, archaeology, and paranormal-Jewish Mysticism. In preparation for the novel's development, Dr. Helfgott traveled extensively to the Eastern European countries of Poland and Ukraine spending time within the cities of Warsaw, and Lvov, in Western Ukraine. In addition, several weeks were spent in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to exploring specific Biblical sites described in the novel. These Israeli cities, as well as other sites within the state of Israel, played an important role in the development of the story through the character of John Mackenzie and his Quest. On a more personal note, Dr. Helfgott was interested in exploring "Th e Silence" that existed between himself and his father. He explains that as he grew older, he understood that his father was part of a generation having lived through the end of World War I, the entirety of the Great Depression and World War II, and - a generation that believed "suffering in silence" was perhaps courageous. The ramifications of that generational stance are illuminated on a large scale, connecting the personal with the historical and the multidimensional within the story. Many parent-child relationships are characterized by some form of miscommunication or no communication. This underlying theme is part of what gives The Silence its Universal Appeal - in addition to its allure as a fast-paced thriller imbued with historical as well as paranormal overtones. The Silence is the first book in a trilogy exploring world events spanning most of the 20th century and surround the novel's main character John Mackenzie in his identity Quest played out in New York and other cities around the world. The second and third books in the series will reveal the historical roles of Mackenzie's ancestors, and follow him as he embraces his destiny.