Holocaust Survivor Publishes First Novel at Age 90

At 90 years old, Michael Fryd is living proof that dreams don't have expiration dates.

The Holocaust survivor and retired DuPont scientist published his first memoir at 75 and just released his second novel in March 2026. For seven decades, he carried a childhood dream born in the darkest of places.

During World War II, Fryd's family hid from Nazis in a root cellar in Poland. With nothing to do in that confined space, his parents taught him to read. His mother would occasionally smuggle in books that transported him beyond those walls.

"The books really broke the walls of the cellar," Fryd said. "They allowed me to wander in the magical world that they represented. And so, I thought it would be just wonderful to become a writer."

Instead, Fryd became a celebrated scientist. He spent 35 years as a DuPont Fellow and earned a spot in the company's Hall of Fame alongside the inventors of nylon and Teflon. He received the Lavoisier Medal for technical excellence and a PhD in organic chemistry from NYU.

But the writing dream never died. After fully retiring at 75, Fryd joined the Carpinteria Writers' Group during his winter stays in California. The welcoming community gave him the courage to finally start publishing.

"I said, 'Well, these people are writers. I'm just somebody who has delusions of grandeur,'" Fryd recalled. "But I gathered the courage, and I went to the first meeting, and they were so welcoming and an enormous resource."

His memoir, "My Mother's War: A Holocaust Survivor's Tribute to an Extraordinary Woman," describes their escape from Poland to France and eventual immigration to America. His latest novel, "Eva's Secret," explores similar themes through fiction, examining a son's discovery of his mother's Holocaust diaries written in Yiddish.

Why This Inspires

Fryd's late-career writing success shows that unfulfilled dreams can still blossom at any age. What makes his story particularly powerful is how he's using his platform to educate future generations.

Since his memoir's publication, Fryd has given 40 to 50 talks annually at schools, sharing Holocaust history while emphasizing broader lessons about othering and hate. "Hate is more destructive to the person who is the hater than it is to the person they hate," he tells students.

He doesn't just talk about historical atrocities. Fryd connects past lessons to present-day choices, encouraging young people to show up for their communities with small acts of kindness.

His journey from that dark root cellar to published author spans continents, careers, and cultures, but the through line remains constant: the transformative power of stories and the courage to share them.