The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies

My knowledge of the persecution of the Roma/Sinti people during the Holocaust was minimal, at best.  Reading Lewy's book, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, certainly added to my knowledge base; however, I am sure of all of the information provided by the author.  In speaking to historians and scholars (I am an avid attendee of workshops provided by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center) their opinions and research has contradicted Lewy's.  Nonetheless, I feel I have gained valuable knowledge about the Roma/Sinti people.  I will continue to pursue the available resources on the persecution of the gypsies.

Yellow Star

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy is a Holocaust biography written in verse.  Roy's aunt Sylvia was one of 12 children to survive the forced settlement in the Lodz ghetto.  Of the 270,000 Jews and Gypsies living in this ghetto, there were only about 800 survivors.

Roy states that she attempted to write her aunt's story in a variety of styles:  non-fiction, third person, but finally settled on first person.  Written using her aunt's own words, each verse expresses a small child's view of her changing world.  As the years pass by, you can sense Sylvia's better understanding of ghetto and her daily fear.

I enjoyed the first person perspective and my heart filled with sadness imagining my daughter rather than Sylvia.  How fortunate we are that she shared her story.

I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust

I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust reads much more like a history book than a narrative of a Holocaust survivor.  Because of the large amount of historical background information this book is an excellent choice for a student without much prior knowledge. 

Inge Auerbacher's poetry and clear recollection of her imprisonment in Teresienstadt, along with the background information create a very poignant story.  However, the story doesn't seem to contain as much action or suspense as books in the genre of Holocaust literature.  A young adult reader might quickly lose interest because of Auerbacher's more textbook like writing style.

Someone Named Eva

I have read numerous books about the Holocaust.  Generally, the young adult books I've read are about Jewish survivors.  Someone Named Eva is a book about a Catholic survivor.  Malida is a Catholic Czech living in the village of Lidice.  Czechoslovakia was under Nazi reign and assigned a "protector", Reinhard Heydrich.  At the end of May, 1942 resistance fighters attempted to assassinate Heydrich.  Their attempt was successfully in that Heydrich died of wounds he received a few days after the attempt to end his life was made.

The Nazis were furious.  Intelligence reports showed a connection between the resistance fighters and the small town of Lidice.  In retaliation, the Czech men and boys were rounded up and shot.  Women and children were separated.  During this time any children who were thought to match Aryan standards were sent to Lebensborn programs.  Lebensborn programs included the kidnapping of non-Jewish, non-German children and teaching them to become "perfect" Germans.  The women and children who could not pass for Aryan were sent to Ravensbuck work camp or gassed.

Something Named Eva is Malida's story of who she was taken from her family and trained to be a German.  Malida is adopted by a German family and raised as one of their own.  At the end of the war, Malida is reunited with the remaining member of her family, her mother.

I was unaware of the events that took place in Lidice, and this novel made me aware of more Nazi atrocities.  Books like this are so important for young adults.  Making students aware of all the victims of the Holocaust, not just the Jewish victims, is important to understanding that genocide is a global issue that affects us all.

Sold

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Forgotten Garden

Told in alternating chapters, The Forgotten Garden, follows Nell, Eliza and Cassandra and each of their journeys of self-discovery.  Traveling back and forth both between time and continents was a bit confusing at first, but then Kate Morton's transitions became easier to navigate.  The end result is an intricate story of one's connection to family and the interconnectedness of generations.

Each of the characters is beautifully written and given such life like emotions that it would be difficult not to be engaged in their stories.  I especially enjoyed Eliza's fairy tales that were included as a part of the story as a whole.  The inclusion of Frances Hodgson Burnett and the subtle references to The Secret Garden were perfect!

Overall, The Forgotten Garden, is a beautifully written novel with strong female characters who are all connected by their passion for a garden.

The Countess: A Novel

The Countess:  A Novel tells the tale of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess, of Hungary.  I had never heard of the countess, so I was eager to read this book.  I seem to have a fascination for evil people and what makes them tick.  And, with a moniker like the "Blood Countess" I was anticipating some True Blood type antics throughout the novel.  While I am not a sadist or masochist, I enjoy reading about the cruelties humans perpetrate upon each other. 

I truly enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel, especially considering 1600s Hungary is not a time period I've studied in any depth.  Johns provided not only considrable biographical information of Báthory's family line and that of her bethrothed, but also of the political climate of the region.  

The vast majority of the book was spent with Erzsébet's youth and the early years of her marriage.  While this did explain her fastidiousness in running a household, all of the background felt like too much exposition.  Basically, I was looking forward to reading about her monstrosities, but there was very little of that in the novel.  There was truly no revelation as to why she was the Blood Countess.  One could extrapolate from the few gory scenes presented just how ruthless Báthory could be, but I was wanting more. 

The Countess, rather than becoming feared and loathed by the reader becomes a very sympathetic character.  I could feel the pain of isolation early in her marriage.  I could empathize with her infertility and her loss. I could feel her frustration of being solely responsible for the household and help while her husband was off galavanting and fighting wars.  But, again, I didn't want to like her.  I wanted to be horrified by her misdeeds and actions.  Instead, I found myself wanting to befriend her.

Overall, The Countess provided great background knowledge of an historical figure I knew very little about, but I will be looking for other accounts of her life that show her more hideous side.

American Wife

I believe I have started nearly every Book Club post with these exact words...  I truly didn't think that I would enjoy American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld for a number of reasons.  First, the book was supposed to be a loose biography for Laura Bush and, second, the book was about politics, first lady or not.  However, in the end, I couldn't put the book down.  It made for wonderful vacation reading!

Alice is a delightfully naive character in the beginning of the novel, but by the end she is a insightful and wise leading lady.   One of the joys of this story is watching just how Alice grows and changes: her metamorphosis is so realistic and beautiful.  

Alice's grandmother is a hoot!  The point at which Alice discovers her lesbian relationship is priceless.  While, I wish Alice's initial reaction would have been different, I love that, in the end, she regrets her reactions.

I also loved watching Charlie's character evolve and change.  If George Bush, Jr. is indeed anything like Charlie, then my opinion has changed a bit for the better.  Aside from being a buffoon at times, you can't help but adore him.  He's family was so overbearing and frightful!  The image of Alice's first visit and the solitary bathroom had me cringing for her.

All in all, I enjoyed Sittenfeld's novel and recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, but not brain-candy type read. 

Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust

I downloaded this book from my Kindle thinking that it was Christopher Browning's book Ordinary Men:  Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.  I had forgotten the title and just remembered that the word "ordinary" was in the title.  As it turns out,  Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's book was a fascinating and informative read; it just lacked the diary and journal entries that I know are a part of Browning's book.

One thing I found extraordinary was Goldhagen's assertions, backed by research, that soldiers and citizens did have the power to say no.  Men who had been drafted to be part of the Einsatzgruppen could ask for reassignment without fear of penalty or backlash.  It's just that, for the most part, men did not as for reassignment.

This book has been the brunt of much criticism, mostly because a few Holocaust scholars feel that Goldhagen merely published his poorly edited doctoral thesis or complied others research and claiming it's new information.  Even if these claims are true, the information was new to me and reading it all in one place was helpful.

While I am not a Holocaust expert, I can see where the editing needs to improved.  Much of the text is quite repetitive.  He attempts to justify the repetition by stating that he wants to show as many examples as possible, but as a reader, this can get very redundant.

 Overall Hitler's Willing Executioners shed some new light for me, that perhaps many more people went along with The Final Solution, not out of fear and reprisals, not of duty, but out of a deeply rooted antisemitism that goes back centuries.

October 2010

Pumpkins... the iconic image of Autumn, October and of course, Halloween.  I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but adore all things Autumn and pumpkin.  I LOVE pumpkins and cannot wait to indulge in two months of pumpkin pies, breads, cakes and cookies.  I suppose savory treats could be made from pumpkin, but that's not where my taste buds are at!

This month will also be the month I achieve my goal for 2010!  100 books read!  I am so proud and excited to meet this goal.  I am especially excited because my 100th book looks to be written by a high school classmate of mine. 

98.  Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
99.  American Wife:  A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

100.  The Countess:  A Novel by Rebecca Johns

Goal Reached!!!  100 books in 2010! 

101.  The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
102.  Sold by Patricia McCormick
103.  Someone Named Eva by  Joan M. Wolf
104.  I am a Star:  Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher 
105.  Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy 
106.  The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies by Guenter Lewy