Once upon a time (approximately) 150 years ago, a Torah scribe and his wife raised six children in a shtetl on the western fringe of the Russian empire. The family expanded, and when politics barged in there was much unrest, and the families divided. One branch ended up in America and achieved the American Dream. They founded Maidenform lingerie and became quite wealthy. Another branch went to Israel. They were not as successful, but they thankfully avoided the holocaust and eventually prospered. The third group remained and were caught up in the Nazi occupation. Watching the American branch try to help (and not help) those left behind made me realize we never know what we will do in a given situation.
Laskin tells the story of each of these groups. The successes are sweet, and the horrors are heartbreaking. It is not that Laskin's book is filled with things that we haven't read about before, it is that his book is so very readable. He did what we all want to do...write our own masterpiece...and he did it well.
This is a great book for your family library.
- Beverly
Publisher - Viking Adult
Date of Publication - October 15, 2013