My Never Ending List

Rumors: Nazis, labor camps, Hitler and death. That is what Miriam and Eva’s mother thought they were until the Hungarian soldiers came knocking at their door and it’s her denial that had her wondering if perhaps things might had turned out differently had she reacted sooner. The writing is fascinating and interesting as Eva writes about her family and their lives being Jews during Hitler’s rein. Reading about the girls as they are harassed in school by their classmates as they read school books containing Jewish slurs and watch short films on how to capture and kill Jews, just made me boil inside. These two- 9 year-old girls find the strength to lean on one another, when their whole world inside their school was falling down on them. The author does a fantastic job clarifying the history of the area, informing the reader of the action taking place plus adding definitions of unfamiliar words along in the texts to keep the reader involved. As the family is rounded up, the girls celebrate their birthday surrounded with 7,000 other Jews and are put into a ghetto. Their time there is short but their memories are extensive as they board the railcars for destinations unknown. If you have read anything about the platforms at the concentration camps, you know how they separate the individuals as they stumble out into the fresh air. Every time I read about this, the relief and the dread overcomes me. As the girls get separated from their parents, it’s heartbreaking. These twin girls are now under special care which creates some unique problems of their own. Dr. Mengele is a doctor with his own agenda. Twins fascinate him and he wants to do medical treatments on them. This is definitely a book worth reading if you enjoy reading book from this time period. The author shares her story with honesty and spirit; she has a message to share to her readers. Having a father-in-law who was a prisoner of war, I am drawn to the stories that other survivors write about their experiences. I never want to feel what my father-in-law endured or what other survivors write about, their stories are quite enough. I am thankful that they share their stories with us for they are true heroes.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Tanglewood Press in exchange for an honest opinion.