by Jennifer Roy
Read: March 3, 2015
Published: June 3, 2014
Genre: Historical fiction
Series: NA
"In 1945 the war ended. The Germans surrendered, and the ghetto was liberated. Out of over a quarter of a million people, about 800 walked out of the ghetto. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. I was one of the twelve." For more than fifty years after the war, Syvia, like many Holocaust survivors, did not talkabout her experiences in the Lodz ghetto in Poland. She buried her past in order to move forward. But finally she decided it was time to share her story, and so she told it to her niece, who has re-told it here using free verse inspired by her aunt. This is the true story of Syvia Perlmutter—a story of courage, heartbreak, and finally survival despite the terrible circumstances in which she grew up. A timeline, historical notes, and an author's note are included. (Amazon)
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Why did you read this book?
I'm not going to lie, if this book hadn't been an assignment for my children's literature class, I probably wouldn't have read it. I don't usually go straight for the historical fiction, you know? (Although I do enjoy a good historical romance.) But yeah, I had to read this book for my class.
What did you like about this book?
I actually really loved the format. It was written as poetic prose, which initially I was kind of dreading. Between creative writing and children's lit, I am getting so sick of poems. But this was written in a way that only looked like poetry, but didn't read like it. (so...poetic prose...) I felt that the title was perfect for this book, as so much relates back to the Star of David that Syvia is forced to wear on her coat. I've also never really read a Holocaust book from a child's point of view, so I liked that part of it. I have read Number the Stars, but that book doesn't deal with the concentration camps and atrocities committed against the Jews as in depth as this book does. Overall, it was a very good book and I read it in just a few hours.
What didn't you like about this book?
I hated that this was based on a true story. I hated that it actually happened. Although, there isn't anything that the author can do about that. In regards to the book, I didn't like the lack of dialogue. I realize that that is just how the book was written, but I love to hear characters talk. This book was entirely a narration from Syvia. The only type of dialogue was Syvia saying that someone said something. (Vague, right?)
Bottom-Line:
I realize this was a super short review, but it was a pretty short book. It was very good and I didn't really have many complaints about it. I don't think I will read it again (who knows, I might) and I know I won't add it to my shelf. I think some books you only need to read once. That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII and the Holocaust. Heck, I'd recommend it to anyone, regardless of their preferred reading topics.
"...because yellow is meant to be a happy color, not the color of hate." -Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
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