ARTFUL READERS CLUB
November 28, 2014
"The Girl in the Green Sweater:
A Life in Holocaust's Shadow"
by Kyrstyna Chiger with Daniel Paisner
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Hi Folks,
It's the end of the month...time for my monthly book review and art for the Artful Readers Club (and anyone else who might enjoy the suggestion of a new book to read or avoid.) Hope the month has been good to you and that you're ready to face the holiday season head on!
This month's book is THE GIRL IN THE GREEN SWEATER: A LIFE IN HOLOCAUST'S SHADOW by Krystyna Chiger (who lived through the horrific time) and Daniel Paisner. Krystyna recounts the story of her survival as a child, while her family transitioned from a wealthy home to the Lvov Ghetto and then into the sewers of Poland, living amid rats, worms and filth. They fled to the sewers, along with several other Jews, then unknown to them, to save their lives during the final 14 months of the Holocaust. Their belief was that they'd see the sun again in a few weeks...this was not their lot!
Krystyna was almost 8 years old when Germany and Russia split Poland in 1939. Living under the Communist government wasn't easy for the Jews in Eastern Poland as the Ukrainians were brutally cruel to them. When the German army invaded, they suffered another brand of cruelty. All their circumstances are viewed and explained through the eyes of Krystyna...a child victim of the times, (augmented, in part, by the unpublished memoirs of her father.) But, in typical child-like fashion, her positive attitude shines through her writing as she's grateful to be with her family...even through such difficult times. Their survival beneath the city in the inhabitable sewers, in addition to their own bravery and tenacity, depended greatly on the support and eventual friendship of a Polish Catholic man, Leopold Socha (a sewer worker and former thief) and his two friends. They risked their own lives and that of their families to bring them supplies, comfort and news even when the money to pay for these services ran out...good to find that their intentions were not solely mercenary.
With each book I read about the Holocaust, I'm overwhelmed by the human capacity for cruelty as well as bravery, generosity and will to survive. This book is no different in that manner...Krystyna shares her thoughts as a little girl and keeps the reader intrigued by the story and the sheer miracle of survival. Most poignant were the times she and her little brother could hear the children playing above their sewer grate...
This was a beautiful piece of historical literature.... beautiful, harrowing and heartbreaking. It's not just another Holocaust story, it's unique, haunting and in the end, triumphant!! YES...this is a must-read!
Thanks for stopping by. I pray you enjoyed your Thanksgiving (those of you who celebrate the holiday,) and that you found many blessings for which to be thankful. I'm thankful, among other things, for YOU!
xox,
Hope to see you for my next...
abbyj
It does sound like a good book. It will go on my list. I recently finished The Paying Guests, which I think you would enjoy. Of course, I like your art piece of the people under the snowy grate.
ReplyDeleteIf only I would take time to read the wonderful books that you have read and reviewed. This will be on my must read list without a doubt. Your companion art piece is perfect!
ReplyDeleteI was pleased to see it was available in our library!
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