We Were the Lucky Ones

[cnq50b]

I saw this at a bookstore at the airport, thought it sounded interesting so got it from the library when I got home.

I couldn't put it down - read it straight through in 3 days. I was transported & felt as if I walked with this family through their days of fear, facing the unknown, holding onto their concern & love for each other. It is extremely well-written. And be sure to read the author's notes at the end afterwards.

Here's an intro from the author's website:
Introduction
An extraordinary, propulsive novel based on the untold true story of a family of Polish Jews who are separated at the start of the Second World War, determined to survive—and to reunite.
It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety.
As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere.
A novel of breathtaking sweep and scope that spans five continents and six years and transports readers from the jazz clubs of Paris to Kraków’s most brutal prison to the ports of Northern Africa and the farthest reaches of the Siberian gulag, We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how, in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can find a way to survive, and even triumph.

[Bethers]

Thanks for the excellent review... I just purchased the Kindle version.

[cnq50b]

I hope you like it, Beth. I've decided I need to 'own' a copy so I"m ordering it from Amazon - hoping to take it at a slower pace next time.

[SoCalGalcas]

Thanks Catherine, I will get it from the library.
Several books out now about the same subject...so important that we never forget the truth of real history.
The Nightengale is another one I enjoyed as well as Kate Quinn's The Alice Network.
lyn

[cnq50b]

Thanks, Lyn. I'll look into those too.
This has really re-kindled my love of reading. I forgot how you can be transported so easily in a book. As kids we spent our summer walking to the library, checking out a few books & then stopping on the way home to start reading them because we just couldn't wait!

[Bethers]

I've never lost that love of reading. Not everything I read has as much significance, but sometimes I just want to escape, so those books have a place also.

[SoCalGalcas]

Along these same themes, is SAND and ASH by Amy Harman. This book takes place in Italy. A.tho the two protagonists are fictional characters, the stories are true facts about what happened in Italy during WW2.
One interesting fact tat has stuck with me is, 80% of Italy’s Jews survived WW2, 80% of Europe’s Jews did not. Do you wonder why? Is this book the answer?
Lyn

[cnq50b]

I will definitely have to read that one, Lyn. I just put it on hold at the library. Will be a bit before its available though.
That's an interesting fact - looks like more digging/research is in my future.
Thanks!

[SoCalGalcas]

I have just finished this book! WOW, I think I held my breath through the entire book! Thanks for the recommendation!
We have had an act of a hate crime in town just two days ago. When they Catch the culprits their punishment should be to read this book.
Lyn

[cnq50b]

Glad you enjoyed it (if that's the right word), Lyn.
It heightened my awareness of how quickly & quietly something like this can happen. No one thought it could happen. No one thought it was as bad as it was. But it could & it was. I think everyone should read it as a reminder of what hate can do.

[SoCalGalcas]

I believe ALL of us should make ourselves aware of what is going on in the world today. Why our Oregon members will not go into Portland. Why the “yellow jackets” in Europe are just thugs destroying private property.

Who one votes for is so important. Please know what you are voting for. Here is San Diego people voted for a local proposition that will give the unpopular mayor a big raise. Now they are screaming about “I didn’t know what that meant”
Read these things carefully I say!

Off my soapbox for the day. Lyn

[cnq50b]

So true, Lyn.

[Bethers]

I agree we all need to research. But, Lyn, you pm'd me and publicly posted over keeping politics out of the forum. But I didn't know we had Oregon members who won't go into Portland.