The Invisible Wall.

Bernstein, Harry. The Invisible Wall.
Random House, 2007. 297p $22.95 978-0-345-49580-8

Jews lived on one side of the street, Christians on the other. Despite this invisible wall, a love blossomed between Jewish Lily and Christian Arthur than eventually united the communities. Harry Bernstein tells his family’s incredible story.
Can a 93-year-old man still remember dinner conversations prior to World War I? Little matter, what first-time author Bernstein gives the reader is a poignant and beautiful memoir of a racial; religious, and cultural divide bridged by the power of love.

Growing up in a small Lancashire mill town at the turn of the century, Harry Bernstein endured the violence of anti-Semitism at school and the lethal cocktail of alcoholism and poverty at home. On a street that divided the Jewish and Christian communities, only a few yards came between the communities, but they were worlds apart. Then Harry became the go-between for his older sister, Lily, and Arthur, her Christian lover.

At times the story seems almost too well-remembered, and seems more historical fiction than an actual memoir. Whatever its “real” status, this is a lyrical testament to a bygone time. This story of poverty and resilience, redeemed by the ultimate power of love will appeal to fans of Angela’s Ashes.
Recommended for high school and adult biography collections, multicultural collections, and those containing World War I memoirs. PN