Bornstein, Michael, and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat. Survivors Club.

Bornstein, Michael, and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat. Survivors Club. Macmillan/Farrar Strauss    2017  348p  $16.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-374-30571-0  ms/hs  History  VG

This well-written book tells the story of Michael Bornstein and his survival of the Holocaust. He decided to write his story when his photograph was discovered on a website declaring that the Holocaust never happened. Michael, who was taken to a concentration camp at the age of four, decided his story must be told. It explains his time before, during, and after his stay in Auschwitz.

This memoir is sure to captivate readers. Horrifying as it is, it tells of Michael's experiences in the concentration camp and his remarkable survival. Readers will be amazed. It is a must-read for those interested in the Holocaust what life was like for millions who endured Hitler’s rule.  It is highly recommended for any middle- or high-school library.

Summary: This memoir tells the story of Michael Bornstein’s survival of the Holocaust due to the love of his family and a well-timed illness.

Holocaust-Memoir                                            --Virginia McGarvey

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy. Somewhere There Is Still a Sun.

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy.  Somewhere There Is Still a Sun.  Aladdin see Simon Schuster 2015  384p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-4424-8486-3    ms/hs  Memoir  VG-BN 

This well-written memoir details the life and experiences of Michael (Misha) Gruenbaum, who was born in Prague and lived in the Jewish community there until his transfer to a concentration camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, with his mother and sister.  Written in the first person, Michael’s memoir tells the story of the most horrific years of his life, from 1939-1945, from the perspective of the boy that he was at that time.

The events are written as Misha the boy understood them, so young readers will feel empathy for him and relate to his family’s trials and suffering. Gruenbaum tells in great detail of the fear that he felt every day, waiting to be transported, and then being sent with his mother and sister to live in the concentration camp in Terezin until the end of the war when the Red Cross arrived, and the reader feels as though s/he is coming along on the journey.  Misha describes the conflict and surreal emotions that he experienced for four years as he roomed with forty other boys who became his brothers, playing soccer one day, hiding another day, and always hungry.

The book is written with sensitivity, but it accurately depicts the brutal events and raw emotions felt by many Jews during the Holocaust. It will resonate well with students seeking first-person information on the Holocaust. The memoir ends with an epilogue that provides an adult’s perspective on Misha’s adolescent misconceptions and misunderstandings of the events that occurred. It also describes his move to the United States and his reasons for writing the book, which is highly recommended.

Summary: This is a well-written memoir detailing the life and experiences of Michael Gruenbaum, born into Prague’s Jewish community and later transferred to a labor camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, during the Holocaust, 1939-1945.

Holocaust, World War II                               --Virginia McGarvey

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy. Somewhere There is Still A Sun.

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy.  Somewhere There is Still A Sun.  Simon & Schuster/Aladdin  2015  384p  $17.99 ISBN 978-1-4424-8486-3  ms/hs  Nonfiction  VG-BN

           

This well-written memoir details the life and experiences of Michael (Misha) Gruenbaum, who was born in Prague and lived there in the Jewish community until his transfer to a concentration camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, with his mother and sister.  Writing in the first person, Michael tells the story of the most horrific years of his life, from 1939 to 1945, from the perspective of the boy that he was at that particular time of the Holocaust.
    

The events as described from the child’s point of view will resonate with readers and lead them to an understanding and empathy with Misha as he and his family undergo many trials and much suffering.  The fear that he felt every day as he waited to be transported, and then was sent, along with his mother and sister, to live in the concentration camp in Terezin until the end of the Holocaust when the Red Cross arrives -- Gruenbaum relates all of it in such detail that the reader feels as though s/he is along on the journey.  Misha describes the conflicts and surreal emotions that he experienced for four years as he roomed with forty other boys who became his brothers -- playing soccer one day, hiding another day, and always, always hungry.

The book is written with sensitivity; however, it accurately depicts the events and emotions felt by many Jews during the Holocaust.  It will appeal to students studying or seeking first-person information about the Holocaust.  The memoir ends with an epilogue that describes and clarifies Misha’s revelations as an adult with regard to the misconceptions that he harbored as an adolescent.  It also describes his move to the United States and his motivations for writing the book.  This book is highly recommended, provided that the text is not changed from the advanced reader’s/reviewer’s copy.
                 

Summary: This is a memoir detailing the life and experiences of Michael Gruenbaum, born into Prague’s Jewish community and later transferred to a labor camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, during the Holocaust, 1939-1945.

Holocaust-Memoir                                            --Virginia McGarvey