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Genealogy Book Store > Genealogy books beginning with N
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No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War |
Author: Anita Lobel
Published: 2000-02-29 |
List price: $6.99
Our price: $6.99
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As of: January 05th, 2009 08:31:47 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 A haunting childhood
Born into a comfortable home in Krakow, Poland during the 1930s, Hanusia finds her childhood abruptly ripped from her at age five, when she must flee from the Nazis simply because she is a Jew. Hanusia's father left in the middle of the night, and no one has heard from him since; while her mother is trying to maintain a job under false papers. Young Hanusia's only got her brother, two years younger, and her beloved nanny, Niania.
When leaving the city for the countryside stops being a refuge for the children, Niania decides to take them to the remote village where she grew up. Thus, the next few years are spent, wandering the countryside to barter for food and struggling to survive day to day.
Eventually, the children's luck runs out. Hanusia is ten and her brother eight when they are taken on a Nazi transport to a concentration camp. Yet despite the horrors, something or someone continues to look out for them -- and Hanusia, who has long considered herself partially Catholic, thanks to Niania's influence -- couldn't really say which faith is keeping her alive.
After the war, Hanusia's tuberculosis lands her in Sweden, a beautiful land of plenty where she and her brother are eventually reunited with their parents and given a chance for a new life. Yet how does a person get past such horrors, especially when she scarcely remembers what it was like to live otherwise? How does a person even begin to live again with parents she scarcely remembers?
Throughout this book, Lobel's voice is simple, clearly that of the child she was -- no matter what obstacles tried to take that from her. She states things as she sees them, and at no point does she appear to feel sorry for herself. Instead, young Hanusia is an inspiration to us all.
 Wonderfully riveting Holocaust story. Life affirming!
This book is a tragic adventure. Anita Lobel recalls the arrival of the Nazis and the end of her childhood as she knew it. I was thankful this book was a fast read, the suspense of what would happen to Lobel and her brother was too much at times. The writing is beautiful and appropriate for young readers as well as adults. Beautiful photos.
A Deadly Game of Hide-and-Seek
Imagine playing hide-and seek, but you are hiding from the German Nazis because you are illegal. Every time they get close to you, a new hiding spot must be found, or your life will be put on the line. During the Holocaust, young Hanusiu played by these rules everyday. Told from a child's point of view, No Pretty Pictures is the memoir of Anita Lobel, earlier called Hanusiu, and her journey through the secrets, tears, and sacrifices of the Holocaust. Ms. Lobel did an amazing job describing everything that happened to her in those fatal years. One part that held excruciating description was when Hanusiu was forced into her first Concentration Camp. I felt as though I was walking into the camp alongside Hanusiu. The other prisoners, barracks, nervousness, and overall feeling of pain were expressed in a way that I cannot believe was seen through a child's eyes. Another major event that took place was when Hanusiu was diagnosed with tuberculosis after she had been rescued. She was forced to stay in a sanatorium for about a year and a half to cure the chronic disease. I could feel her hope and insecurities as each day passed, knowing that she might never get out. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a clear picture of what happened during the Holocaust, supported with lots of description, and seen through a true survivor's eyes.
A Deadly Game of Hide-and-Seek
Imagine playing hide-and seek, but you are hiding from the German Nazis because you are illegal. Every time they get close to you, a new hiding spot must be found, or your life will be put on the line. During the Holocaust, young Hanusiu played by these rules everyday. Told from a child's point of view, No Pretty Pictures is the memoir of Anita Lobel, earlier called Hanusiu, and her journey through the secrets, tears, and sacrifices of the Holocaust. Ms. Lobel did an amazing job describing everything that happened to her in those fatal years. One part that held excruciating description was when Hanusiu was forced into her first Concentration Camp. I felt as though I was walking into the camp alongside Hanusiu. The other prisoners, barracks, nervousness, and overall feeling of pain were expressed in a way that I cannot believe was seen through a child's eyes. Another major event that took place was when Hanusiu was diagnosed with tuberculosis after she had been rescued. She was forced to stay in a sanatorium for about a year and a half to cure the chronic disease. I could feel her hope and insecurities as each day passed, knowing that she might never get out. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a clear picture of what happened during the Holocaust, supported with lots of description, and seen through a true survivor's eyes.
Amazing
Casey Anderson
Book Review
The sad and hard story of Anita, she lived in Poland. To start off the sadness in the beginning Anita her brother and the rest of the family were almost caught by the Nazi's buy they hid, they were sadly robbed of almost all there possessions. They had finally had to leave there house and go to the ghetto. They say, "The word ghetto was only a word to them", I think that means that they had never thought of leaving and going into the ghetto, it was like shock. They try to convert into Catholics by their first communion but it was said back then that a Jews sin is far worse than a Catholics. This was bad and times were getting tighter (the Germans were catching on to them).They were finally captured and taken to a camp where they had to work with low food and march a lot. They stayed there for many years and started to lose there hopes especially when there niania (there nanny) died after being
beaten. Luckily though out of all of the thousands of people were caught many Red Cross busses had come to take them away from the Nazi's and into Sweden. But now she has moved to America and when somebody asked where she's from she will always say, "I am an American and proud of it". This book was very well written but didn't have to much detail on the backgrounds of there lives.
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