Mark Saha's Blog - Posts Tagged "memoirs"
A Holocaust Memoir Adapted to Graphic Novel for Young Readers
Freedom Means Living Without Fear
By Ha Metsajeret
When I heard about this book, I admit being a little skeptical that adapting a Holocaust memoir to graphic novel for young readers would work. I was given a copy by the author, a neighbor who lives down the block, and found it powerful and compelling.
From the Amazon page:
“This graphic memoir is an ode to high school sweethearts Sonja and Herman Rosenstein. In 1943, the Nazis ordered them to board a train in Holland bound for Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. They were 20-years old, newly married and madly in love. There were rumors, but they had each other and knew no fear. They were told that they were going to work for just a few months and so they decided to enjoy their adventure.”
The book is intended for young people in grades 5 - 12, but this adult was deeply moved. The work is a hybrid; the story is mostly told as graphic novel but switches to prose when we get to Auschwitz. Again, it's hard to believe such a boldly experimental presentation could work. For me it totally delivered, and seems to me a uniquely effective way to tell this true story. I highly recommend it to anyone with children or grandchildren.
The book is available from Amazon or Seasidepress.org. Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature offers a generous preview.
By Ha Metsajeret
When I heard about this book, I admit being a little skeptical that adapting a Holocaust memoir to graphic novel for young readers would work. I was given a copy by the author, a neighbor who lives down the block, and found it powerful and compelling.
From the Amazon page:
“This graphic memoir is an ode to high school sweethearts Sonja and Herman Rosenstein. In 1943, the Nazis ordered them to board a train in Holland bound for Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. They were 20-years old, newly married and madly in love. There were rumors, but they had each other and knew no fear. They were told that they were going to work for just a few months and so they decided to enjoy their adventure.”
The book is intended for young people in grades 5 - 12, but this adult was deeply moved. The work is a hybrid; the story is mostly told as graphic novel but switches to prose when we get to Auschwitz. Again, it's hard to believe such a boldly experimental presentation could work. For me it totally delivered, and seems to me a uniquely effective way to tell this true story. I highly recommend it to anyone with children or grandchildren.
The book is available from Amazon or Seasidepress.org. Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature offers a generous preview.
Jerry’s World from “Lucky Lindy” to the Trump Presidency
Jerry’s World from “Lucky Lindy” to the Trump Presidency - by Jerry Rosenblum and Jack Neworth
When someone’s lived for nearly a century you'd expect them to have seen a few things in life and have stories to tell. Well, boy does he ever!
In 1927, Jerry Rosenblum was 5 and baffled by the celebrations following Lindbergh's landing in Paris. In 1929, at 7, he only vaguely knew of the stock market crash. But in 1934 and at 12, he vividly remembers the worst day of his life when his beloved father died from a heart attack at 42. Jerry was thrust into becoming the household breadwinner. Grief-stricken, and with his family soon to be evicted, Jerry prayed for a guardian angel to look out for them.
Often with two after school jobs, Jerry's motto became, “You have to play the cards you’re dealt.” Working hard his whole life, and caring for family and friends, Jerry never found the time to look back – until now. This often funny, often poignant memoir has ninety-eight fast-paced chapters -- one for each year of his life. They're conveniently placed in chronological order so the reader can zip through or revisit any particular period of the past century at whim.
Among Jerry's many amusing vignettes, he recalls the owner of the drug store where he worked frantically running into the street to look up at the sky; he had been listening to the 1938 Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” that sent the whole country into panic. Jerry jokes, “I didn't know if Mr. Weiner was going to fight the aliens or sell them Pepto-Bismol.”
In 1945, novice gambler Jerry rolled an almost unheard of 11 consecutive passes in a high stakes crap game with sailors aboard a ship returning from Pearl Harbor. As Jerry writes, “If it had been Vegas I might have wound up owning the the hotel!”
A natural born salesman, during his 50-year career in the men's clothing business, Jerry waited on an untold number of celebrities and even befriended some. Like the time he sold a hurried Bing Crosby slacks that had ugly flare bottoms. But Bing didn't mind, “I'm in a golf tournament and I'll probably just get mud on them anyway.”
Other luminaries who crossed Jerry's path include: Mohammad Ali, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Dick Van Dykes, astronaut John Glenn and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, to name but a few.
And, most recently, there's Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for whom Jerry wrote a campaign tune that he posted on Instagram with the help of a young friend who created an account for him. (Apparently a grandfather figure for millennials, Jerry has 21,000 followers!) AOC posted back she loved the song and the two finally met in person at a Bernie rally in Venice, California, on December 21, 2019.
“Did I finally Meet My Guardian Angel?” is the title of the harrowing last chapter. Earlier in 2019, on a cold, windy night, Jerry was driving to visit a friend he'd known since WWII and who lived in a luxury house in a remote canyon. As Jerry was getting out of his car he didn't realize the street was so steep, lost his footing and fell to the asphalt. Bleeding from the back of his head he was unable to get up and in the pitch dark there was no one around to help. (Or was there?)
Whether you believe in angels or not, whether you're young or old, you'll likely laugh and shed a tear or two and even be educated by this personal guided tour of Jerry's and our country's past century. (less)
When someone’s lived for nearly a century you'd expect them to have seen a few things in life and have stories to tell. Well, boy does he ever!
In 1927, Jerry Rosenblum was 5 and baffled by the celebrations following Lindbergh's landing in Paris. In 1929, at 7, he only vaguely knew of the stock market crash. But in 1934 and at 12, he vividly remembers the worst day of his life when his beloved father died from a heart attack at 42. Jerry was thrust into becoming the household breadwinner. Grief-stricken, and with his family soon to be evicted, Jerry prayed for a guardian angel to look out for them.
Often with two after school jobs, Jerry's motto became, “You have to play the cards you’re dealt.” Working hard his whole life, and caring for family and friends, Jerry never found the time to look back – until now. This often funny, often poignant memoir has ninety-eight fast-paced chapters -- one for each year of his life. They're conveniently placed in chronological order so the reader can zip through or revisit any particular period of the past century at whim.
Among Jerry's many amusing vignettes, he recalls the owner of the drug store where he worked frantically running into the street to look up at the sky; he had been listening to the 1938 Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” that sent the whole country into panic. Jerry jokes, “I didn't know if Mr. Weiner was going to fight the aliens or sell them Pepto-Bismol.”
In 1945, novice gambler Jerry rolled an almost unheard of 11 consecutive passes in a high stakes crap game with sailors aboard a ship returning from Pearl Harbor. As Jerry writes, “If it had been Vegas I might have wound up owning the the hotel!”
A natural born salesman, during his 50-year career in the men's clothing business, Jerry waited on an untold number of celebrities and even befriended some. Like the time he sold a hurried Bing Crosby slacks that had ugly flare bottoms. But Bing didn't mind, “I'm in a golf tournament and I'll probably just get mud on them anyway.”
Other luminaries who crossed Jerry's path include: Mohammad Ali, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Dick Van Dykes, astronaut John Glenn and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, to name but a few.
And, most recently, there's Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for whom Jerry wrote a campaign tune that he posted on Instagram with the help of a young friend who created an account for him. (Apparently a grandfather figure for millennials, Jerry has 21,000 followers!) AOC posted back she loved the song and the two finally met in person at a Bernie rally in Venice, California, on December 21, 2019.
“Did I finally Meet My Guardian Angel?” is the title of the harrowing last chapter. Earlier in 2019, on a cold, windy night, Jerry was driving to visit a friend he'd known since WWII and who lived in a luxury house in a remote canyon. As Jerry was getting out of his car he didn't realize the street was so steep, lost his footing and fell to the asphalt. Bleeding from the back of his head he was unable to get up and in the pitch dark there was no one around to help. (Or was there?)
Whether you believe in angels or not, whether you're young or old, you'll likely laugh and shed a tear or two and even be educated by this personal guided tour of Jerry's and our country's past century. (less)
