You Are The Boy

by Danny Unrau

The results of a mtDNA test jangles Ben's self identity. A crooked trail back through his family history uncovers a Jewish infant mysteriously left on a Mennonite doorstep in the violent Ukraine nearly eighty years before he was born. It also tells the story of her twin trapped in Dachau deeply touching the grandfather of another person so close to him. From Canada to Russia to Jerusalem Ben searches and finds more than just his identity. Everyone is a character in a family mystery....

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2012

Reviews

[Lando · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a bookseller I've been saying for years that we need more fiction books that tell parts of the "Mennonite Story". As many Mennonites in North America embrace modern culture the remarkable stories of the past are lost. Thankfully Danny Unrau has given us a fascinating and well written account beginning in 1876 and coming into current times. I loved how he connected various family members by going forwards and backwards in time. Some of the twists and turns of events were very surprising and kept me turning pages. Maybe I wasn't listening earlier but I had never heard of the Jewish and Mennonite connections in Russia. So interesting to me to see two people groups really in search of freedom of religion and a life of peace yet experiencing much persecution and hardship. And how not all Mennonites kept subscribing to "pacifism"; some leaving that element of their faith behind.

I appreciated how Unrau developed some of the main characters and paid a lot of attention to their passions, feelings and longings, not just their occupation, marital status or life calling.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a finely articulated story and who wants to learn more about this group of Mennonites that eventually came to Canada. My bookstore is House of James.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in one go on a log long flight. Very I interesting story that connects the past to the present. It presents a view of how the Jews and Mennonites were connected back in Russia.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not engaging enough to finish.