In My Brother's Image

by Eugene L. Pogany

In a moving memoir of faith in the face of suffering, two twin brothers born Jewish but raised Catholic are divided by the Holocaust, with one returning the Judaism and the other remaining Catholic. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: History, Holocaust, Jewish, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, European Literature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2000

Reviews

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book written by the brother of my college roomate. I remember her Holocaust stories about her Hungarian parents and grandparents . . . the whole experience just seemed so far removed from our lives in the 70s. I was always amazed that her father's twin brother was a Catholic priest, but it just seemed kind of ironic then. This book brought it closely into focus, in gut-wrenching prose.

Everything about the Holocaust is horrific, but the thing that stood out most to me in this book was the fact that Christians were so complicit in the degradation, deportation and extermination of Jews. The entire country seemed to hold Jews in contempt. The scenes of Catholics jeering and shouting at the terrified Jews as they were herded through the streets to the trains that would take them to Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen was horrifying.

This is a beautifully written book by a son who was trying to understand the pain and silence his father carried with him every day. I think Eugene Pogany's father would be very proud that his son cared so much about his family history and did such a beautiful job of preserving it for future generations.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography is unique not only because of the Catholic/Jewish split in this family, but the thoughtfulness and sensitivity that is written into the content. It was written by one of the twin's sons who struggled with the Holocaust and his family history, and coming to grips with the reality of his family being Jewish and Catholic.

[Arne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for grad. school. The writing isn't the strong point, but the story is truly remarkable.

[WAYNE DIAMOND · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was a slog hard to keep track of the characters. Could use some editing due to repetition. Interesting story of Hungary's history from early 1900's until the 60's. Anti-semitism before, during the Holocaust and post WWII. The brutal reality of Catholics wanting Jews to convert, but during WWII if you converted you were still a Jew and would be deported. Not a glowing picture of the Hungarians or the Christians. What would Jesus have said!

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book but difficult to read. I enjoyed the fact that it was a true story and liked the last 5 chapters the most.

[SuzSF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an author-signed copy Sara gave to me from her Mom’s collection. Setting the emotional connection to the book aside, I got a bit bored and quit 2/3 of the way through.

[Jane Mendelsohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to read about The Holocaust- but interesting story about the author and his family.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unique story. It was not as well-written as others I have read.

[Erin Petrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I had a really hard time getting through this book. It shed new information on what happened in Hungry as the Nazi's influenced the "Good Christian" people of that country.

[Ayelet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting but the writing somehow dragged on. I could rarely read much at a stretch.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is rightly critical of Christian non-responsiveness to/complicity in the plight of Jews during Nazi Europe. The story of these two brothers (born Jews, baptized as Catholics as young children when their mother converted) has the potential to be a powerful examination of the role of faith in human suffering, of religion's responsibility for the spiritual and temporal needs not just of their flock but of humanity in general, and of family ties and rifts, but I just don't think it reaches it. Despite the fact that the author is the son of one of the brothers and supposedly spent much time with his father and uncle discussing the events of the 30s and 40s, much of the book felt too 'outside.' We never really get great insight into what either brother was thinking. It's all speculative -- perchance correct -- but the feel is wrong. The book seemed heavily unbalanced and like it was just scratching at the surface of very real human experiences and emotions.

I'd recommend it if only because it raises so many hard questions about race, religion, family, suffering, etc., but unlike so many other Holocaust books which have resonated so deeply with me, this one seemed almost shallow, which is a real shame to me.

[Kimberly Burnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In My Brother's Image

In My Brother's Image looks at the intersection of Judaism and Catholicisms. Twin brother are born Jewish, convert to Catholicism with their parent at age 6 then as adults one returns to Judaism and the other becomes a Catholic priest. This book portrays the relationship between the twin boys, the relationship between Jews and Catholic during World War 2, and the affect of the war on these two men and on Jews and Catholics.

It is part of my Jewish Intersections series because of its portrayal of the intersection between Catholicism and Judaism.

[Libraryscat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twin brothers, separated by both place and experience, struggle with their faith during the Holocaust. One becomes a Catholic priest while the other rediscovers his Jewish heritage. This conflict of faith splits the family for over forty years and leads the reader to question thier own faith. Excellent book.

[Lini · Rating 2 out of 5]

For anyone considering this book, my advise is read "Invisible Bridge" instead.
I can appreciate the true family history, but I couldn't wait to be done with this book. It was helpful in painting a picture of Hungary leading up to and during the WWII. Also the incremental steps that were taken to disenfranchise the Jews so that it was difficult to muster opposition. Can't really recommend.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true historical account of 2 brothers and their separate experiences during WWII that separated them by faith. One was a Catholic priest who was sheltered in Italy and the other a Catholic who was forced to work in a labour camp and ended up being rounded up because he was born a Jew.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating story.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about twin brothers in Nazi territory. One is a priest and one is a Jew. How that came about is an amazing story.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my brother about my family.

[Jbfeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very solid book, good historical fiction and great story

[Daughters Of Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twins separated at birth and raised in different faiths reunite. noted as a good discussion-starter.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for a book club discussion. http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=...+#

[Diane Depew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of Catholic Jews caught in the holocaust and the different experiences of identical twin brothers, which resulted in each making decisions on their faith.

[Howard Fox Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous and compelling.

[Bbhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew much about how the holocaust affected the Jews in Hungary. Really good biographical story.