Eva's Berlin: Memories Of A Wartime Childhood

by Eva Wald Leveton

A half-Jewish girl grows up in Berlin, Germany during World War II. Separated from her father, who manages to escape to the U.S through Holland, she and her mother live with her grandparents. She is neither hidden nor not hidden, but manages to live in the in-between shielded by the protection of the Berliners who know her roots but keep quiet. Written from a child's point of view, this book takes the reader through the bombings and endfights to the author's successful life in the U.S. with many excursions to the Berlin zoo, to her family life, and the life of the spirit and the imagination that helped her survive.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, World War II

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Eva Wald Leveton is psychotherapeut, gespecialiseerd in gezins- en dramatherapie. Ze publiceerde eerder twee boeken over psychotherapie en verschillende dichtbundels, en was als actrice en regisseuse betrokken bij vele toneelstukken.

Reviews

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 sterren. Het is het verhaal van een meisje dat opgroeit, toevallig met als achtergrond Berlijn en de oorlog. Het gaat veel meer over het vinden van de eigen identiteit, soms lijkt het wel alsof ze verantwoording af wil leggen aan de lezer. Ieder mens heeft een verhaal en in die zin is het waardevol, maar als boek is het middelmatig.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an autobiography of a half-Jewish girl who survived the WWII fall of Berlin. Really interesting book, both from the historical perspective and the psychological perspective of a traumatized refugee who has to learn to fit in to her new home. Leveton reaches back to her earliest memories as she was just 4 years old at the rise of Hitler and 9 years old when she and her mother wet finally allowed to immigrate to the U.S. it’s fascinating to read how much independence children were allowed and expected to have; this freedom is both a European trait and also a way of the past that parents won’t do now. The story of the women in this book is also poignant: their only way to improve their social standing is through marriage; so both Eva’s mother and maternal grandmother were disappointed that their lives didn’t turn out the way their fantasies had led them to believe. As women and girls they had very few avenues open to them and they were raised to believe the “happy ever after” fairy tale that were encouraged for girls to believe in could only occur by marrying rich. And of course, the rise and fall of the third Reich is the ever present background to the lives of the women and children left behind. First the denial, and then the powerlessness of the Berliners who wouldn’t open their eyes to the impending disaster is a lesson we cannot forget, especially in today’s rise of the current fascist regime.
My mother sent me this book as she had attended high school with this author. Although my mother knew her, they weren’t more than classmates as their last names were in opposite ends of the alphabet and so were never in the same home room.
I would highly recommend this book

[Tessa]

Tweede keer dat ik dit boek lees. 1e keer was ik helemaal dol op dit boek, vond hem zo mooi.
Ik ben nu op bladzijde 200 gestopt, ik voel het verhaal gewoon niet zo. Het is waargebeurd en daardoor voel ik mij helemaal slecht dat ik het niet uitlees, maar ik worstel mij echt door de pagina’s heen. Dus ben maar gestopt met lezen nu.

[Els Lanneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

ik lees wel vaker oorlogsverhalen. Dit was een bijzonder verhaal van een half-joods Duits meisje, hoe ze opgejaagd wordt en toch weet overeind te blijven, anders dan de andere. Heb het graag gelezen, maar is niet de topper.
Aanrader ja, toch wel

[Inge (Inge1990) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually thought I already made a review of this book, but goodreads says no, so here it is.

I think actually it is quite disappointing. Because you have the title memories of a wartime childhood, but it hardly goes about the war. It mostly goes about her mom and her grandmother.
In additon it starts off quite jumpy with all kinds of different periods and completly not chronological. Making it confussing how old Eva is at that moment.

Anyhow review:
In this book you read mostly how angry Eva's mother is because her father left Berlin because he is a Jew. Inbetween the lines I read that her mother has a postnatal depression and maybe even didn't want a child. Eva feels this and tries to make her mother as happy as possible. As a part jewish child it is quite scarry sometimes to wonder along in Berlin. You read a lot about Eva and her 2 friends wander around in the zoo of Berlin, petting animals and playing in the playground.
After the war they are reunited with their dad in USA. However, her mother starts drinking and Eva can't get rid of the feeling the need to please her mother. Her dad and the town feel strange.

With this I think I recaped most of the book, not a lot about the war right?
However, it is interesting to read about the need for Eva to please her mother, it is not a book about the war, which is a pitty and the reason why I bought it.

[Linde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked that this book was autobiographical. I don't read a lot of autobiographical books, and after this book I realise I should do it more. The fact that everything really happened, made me empathize more with the characters than I would otherwise.

I recommend this book, it may be not a pageturner, but it didn't disappoint me.

[Francien · Rating 4 out of 5]

In blokken verteld Eva hoe ze als kind de oorlog ervaren heeft.
Daarna naar Amerika verhuisd, waar haar vader al was.
Ontheemd zoekt ze een weg om verder te gaan.
Waar ze ook is, in Amerika of later terug in Berlijn.
Ze zal altijd een "vreemde" zijn.

Mooi en uitgebreid beschreven situaties, die je dan zo voor je geest kan halen.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started as a nice book about a young half Jewish girl in Berlin before and during the war. all seen from child's perspective, but the last part about after the war and the relation with her parent...too quick too thin, feels like a rush when that would be the interesting part.

[Angela Aagenborg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totaal niet boeiend.

[Ron Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never giving up and believing in the future.