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The Ark #4
The Long Way Home
This is the second printing of the Scholastic Book Services Edition from 1965.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
112 people want to read
About the author
Margot Benary-Isbert
23 books38 followersGerman-born children’s author known for her "depictions of humane, realistic characters."
Benary-Isbert attended the College St. Carolus and the University of Frankfurt. She worked as a secretary at the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology in Frankfurt, Germany from 1910-1917, when she married Wilhelm Benary. They settled in Erfurt, in East Germany.
When the Russians took over Germany, she fled to the apartment of a friend in West Germany. In 1948 she wrote Die Arche Noah (The Ark). In 1953 it received a first prize at the New York Herald Tribune's Spring Book Festival. Post-war Germany became a common theme in most of her works.
In 1952 she moved to the United States, where she was naturalized in 1957 and worked as a writer until her death. She received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1957 for "Annegret und Cara".
Most of Benary-Isbert's books were originally written and published in German; some were later translated into English and published again.
Benary-Isbert attended the College St. Carolus and the University of Frankfurt. She worked as a secretary at the Museum of Ethnology and Anthropology in Frankfurt, Germany from 1910-1917, when she married Wilhelm Benary. They settled in Erfurt, in East Germany.
When the Russians took over Germany, she fled to the apartment of a friend in West Germany. In 1948 she wrote Die Arche Noah (The Ark). In 1953 it received a first prize at the New York Herald Tribune's Spring Book Festival. Post-war Germany became a common theme in most of her works.
In 1952 she moved to the United States, where she was naturalized in 1957 and worked as a writer until her death. She received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1957 for "Annegret und Cara".
Most of Benary-Isbert's books were originally written and published in German; some were later translated into English and published again.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 10, 2013
It's 1945, World War II has just ended, Germany is in chaos and retired schoolteacher Sabine Quendlein has discovered a small sickly boy left in her garden by a desperate mother and former student who wasn't able to take care of him. Trying desperately to nurse him back to health, nothing in her poor stock of food helps, until an American soldier shows up at the door. Larry Sherman takes a real interest in the boy, Christoph, and the teacher. He brings them a steady supply of American rations smuggled from the Army, and finally Chirstoph begins to thrive.
But then Larry has to leave. Sabine Quendlein's house is located in eastern Germany and as per the agreement at the Yalta Conference, she now lives under Soviet rule. But Larry promises her that as soon as possbile, he will send for Christoph to come live with him and his new French wife, Denise, in Chicago.
This promise has to be continously postponed because Denise is having emotional problems adjusting to her new life in the US. Then, in 1953, at age 13, Christoph begins to get involved with some dangerous political stuff. Many of the young people living in the Eastern Zone of Germany were tired of Soviet oppression and groups of student Freedom Fighter were organized. The village's mayor, another former student, visits Miss Quendlein and tells her about Christoph's activities and warms that the authorities are on to him. And so it is decided, Christoph must sneak over the border into the Western Zone and travel to America.
Christoph unwillingly bids farewell to his Aunt Sabine and sets off on foot for the first leg of his long journey to Chicago. This journey includes his escape under the barbed wire border fence, a slippery climb down a rock quarry on the other side in pouring rain, where he received a serious injury resulting in a scar down the side of his face, a stay at a castle full of actors and actresses, a stay with some Quaker relatives of Aunt Sabine's, an ocean crossing in a ship, a stay with a Quaker family in New York, and finally a train ride to Chicago.
In Chicago, Denise is still haveing adjustment troubles, made all the more difficult by the two adopted war orphans and the one natural child she and Larry have and for whom she can't manage to properly care. Larry arranges for Christoph to live with a family he knows who own a restaurant, and where he can work evenings as a dishwasher, along with the owner's children.
As he travels from East Germany to Chicago and beyond, Christoph has many adventures and discovers many new things, some of which amaze him, some of which confuse him. But as she always does, Benary-Isbert mixes a certain kind of innocent, almost ideological and really sentimental view of the world with harsh, sometimes jolting reality. And again, as with The Ark and Rowan Farm, it results in a story that you really like and that makes you think.
It seems that a trademark of Benary-Isbert's writing is to provide lots of small, everyday details about her characters, the lives they have and the circumstances under which they live. In The Long Way Home, this results in an clear, realistic picture of post-war life, not just in Germany, but in the US as well, something most readers might not remember or even know about, and bringing it all to life once again. Young readers weren't even alive when the fall of communism in East Germany and the dismantling of the wall that separated east and west became history on November 9, 1989.
And I had to laugh out loud when I read the following passage and thought to myself Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more things change, the more they remain the same):
"The boys looked sloppy. It seemed to be the fashion for them to wear their jeans so low on their hips that a patch of skin on their backs appeared when they stooped." (pg 122)
The Long Way Home was published in 1959.
I so thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and really appreciated how Benary-Isbert ever so causaly let readers of The Ark and Rowan Farm know what became of the characters in those novels.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was borrowed from a friend
Originally written in German, this book was translated by Richard and Clara Winston.
But then Larry has to leave. Sabine Quendlein's house is located in eastern Germany and as per the agreement at the Yalta Conference, she now lives under Soviet rule. But Larry promises her that as soon as possbile, he will send for Christoph to come live with him and his new French wife, Denise, in Chicago.
This promise has to be continously postponed because Denise is having emotional problems adjusting to her new life in the US. Then, in 1953, at age 13, Christoph begins to get involved with some dangerous political stuff. Many of the young people living in the Eastern Zone of Germany were tired of Soviet oppression and groups of student Freedom Fighter were organized. The village's mayor, another former student, visits Miss Quendlein and tells her about Christoph's activities and warms that the authorities are on to him. And so it is decided, Christoph must sneak over the border into the Western Zone and travel to America.
Christoph unwillingly bids farewell to his Aunt Sabine and sets off on foot for the first leg of his long journey to Chicago. This journey includes his escape under the barbed wire border fence, a slippery climb down a rock quarry on the other side in pouring rain, where he received a serious injury resulting in a scar down the side of his face, a stay at a castle full of actors and actresses, a stay with some Quaker relatives of Aunt Sabine's, an ocean crossing in a ship, a stay with a Quaker family in New York, and finally a train ride to Chicago.
In Chicago, Denise is still haveing adjustment troubles, made all the more difficult by the two adopted war orphans and the one natural child she and Larry have and for whom she can't manage to properly care. Larry arranges for Christoph to live with a family he knows who own a restaurant, and where he can work evenings as a dishwasher, along with the owner's children.
As he travels from East Germany to Chicago and beyond, Christoph has many adventures and discovers many new things, some of which amaze him, some of which confuse him. But as she always does, Benary-Isbert mixes a certain kind of innocent, almost ideological and really sentimental view of the world with harsh, sometimes jolting reality. And again, as with The Ark and Rowan Farm, it results in a story that you really like and that makes you think.
It seems that a trademark of Benary-Isbert's writing is to provide lots of small, everyday details about her characters, the lives they have and the circumstances under which they live. In The Long Way Home, this results in an clear, realistic picture of post-war life, not just in Germany, but in the US as well, something most readers might not remember or even know about, and bringing it all to life once again. Young readers weren't even alive when the fall of communism in East Germany and the dismantling of the wall that separated east and west became history on November 9, 1989.
And I had to laugh out loud when I read the following passage and thought to myself Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more things change, the more they remain the same):
"The boys looked sloppy. It seemed to be the fashion for them to wear their jeans so low on their hips that a patch of skin on their backs appeared when they stooped." (pg 122)
The Long Way Home was published in 1959.
I so thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and really appreciated how Benary-Isbert ever so causaly let readers of The Ark and Rowan Farm know what became of the characters in those novels.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was borrowed from a friend
Originally written in German, this book was translated by Richard and Clara Winston.
June 18, 2008
This book was a real eye-opener to me. It is offers both praise and wonder at our "land of liberty," as seen through the eyes of Christoph, a young refugee from East Germany in the early 1950s.
At times he is horrified by the waste and carelessness of Americans, but he also admires the hard work and "pioneer spirit" of ranch cowboys, children in 4H, and especially American housewives (who do their own cooking and cleaning, as opposed to his experiences in Germany, where such things were done by a maid or serving woman). He finds himself both impressed and dismayed by the huge cities full of sky-scrapers that he encounters here, then discovers a place that truly feels like home on the gorgeous California coast.
Reading this book, and realizing it is a reflection of the author's experiences immigrating from Germany to the United States, I felt profoundly grateful for the freedoms that we have and for the abundance we enjoy in this country.
Though not actually a sequel to Benary-Isbert's "The Ark" and "Rowan Farm," Christoph does cross paths with some of the Lechow children a couple of years after "Rowan Farm" would have taken place.
At times he is horrified by the waste and carelessness of Americans, but he also admires the hard work and "pioneer spirit" of ranch cowboys, children in 4H, and especially American housewives (who do their own cooking and cleaning, as opposed to his experiences in Germany, where such things were done by a maid or serving woman). He finds himself both impressed and dismayed by the huge cities full of sky-scrapers that he encounters here, then discovers a place that truly feels like home on the gorgeous California coast.
Reading this book, and realizing it is a reflection of the author's experiences immigrating from Germany to the United States, I felt profoundly grateful for the freedoms that we have and for the abundance we enjoy in this country.
Though not actually a sequel to Benary-Isbert's "The Ark" and "Rowan Farm," Christoph does cross paths with some of the Lechow children a couple of years after "Rowan Farm" would have taken place.
October 30, 2019
Margot Benary-Isbert understood so much about human nature, about hopes and dreams, but also about hurts and prejudices. The Long Way Home follows 12, 13, 14 year old Christoph, an orphan from the closed east zone of Germany, as he makes his way to America and a new family. As an immigrant herself Isbert shows us America with new eyes, the good, the bad, and the ever excessive. If you saw my raving reviews of her books The Ark, and Rowan Farm, know that this one did not disappoint. It is well written, poignant, and beautiful. I so wish her books were easier to find! I would love to add them to my home collection, but until then I’m thankful I can still get them through inter library loan!
September 14, 2021
2021 bk 285. The last and the tie that binds Benary-Isbert's characters together. Christopher was raised by his mother's school teacher in the Russian zone. The night he was turned over to Miss Quindlan, a young American soldier (it hadn't been split yet) stumbled upon her hut and helped nurture the young boy. Christopher is now old enough to cross the border and he is sent on his way, guided by a map and a prayer. He spends a night in the Castle on the Border where we catch up on those characters and Andrea from The Ark. From there he stays with a Quaker couple, before heading to the United States and Larry, the American soldier. Along the way we see more characters from the earlier books and learn the fate of those characters. Amazed at the differences, but being young and resilient, he rises to each challenge. Ultimately, Larry and his family and Christopher end up on a ranch in California where more adventure awaits and family finally comes. Each time I read this book, I learn more - about America in the post WWII stage, the differences betweeen the early East Germany and West Germany and about what unites people.
June 30, 2022
This edition was published by Scholastic Books in 1965, when I was 14, and that is when I bought it for 50 cents and read it for the first time. The story stuck with me all these years, so recently I paid significantly more for a used copy of it (none was available through my library), and I am glad I did. Re-reading the book now as an adult, I appreciated things that had gone over my teenaged head, but I had remembered surprisingly well the plot and many of the details of this "coming to America" journey. The teenagers in the story definitely dressed and acted like 1950s teenagers, using slang that now seems hilarious, but the story line is timeless and timely--including a serious California wildfire.
December 9, 2015
This review will get into very patriotic American territory. You have been warned :)
I think I read this for the first time in seventh grade, and I loved it! So I wanted to come back to it, and I still loved it! Basically, this book is the story of Cristoph as he makes his way from East Germany to West Germany and eventually California. It has a really sweet message of what home really means, and it's just an all-around feel good book!
I love Cristoph's observations about America and his open mind, which I tend to not have... I love his assessment of the American spirit. Some people say it's dead, but, as Cristoph shows, it always comes out when we need to rebuild or move on or come together! Cristoph also is confused by people always answering the question "How are you?" with "Fine" even when things aren't, but he realizes that this too is part of the American spirit! We may have problems, but because we know we can overcome them, things really are fine!
As for characters, Cristoph is a dear, but I think Mary and Aunt Nell are my favorites, even though she doesn't come into the book that much. Also, I like Larry, and, by the end, I even liked Denise. Actually, I felt bad for Denise most of the book, but when she realizes how blessed she is and comes back with an orphan, I love her so much!
This book doesn't seem to be very well-known, but I highly recommend it, especially if you're American because it shows you how blessed you are to live where you live!
I think I read this for the first time in seventh grade, and I loved it! So I wanted to come back to it, and I still loved it! Basically, this book is the story of Cristoph as he makes his way from East Germany to West Germany and eventually California. It has a really sweet message of what home really means, and it's just an all-around feel good book!
I love Cristoph's observations about America and his open mind, which I tend to not have... I love his assessment of the American spirit. Some people say it's dead, but, as Cristoph shows, it always comes out when we need to rebuild or move on or come together! Cristoph also is confused by people always answering the question "How are you?" with "Fine" even when things aren't, but he realizes that this too is part of the American spirit! We may have problems, but because we know we can overcome them, things really are fine!
As for characters, Cristoph is a dear, but I think Mary and Aunt Nell are my favorites, even though she doesn't come into the book that much. Also, I like Larry, and, by the end, I even liked Denise. Actually, I felt bad for Denise most of the book, but when she realizes how blessed she is and comes back with an orphan, I love her so much!
This book doesn't seem to be very well-known, but I highly recommend it, especially if you're American because it shows you how blessed you are to live where you live!
July 30, 2013
Christoph makes the long journey to America from communist Germany only to find that America also has its problems. A story of growing up and the love and devotion that makes a family come together.
January 6, 2022
I don't know that I would have read this book after reading a basic plot description, particularly after reading the third in the series, which was fine but I didn't like nearly as much as the first two titles. However, seeing that it had better reviews convinced me to give it a shot. I'm glad I did! Like Castle on the Border, it is only tangentially connected with the first two books, but it does provide slightly more information on some of those characters than its predecessor. The author doesn't shy away from the world's complexities, and I found the experiences of post-WWII emigration and the pros and cons of American teen life to be enlightening.
October 25, 2017
When Christoph escapes East Germany and makes his way to America and a friend who wants to take him in, he finds that his journey has only begun. Well mannered and courteous, Chris stands out in school, and gets called teacher's pet for his classroom behavior. His tendency not to follow the crowd and to make his own decisions set him apart from his age group, and America is beginning to look very lonely. Then, the family he is staying with moves to California and Chris discovers horses. With this discovery, a whole wide world opens to him, and he discovers what home really is.
One of my absolute favorites!
One of my absolute favorites!
January 26, 2018
good picture of hard times in Germany during war
September 10, 2022
I always enjoy Margot Benary-Isbert. This particular novel was particularly fascinating, as we see 1950s America through the eyes of Christoph, an East German refugee.
Want to read
April 18, 2025One thing i know that this book taught me is that you don't need blood to find your family only love can direct you to the chosen ones
January 12, 2015
Christoph is obssesed with goat milk. :P
That's all I have to say in this review.
That's all I have to say in this review.
July 18, 2015
Loved this. Nothing inappropriate or too dark for young readers, but does a superb job of showing what emigrating is like.
November 11, 2016
I loved this book. I read it in high school and wanted to purchase it all these years later, very excited to have it in my library.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews