I Must Belong Somewhere: An extraordinary family tale of survival

by Jonathan Dean

Jonathan Dean's great-grandfather, David Schapira, lived a life of epic achievement and epic suffering. Forced to flee Ukraine at the outbreak of World War I, he was blinded fighting for his adopted country then survived - just - the concentration camp that country later sent him to. In between he found love and laughter in Vienna, and became the first Austrian lawyer to train using braille - something no Briton would do until the new century dawned.

Dean's grandfather, Heinz Schapira, was also a refugee. Aged 16, he said goodbye to his parents and embarked on a nail-biting journey to Britain, to escape his fate as an Austrian Jew. The prejudice he faced and assimilation he achieved are laid out in the pages of his diary, pages filled with pain and joy, surprising observations and irrepressible humour.

But this is no ordinary family history. As Dean visits the places which changed the course of his family tree - Vienna, Cologne, Ukraine - he finds history repeating itself. He talks to refugees from the Middle East, people who left their homes and families at the same age as David and Heinz. And he observes the warning signs: the bigoted excesses of Brexit Britain, the rise of the Far Right in Austria, the backlash against refugees in Germany.

By viewing these contemporary experiences through the prism of his family history - and vice versa - Dean creates an impassioned, profoundly timely study of what it means to be a refugee, to be European and, ultimately, to be British.

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2017

Reviews

[m d · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, 2.5*. Part of me was invested in the story of the author's family and its past, but it was badly written/edited, and I really struggled to engage with his tale. Such a shame.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this book as the author’s family history told in it is very similar to that of my husband’s family. I spotted the book a few days after returning from Austria where I’d spent a few days in beautiful Vienna and in my father-in-law’s rural home town.

The family history is certainly interesting (as well as familiar to me). Jonathan Dean primarily elaborates it based on his grandfather’s wartime (1939-45) diary and his great-grandfather’s brief memoirs, reflecting on his flight from Galicia in 1913, war service in the Great War, detention in Theresienstadt and post-war return to Vienna. Dean uses this to reflect on the plight of immigrants today and, essentially, to reflect (understandably wearily) on how little has changed, as right-wing parties and policies rise again across Europe. Indeed, as I write this I’m listening to a Radio 4 documentary about that very topic.

Unfortunately I found the text too clunky and repetitive. It’s partly a question of personal taste - I just don’t really like his writing style. It would have benefited from a better edit to comb out the repetitions and prune some of the occasionally jarring turns of phrase. That said, it’s genuinely an interesting, accessible and personal book.

[Michelle Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times it was difficult to put this book down. The author weaves current developments into his exploration of family history, which is what makes it stand out from other books that retrace a family past.
Occasionally it felt slightly repetitive and I had to go back to work out what was what, hence 4 stars not 5. But the repetition did help to reinforce some of the main themes. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Brittany Mullins · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF- I loved the idea behind the book, exploring the history of Austria through the eyes of a Morden day man and his grand dad who fought in the war. I found it repetitive and felt it dragged on certain points.