A Girl Called Renee: The Incredible True Story of a WW2 Jewish Holocaust Survivor

by Ruth Uzrad

Terrified after her father’s arrest by the Nazis, Ruth flees to Belgium.

This is the unbelievable autobiographical story of Ruth Uzrad, a Jewish teenager whose life was turned upside down by the Nazi regime. After her father was arrested one night from their Berlin apartment by the Gestapo, Ruth’s mother sends 13 year-old Ruth and her two younger sisters out on their escape route across Europe by train to the safety of Belgium.

But then the Nazis also reach Belgium, driving Ruth into the French Jewish underground…

Later, when the Nazis conquer Belgium, Ruth and one of her sisters escape to France, leaving the youngest sister behind to be taken in by a Belgian foster family. Later, Ruth joins the Jewish underground movement in France and takes on a false identity and a new name, Renee. As an underground fighter, she participates in special operations aimed at rescuing Jews in danger. When the German police set out to arrest her, she manages to cross the border into Spain and eventually makes her way to Israel, where she makes her home and spends the rest of her life.

Genres: Holocaust, History, World War II, Nonfiction, War, Autobiography, Memoir

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2017

About the author

Ruth (Schutz) Uzrad was born in Berlin in 1925, the eldest of three daughters, to a religious Jewish family. During WWII she escaped to Belgium and continued her flight to the south of France, where she spent her teenage years before finally arriving in Israel in 1945. In Israel she became a pioneer and founder of a new kibbutz on the conflict-ridden northern border, in close proximity to Syria. In later years, she studied nursing and became the kibbutz nurse. Together with her husband, David, she raised four sons. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 90, leaving behind a large family, including many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Reviews

[Rajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The persecution of Jews was a sad incident. It ruined many lives. One such girl was Ruth Uzrad who escaped from there to Belgium.

Just imagine the horror of two young girls in a train with no identification papers. She is put in an orphanage by a kind woman. Then she goes to France and take a pseudonym Renee. Finally she settles in Israel.

It is a book by Ruth Uzrad herself and a moving portrait of trials and tribulations of hers when she runs for her and her sister’s life.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Uzrad is a 13-year-old girl whose entire life was impacted by the Nazi regime. She's a happy teenager, loving all the Jewish traditions that were followed in her home, especially by her beloved father.

When her father is arrested in their Berlin apartment by the Gestapo, Ruth's world that she knew and loved would exist no more. Little did she know what the future held for her and her 2 sisters and their mother. Ruth's mother can see what is coming, so she sends Ruth and her two sisters, both younger, to board a train and head out as soon as possible to Belgium where she hopes and prays her children will be safe. However, as history unfolds, that was not necessarily the case.

This will turn out to be one of the first of many moves for Ruth and her sisters as they must flee the approaching Germans everywhere they turn. Ruth and her second sister must flee Belgium after the Germans conquer it, but must leave behind the youngest, a toddler, who will be safe after being taken in as a foster child by a Belgian family.

As the book goes on, time is a finely woven thread - days of suffering, thirst, hunger, extreme weather conditions, homelessness, and never-ending fear take hold of Ruth. She and her sister are eventually separated by necessity, and days turn into weeks and weeks turn into years, during which the loving family is separated by not only miles, but fear that any contact would alert the Germans to their presence and hiding, thereby falling under arrest and being sent to a camp to die.

A young girl, much older than her years, ends up in France, risking her life daily as a member of the Jewish Underground.

We all know the horrors of WWII and the Jewish population. Reading the story of just one family, a loving mother and father and their three cherished girls, brings home the impact of the regime - an indescribable horror lived by millions of innocents, many of whom did not survive the camps, the torture, the starvation, and the abuse. It is a story of what evil man can give to fellow man, and it makes a person thankful for everything we take for granted.

Even with the horrors in this book, it remains a tribute to the righting human spirit, the bravery to stand up in the face of near certain death to bring down the ultimate evil.

[Majanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

I was so excited to start reading A Girl Called Renee because part of the book takes place in Belgium, the country where I live. The story certainly didn’t dissapoint, and I was really impressed by Ruth, and how strong she stayed in the face of so much evil.

So, first of all, this is an autobiographical book, meaning that the events happening in the book, actually happened. Although while you’re reading it, it’s hard to believe so much horror can actually be true, but we all know how horrible and devastating world war II was for so many people. Anyway, Ruth Uzrad was a Jewish teenager back then, and her father got arrested in Berlin by the Gestapo. Scared of what would happen to their family, Ruth’s mother sent 13-year-old Ruth and two young sisters away from Germany, and to the safety of Belgium.

Yet, the unthinkable happens, and the Nazis conquer Belgium. Ruth and one of her sisters manage to escape to France, where Ruth joins an underground movement and takes on a false identity and name – Renee. As an underground fighter, she participates in several operations to save endangered Jews. When the Gestapo are on her tracks, she flees to Spain and eventually to Israel.

This story is heartbreaking, often brought me to tears, but it’s also very inspiring. It shows strength and courage, it shows how people can survive the unimaginable, and even try to help others when the world seems to have sunken into chaos and despair. It shows hope, that lives on when everything else has left already. It shows humanity’s triumph over evil. If I read Ruth’s biography correctly, she has since passed away, and I’m very sorry to hear that, and give my condolences to her family. Reading this book, Ruth was truly an amazing person, the kind of person who makes this world a better place.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4 1/2 stars. The story is definitely worth reading. One young girls story starting in Germany 1939, traveling to Belgium, France, Spain and finally Israel. I used the maps on my iPad to keep track of where she was during this horrific journey. Hard to fathom having to go through all this and live this way. What a brave, ingenious group of young people. May another Hitler never see the light of day.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is enchanting, despite the time and era of holocaust that the story is set in, because of an innocence brought to the telling by the protagonist. It's as if it's the young girl speaking to the reader at age of five, seven, thirteen, ... and often she writes as if reminiscing or conversing, so it's not strictly linear all the time.

How a holocaust survivor retains that sweetness and innocence of the pre holocaust young girl within her survivor self is a far greater miracle than the sheer physical fact of survival of the person, considering how determined the murdering nazis were to exterminate all Jews of Europe and how far they did go to the purpose even during last days of the war, what huge portion they did murder.

And above all, one has to admire the amazing spirit of the very young girl, courageous in the face of life and death situations, not only surviving but helping others, taking decisions and observing, judging, thinking, and educating herself through it all. Is she has to do farmwork, housework, resistance work by choice, still, she goes back to reading, choosing the luxury of a library membership when she can.

Little Bronia becomes as much a heartache for the reader as she was for her elder sister the protagonist and author, and that's how much she touches the reader.

At one point, she's sheltering at a convent near the Swiss border.

"The work distribution among the nuns was permanent. When she entered the convent, each nun brought a “dowry” of sorts, according to her parents’ means. The size of the “dowry” and the novice’s education determined her future status and occupation. The poor, low-class nuns were sentenced to the hardest, most demeaning work. The rich ones were given administrative and teaching jobs. The nun’s life in the convent wasn’t determined by her abilities or personality but rather her lineage and her family’s income level."

Anglo-European caste system there in a nutshell, generally universal outside India, but no longer called so since colonialism decided to reserve that word for India instead and use another for their caste system.
........

"“Grandma, were you in the Holocaust?” my twelve-year-old granddaughter asked me one day.

"The question confused me and, for some strange reason, angered me.

"In a typically Jewish manner, I replied with a question. “What do you mean, was I in the Holocaust? Do you mean to ask if I was in a death camp? Fortunately, I wasn’t. I wasn’t in a death camp.”

"And with that, I closed the subject.

"Several weeks later, in a discussion over coffee and cake, my daughter-in-law asked, “Why did you stay in Nazi Germany?”

"Now, as well, I replied with a question. “Do you think it was so simple for a family with children to just up and leave everything—possessions, an apartment, our livelihood? Do you think other countries in the world hurried to open their borders to receive Jewish refugees persecuted by the Nazis?”

"Again, it wasn’t the place and time to expand on this subject. But I was asked similar questions, and on the few occasions that I was forthcoming, I noticed the subject inspired interest, which motivated me to try and write down what I’d been through during those years.

"I’m not the only one. Thousands of Jewish girls like me wandered through Europe and tried to survive. It’s very hard to dredge from the recesses of memory events that happened more than fifty years ago—without the aid of diaries, letters, and documents. I tried to tell my story without adding or detracting, without embellishing or deleting. Perhaps my friends, who made part of the journey with me and experienced the same events, remember something else."
........

"My father, Josef, called Yosel by the family, was born in Dukla, a small Polish town in the Carpathian Mountains next to what is now the Polish-Slovakian border. ... During the First World War, he was drafted into the army of Emperor Franz Josef, and when the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, he went, alone, to Germany. My father was short of stature, with a pleasant face that wasn’t typically Jewish. He had beautiful brown eyes and high cheekbones. When I read about the Khazars on the Crimea peninsula who converted to Judaism, I imagined my father as a descendant of those people."

"My father was an observant Jew who embraced religion with all his heart. Every morning, he put on phylacteries, shaved with a special ointment, and washed his hands, and he prayed before every meal. He would say to me, “When all the Jews of the world observe the Shabbat, the Messiah will come.”

"His words confused me. I couldn’t understand why all the Jews couldn’t observe the holy Shabbat at least once."

"My father admired Germany greatly for its order, cleanliness, and precision. I remember we received postcards in the mail from Poland, and my father said, “You see, Ruth, here’s the Polish mail seal. You can’t discern a thing. Look at the German mail seal—everything is clear. The date, the hour, the place. That’s Germany for you!”"

"My mother was born in Korczyna, a town not far from my father’s birthplace. She lost her mother when she was thirteen. My grandmother died from the typhus epidemic that plagued the town during the First World War. Mother had to leave school to look after her two-year-old twin siblings and take care of the house. She wasn’t sad to leave, as the Polish girls bullied her because she was Jewish."

The family shifted to Berlin, too, walking across the border one night, and the two met at a traditional get together for matchmaking and married.

"Although our living accommodations were crowded, I enjoyed a warm, loving, lively home. My uncle and aunt, Max and Betty, were eleven years older than me. Max would take me for rides on his bicycle, take me to the cinema, and spoil me with sticky candies. Betty and her friends played with me and included me in their board games. At the age of four, I already knew how to recognize German poets and authors—Goethe, Schiller, Lessing, and others. I would sit on Grandfather’s lap, and he would teach me the Hebrew alphabet."

They stayed together with her parents for a few years and the first daughter was five before they shifted to another, larger house in a non-Jewish locality.

"When I was five, my sister was born. Her name was also Betty, like our aunt’s name. By then, my parents had left Grenadier Strasse and rented a spacious apartment in the building where my father’s shop was situated. We lived on the first floor, just above the shop. My life had changed very much—from a pampered only child, I became a big sister with responsibilities. We left the atmosphere of an extended family and lived as a nuclear family—a father, a mother, and two daughters. We moved from a bustling, dirty area to a quiet neighborhood with beautiful parks, avenues lined with chestnut trees, and tidy playgrounds. From a neighborhood that was populated mainly by Jews who emigrated from Poland to an area of mainly Christian Germans."

"Our new environment also influenced my mother. Geraniums and petunias bloomed on our balcony, as on our neighbors’. On weekdays, we ate potatoes with herring or potato patties with applesauce, and for dessert, chocolate pudding with vanilla sauce. Instead of the bagels and onion rolls that we consumed when we lived on Grenadier Strasse, we ate simple black bread. The gentiles’ food."

She describes Shabbat in detail.

"Sunday also had a special feel. Like the gentiles, we’d go to Grunewald, a forest of pines by the city. We would pick red berries and wildflowers. We would sometimes enter a café, and Papa would order bubbly drinks in various colors. Once in a while, we would board a tour boat that sailed the beautiful lakes. After our excursion to the forest, we would enjoy Mother’s excellent sandwiches. Sundays were also for visits at the famous Berlin Zoo or beautiful Botanical Garden. There, in the greenhouses, Papa would point at the lemon and almond trees and proudly say, “In Eretz Israel, trees like this grow outside, not trapped in greenhouses.”"

She began school in March 1931.

"It wasn’t long before I learned to read German, and by my second year at school, Papa decided it was time for me to learn the holy language. So twice a week I went to Hebrew lessons. It was then that I became familiar with the Bible stories that the rabbi told us. I especially liked the story about Joseph the dreamer and the story about wise Abraham, who knew the idols were worthless and broke them. Compared to those, I found the stories of the Nibelungen—about the adventures of Siegfried and the god Wotan, which I studied at school—frightening and repulsive with their cruelty."

"Papa sold leather for shoe repairs and all the tools and instruments a shoemaker needed, as well as shoe polish and shoelaces. In short, it was a kind of “shoemakers’ department store.”"

"The shoemakers would buy on credit and were late settling their debts because most of their customers were unemployed and had difficulty paying them. “Meister” was what they would call Papa, a title credited to someone who successfully finished his apprenticeship and was allowed to teach new students. And indeed, Papa would teach many unemployed who couldn’t afford to pay for shoe repairs. He would advise them on the best leather to choose to repair the soles of their shoes and how to get the job done themselves. I was a witness when he told one of them, “You chose low-quality leather. Don’t buy this merchandise.”

"Usually, the buyers weren’t in a hurry, and when they came to buy leather, they’d linger to discuss their daily problems as well as matters of the world. Sometimes, the shop became a place where anarchists, Trotskyists, and communists argued. I spent a lot of time there and helped my father hold the bales of leather—which he cut into squares—absorbed their smell, and knew my way around the merchandise. Mostly, I listened to the customers’ conversations.

"Fifty years later, when I visited Berlin, I found Papa’s shop, which had become a jewelry shop. The door to the building was the same one I remembered: brown, heavy, and impressive. The house had a layer of new paint, and on the balconies, geraniums bloomed. I didn’t enter the building itself. Several more years passed, and in February 2003, I visited Berlin again with my oldest son and his wife. Once again, I returned to the building that was once my home. We climbed up the stairs and hesitantly knocked on the door. After several minutes, when we didn’t hear a thing, we turned to go. Just then, a young man arrived and offered to open the door and show us the apartment, which was now empty and for rent.

"I was brimming with excitement when I entered the apartment that I left as a child, sixty-four years ago. It felt as though time had frozen. Nothing had changed in the apartment. The high ceiling was ornamented with cast flowers, the unique fireplace covered with china tiles, and even the little window seat where I would sit, my nose buried in a book, taking advantage of the last light before the Shabbat came in, was still there. I went to the park named after the poet Schiller, and just around the corner, I found the same cart that sold fruit, in the exact same place. Here, Mother would buy bananas and oranges for the road. In the park, I discovered the same hidden, romantic niches and arbors covered with white and pink wild roses. Just the same as many years ago.

"I visited the big park called Rehbergen (“Deer Hills”) again, and on the way there, I came across small wooden shacks with dahlias blooming in front of them. Brown squirrels cavorted in the park and cracked acorns, while timid deer skipped in the grass. Only the trees had grown in the meantime, and their shade now was wider and deeper. Not much had changed about the lake where we used to swim in the summer and where I made my first ice skating attempt in the winter. What was new was the boat marina.

"An entire world had been destroyed. Faith in man, culture, and progress had been undermined. A third of our people went up in smoke, and those who survived carried deep scars that left their mark on the second generation as well. And here in Berlin, nothing had changed."

Nazis came to power in 1933.

"On the sidewalk, before Papa’s store, someone wrote in huge letters, “Germans don’t buy from the Jewish pig!”

"The unemployed were recruited for jobs outside of the city and disappeared from the streets. They proudly wore the brown uniform, with the shiny boots and the swastika on their sleeve, and marched in formation. On Sundays, at dawn, swarms of brown-uniformed people marched down our streets and sang marching songs. “Today Germany, tomorrow the whole world!”

"There was something hypnotic about it, both threatening and mesmerizing. It was frightening to see so many people wearing brown uniforms, walking in sync, in straight rows, waving flags, and pounding on drums. At school, in the morning before entering the classroom, all the children gathered in the yard, and the swastika flag was raised to the top of the pole. The principal would shout while raising his hand, “Heil Hitler!” and the girls would repeat loudly after him, “Heil Hitler!” Only I, an eight-year-old child, stood there, still and quiet, waiting for the assembly to end.

"In German lessons, new subjects were added to composition writing, such as “With Hitler—toward a strong Germany” or “We all listen to Hitler’s speech.” I wrote such a composition as well, based on a speech that appeared in the newspaper. My teacher was impressed, read it before the entire class, and also showed it to the principal. Perhaps she forgot that a little Jewish girl wrote the best composition. The matter died quietly.

"Frequently, when I left the school, boys would bully me, hit me, and sing derogatory songs about Jews. I hoped one of the passersby would interfere, scold the bullies, and rush to help me. But nothing happened. German citizens didn’t see, didn’t hear, and didn’t know what was happening around them. I would run home, to Papa’s shop, and he would say, “It will all pass. The German people won’t put up for long with this madman’s rule.”"

"In the summer, as in previous years, we went away for several weeks to the Baltic Sea. Mother took her cooking utensils with her, to keep kosher, and we rented a room in one of the fishing villages. Papa would come to visit us only on the weekends. We spent time on the beach from morning till evening, splashing in the water, playing in the sand. Sometimes I helped pick fruit; in the yard of one of the farmers, there were plum trees, apple trees, and tiny berries that grew on bushes. Sometimes I’d go out to the fields with him and return on a wagon piled with fragrant harvest. In the evening, Mother would buy smoked fish with an alluring smell and fresh bread baked by the farmers. Weeks of simple joy meandered by, causing us to forget the fears that darkened the skies in Berlin."

[Geshna Ballgobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir.

A girl called Renée: The incredible story of a Holocaust survivor is the heart-breaking story of Ruth Schütz Uzrad who struggled, fought, stumbled through life but never gave up.

The author’s writing is incredible. Her words just flow. I loved how she made a small recapitulation of the characters she presented. Her story is complex as she moves from one place to place, and meets different people but she makes sure her readers are not confused and keeps them intrigued throughout the book. I loved how Ruth kept a little mystery around the name Renée.

Ruth Uzrad shares how the Holocaust changed her life, destroyed her family and isolated her from her loved ones. Her anger and frustration are palpable all throughout the book. She also describes the living conditions during her days as a refugee: poor hygiene, malnutrition, ill-treatment, diseases. Her life was driven by discipline but also hard work and wit.

Ruth gives very detailed accounts of the life-changing events that she experienced. She was somehow outraged at how the world could go on when she herself has lost her family at such a young age. “I was sixteen, the world was on fire, I was worried about my parents’ welfare, the future was threatening and uncertain, and our director treated us as though we were mentally challenged children.” She strongly condemns the hatred and indifference instilled by religion. Her childhood was lost and her family destroyed.

Despite the struggles she faced, Ruth does not lose her self-esteem. She is poised and strong-headed. Her ideals and principles are what command her behaviour and emotions. She is the epitome of strength and resilience. She always looks up to a better future despite the hardships she faced: “There was a purpose to our struggles and a goal to our lives.” The author would also reveal another trait of her character, feminism as she rejected the absurd practices at a convent near the Swiss border: “Was it because since childhood, God was depicted as a man?” In addition, her courage and wit made her a great asset for the Résistance group.

Nevertheless, this book is not only about the events surrounding the Holocaust. Ruth also shares the fate of those she met during wartime. Besides, she never ceases to express her gratitude, admiration and recognition to the heroes of her life. The book almost seems to be a homage to the people who helped and saved her.

The author ends her book as she survives the Holocaust as a nineteen-year-old young woman who looks up to a new life on her dreamland, Israel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was painful to learn that the author Ruth Uzrad died in 2015 but also a relief to know that she had her life, she made it through to her nineties, despite everything she went through.

A great read.

[Jaideep Khanduja · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.com/a-g...

A Girl Called Renee by Ruth Uzrad An Autobiography of a Jewish Teenager

It takes a lot of courage and willpower to face one of the biggest turmoils of life. That too for a 12-year old girl hailing from a religious Jewish family. A Girl Called Renee is a sincere autobiographical attempt by Ruth Uzrad. Born in 1925, her tough time starts during World War II in 1939 when the German State secret police Gestapo working under Nazi regime arrest her father from their apartment in Berlin. Finding no other option for the safety of her three daughters, Ruth's mother sends Ruth and her two younger sisters by train to Belgium. Ruth was the eldest among her siblings. But within a year, in 1940, German army invades Belgium and the Netherlands thus forcing Ruth to escape to France but with only her younger sister. Their youngest sister stays behind with a Belgian Foster family under safe hands.

In May 1940, German forces acquire Belgium and Ruth joins the Jewish underground movement in France. A Girl Called Renee by Ruth Uzrad is a story of turbulence in the life of a young girl. While joining French Resistance, the Jewish underground movement, Ruth changes her name to Renee. Soon she becomes an underground fighter and starts handling special tasks of saving Jews in danger. In fact, it starts a sequence of incidents in her life. As a matter of fact, when it becomes difficult to save herself from the German police, she finds no other option than crossing the border into Spain. And from Spain, she moves to Israel and decides to settle there. In fact, life was full of danger for Renee throughout this period. Probably, it was her determination and courage that made her successful in all her attempts.

A Girl Called Renee by Ruth Uzrad provides a number of good lessons for young girls. After reaching Israel, Ruth finds David Uzrad. They both married to live happily thereafter in Israel. Ruth died in 2015 at the age of 90. Ruth creates a good amount of interest in Introduction of the book itself when her granddaughter asks her if she had a stay in a holocaust ever in her life. And she replies in negative. Her granddaughter further asks why did she live in Nazi Germany. This beginning creates an immediate connection with the readers and thus makes it an engrossing and interesting read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Girl Called Renee: The Incredible Story of a Holocaust Survivor is a memoir written by Ruth Uzrad. Ruth resisted telling her story for many years. When she did answer some questions, she noticed the subject inspired interest and decided to try to write down what had happened to her. She had only her memory and diaries and letters to help refresh her memory. Some things she did not remember and wasn’t ashamed to simply state that. Her book is open and frank. She attempts to hide nothing. Her family was unique in that her Mother and two sisters also survived all separated in different places. Only her Father perished of her immediate family.
Both her parents were Polish but her Father moved the family to Berlin where he worked in the leather business. Her parents were very different in their outlooks on life and behaviors; but they managed to raise three young girls in harmony. At school, she felt the result of being Jewish as she was picked on. In October 1938, her Father was taken and she never saw him again. Eventually, her Mother sent Ruth and Betty away to be taken care of. She intended to go to England and take Bronia with her; but her visa was only for herself so she left Bronia in a Jewish orphanage. She tried to get her girls to England but was unable to do so.
This book tells of her trials and suffering she did while trying to simply survive and keep from being sent to one of the camps as a Jew. She lived openly in society but was always aware of the instability of her disguise.
The book was written in a style that made you want to keep reading until you were finished.

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each Holocaust survivor has a unique and individual story. However, these survivors’ stories didn’t end in 1945. They continue through to the present day. Their testimonies provide us with an understanding of how the events of the Holocaust have shaped their lives and are an ongoing testimony to the strength of the human spirit.

Ruth Uzrads’ story of survival offers a thought-provoking all-encompassing human dramatization that stretches out from the dim days of the Second World War to the autonomous State of Israel. A holding and inspiringly idealistic account based on her own personal experiences, you’ll appreciate each page of this captivating voyage of hope and inspiration. This really is a remarkable story.

If I read the author’s biography correctly, my condolences to her family. May she Rest in Peace.

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of an Incredibly Brave, Strong, and a Courageous Woman named Ruth Uzrad. She is a survivor and is the author of this book called “A girl called Renee”. She was a teenage woman who has common sense and through her years of the hardships travel through Nazi to freedom. She was also strong and independent. Later, Ruth joins the Jewish underground movement in France and takes on a false identity. With her new name, Renee, she does everything she can to save as many Jews as possible, knowing that it could cost her life. It was really a one person story and made the reading easier to follow and I’ve enjoyed the book. It recounts the story where she born in 1925 and she’s oldest of three daughters to a religious Jewish family. When her father got arrested from their apartment. Her mother sends their girls to escape for their safety.

[Isaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.

I got an ARC in return for an honest review.

I find that memoirs are the hardest to review because I feel like a jerk for judging someone on their life. This book was so strong and powerful. It was a side of the holocaust that is not talked about much. Usually the story is about the concentration camps, which don’t get me wrong are very terrifying and horrific stories. This one followed a young girl in her life avoiding concentration camps.

There was so much that I am so thankful for when it comes to this book. Uzrad names many individuals and how they helped people. The story was not solely her own story. Instead it was a story of many people who risked their lives for others. This book is possibly the only place that these heroes will ever get recognized. I am beyond grateful that I was able to learn about these people. I can’t express that enough.

The story follows Uzrad through childhood to her turning nineteen. There were asides that told of her more recent trip back to some of the places she had been and interacting with people from his childhood. The updates at the time felt a little out of place, but I realize now that I needed those updates. I needed to know what happened to those people. The anxiety I felt not knowing would have been crushing.

There was talk from losing her religion, to losing her faith, to how she viewed others that did the same. This is something I never hear about in stories of WWII or the holocaust. It has always been a question that burned for me. I just never knew how to get it answered. I don’t know if my question was ever answer, or fully formed for that matter. This book answered a lot of questions by giving another glimpse into the this atrocity.

In case anyone was wondering how I felt: Fuck Nazis. Past, present, and future.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Holocaust autobiography told by a Jewish woman who survived the experience while in her teen years, A Girl Called Renée features many events that rival the most dramatic tales. Those stories alone make for a worthwhile read even while the book suffers in other ways.

The book is chock-a-block with stories of close calls with German soldiers. I was reminded of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale for the similarities of the experience in occupied France. Both protagonists worked within an underground resistance group, and both escaped France by crossing the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.

Author Ruth Uzrad describes details and the people she encountered among the many places she sheltered in Belgium and throughout France. She helpfully fills in the coda to the stories of many people as to whether they survived and where they ultimately lived. However, story characters often seem to drop in from nowhere, and some details leading to events seem skipped over or lost.

As someone who recently traveled to Israel and now watches the sad events unfolding there, I hoped to understand more of what it means to be a Jew when, early in the book, Uzrad writes of longing to live in Israel. In the story, Uzrad proudly clings to her Jewishness even while some of her friends convert to Christianity. She writes of wanting to establish a socialist state in Israel but does not reveal exactly what values drive her. To my surprise, she even indicates she no longer observed the Jewish commandments and had lost her faith in God. Nevertheless, the Jewish rituals seemed important to her.

At one point in the story, the author tells of being blindfolded and forced to swear an oath to the resistance while having no idea what the organization stood for. Alas, I finished the book feeling similarly about the author.

[CHC94 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all of these different stories about World War II that I find as e-books. It gives me a much better picture of life during that time - and more in depth than any history textbook.

I enjoyed Ruth's story - how she grew up in Berlin and her family had to re-adjust their life with each new anti-Jewish law; I felt scared right along with her as her father was arrested, and then she and her sister and mother had to split up to survive.

At around the midpoint of her story, however, it started becoming a little mixed up and I as a reader, had a hard time figuring out if Ruth was talking about one of her many hiding places or present day, or what. A few too many tangents, which I think happens when someone recounts a life story - because some events in the past directly effect those in the future.

But ... just wow. I don't think I could ever be that brave.

[Sharon Bush Viehdorfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible and informative

Ruth Uzrad is a significant addition to the WW l l Holocaust survivor memoirs. Ruth's journey takes her away from her identity as a German who is Jewish by religion to a pioneer in what will become the restored Jewish homeland. German Nazi terrorism divides her family. Her father is murdered. She escapes Berlin with her younger sister to Belgium. As the Nazis invade Belgium, Ruth flees to Southern France. She manages to stay alive and to rescue others along the way, including snatching a Jewish infant out from under the noses of SS officers. Her memoir ends at her legal entrance into Palestine.

I would have liked to learn about Ruth's life after she arrived in Palestine and how she pioneered a new life for herself.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A well written memoir. The interruptions and time jumps were jarring however they are typical of the genre, memoir. They were well marked and were clear about when the jump went to and where it returned to. This is well written and lets readers see what this woman went through and how she overcame the obstacles presented to her. I want to know more about her life and how these events changed her as a person in her day to day life. I highly recommend this book as it shows what Jewish people who didn’t go to concentration camps had to endure.

[Chris Pezzella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story!

I've read many stories of Holocaust survivors but this one is different. The writer went through some terrible situations while just trying to survive and keep from being captured by the Nazis. Joining up with some other young teens, she became a part of the resistance in France which led to many dangerous experiences for her and the other young people. We usually don't hear about these kinds of experiences from the WWI era so this really was new and exciting kind of reading experience! I hope there is a sequel to tell us about her new life once she made it to Israel. Would love to see a movie version!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Holocaust survivor books I've read. It takes the reader from the author's childhood in Berlin, to survival mode through various countries and her resistance work, and finally to flight into Spain and ultimately safety (at least from the Nazis) in Israel.

The author doesn't pull any punches - she seems to be telling her story as factually as possible and lets the chips fall where they may. And incredibly, there are moments of levity interspersed with the very serious business of survival.

[A Steven Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading in junior or senior high schools.

An excellent story! Very well written! Ever wonder what Jewish people did to survive in WW II torn Europe? It is all laid out in this book.

Again, this should be mandatory reading to educate and prevent the holocaust from ever happening again. This story is very well put together and very educational. Very happy that Ruth made her way to Israel! What a torturous time period!

[Barbara Skipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action-packed Holocaust Autobiography

This was one of the best first-hand accounts of a Holocaust survivor. It gives the reader an account often just read about in history books. The impact on the various family members as they are strewn all over Europe shows the individual and familial impacts of war. Once I started reading it, I never put it down until it was finished. Thank you Ruth for writing it!

[Rich Bisanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel should be mandatory reading in high schools.

We can't escape the past but must remember the people who endured the war years in Europe. The fighting, the dreprivation, the separation from family and friends. This is just a little of what was covered. To be a teenager, female, Jewish and a resistance fighter took enormous courage. Please, try to stick with the story and read it in its entirety.

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story

This was an interesting story and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It is another story of personal hardship and the tragedy that was WW2. The story is told in the first person by the author. She recalls her life amid the horror of the war and her eventual journey to Israel.

[David Samaras · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Girl Called Renee

Ms. Uzrad is not only a genuine heroine, but a gifted writer. Her true story reads like exciting fiction. This is a wonderful book an important addition to the body of works describing the terrifying events and personal travails of a young girl trying to survive a monstrous time.
I highly recommend this book to all.

[Cindy Dubois-meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story. Intriguing and a good account of history. So sad that this is part of our world's history. How any human could try and erase and commit genocide is incomprehensible. Every one should read these accounts.


So much pain and suffering that did not need to be. And how many countries turned a blind eye to what was happening.

[Helen Cargile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching Story

Eye-opening story about one young Jewish woman’s experience leading up to and during WWII. Her determination to stay one step ahead of the Nazis is so very brave. Her experience is very different than Anne Frank’s, but gives more insight into how difficult it was to survive in Europe during that time in history.

[Chantelle Hurford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another holocaust survivor’s tale

The unimaginable horrors that people lived through give one a different perspective of human endeavour and how lucky we are to live in more peaceful times.
Her fortitude throughout the war is awe inspiring.
Never stop telling these stories - we should never forget.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

This was a very intriguing book. This book felt like a bunch of short stories put together. It would jump forward to finish that part of the story before moving on usually. My only disappointment was that there were a few loose ends. Although, I feel like there probably are some loose ends that she doesn’t know how or what happened. 3.5 stars

[diana berns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book which should be read.

I found this book a compulsive read, I found that the story was rather jumble, but full of heart. True feelings showed through. It left many unanswered questions due to the writers memory loss of certain insidents. So glad I have read it. Thank you for the opportunity.

[Robert Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story! Good writing. It was good to read a book about being Jewish during ww2 that the heroine didn't end up tortured and confined to a death camp. This girl was a fighter and true survivor! She helped so many of her people by just being gutsy and not settling to be a victim. She had a lot of " Hutspa"!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Most Unusual War Story

Most of the stories I’ve read about WWII and the Holocaust have been very different. They talk about the atrocities and the murder of thousands of Jewish people. This story is mainly about one girl nicknamed Renee and how she manage to survive the war. It was an interesting book to read, mainly because I had never heard any stories of Jewish survivors

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful, get-wrenching tale of a Jewish girl coming of age in Nazi-occupied Europe that's made only more heartbreaking by the fact that it's true. It's definitely not an easy read (memoirs like this seldom are), but it's fascinating. If you've ever wondered what life was like for young Jews who were able to make it out of Germany as Hitler gained power, this is the book for you. You'll be amazed at the courage of both the author and those she comes in contact with. An added bonus are the moments when Ruth mentions what happens to several of her friends after the war. It's a poignant reminder that wars do not end when the bullets stop flying. For many, the fight continues long afterwards.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.