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And...Who Is The Real Mother?: Book One
A young Jewish child is smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto. She is sent to live with a dear friend of her mother's, Helen Dobinski. Helen is a Catholic woman living in Warsaw, who is willing to risk the safety of her own family in order to provide a home for this precious little girl. However, no one must find out that the Dobinski family is harboring a Jewish child or they could face severe punishment, even death. Keeping such a dangerous secret is treacherous like walking a tightrope. There are spies everywhere, and it is impossible to know who can be trusted.
Just how much fear and pain will one woman endure in order to save the life of an innocent child who is not her blood? And so, we must ask the question: “Who is the real mother? Is it the mother who gave birth to the child, or the mother who risked everything to raise her?”
Just how much fear and pain will one woman endure in order to save the life of an innocent child who is not her blood? And so, we must ask the question: “Who is the real mother? Is it the mother who gave birth to the child, or the mother who risked everything to raise her?”
373 pages, Paperback
Published March 14, 2018
780 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Roberta Kagan
72 books651 followersI’m an American writer of Jewish and Romany decent. I write Historical Fiction and Historical Romance, most of which is set during the holocaust. Although I never discount the horrors of the time period, the main focus of my work is on ordinary people who prove to be strong heroic characters in unfathomable circumstances.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 3, 2018
Amazing
As always I finish Kagans books within a day.
They are so engulfing you cannot stop reading them. Any historical bluff would love these book. They tell a story with such realness you feel like you're living the life of the characters...
As always I finish Kagans books within a day.
They are so engulfing you cannot stop reading them. Any historical bluff would love these book. They tell a story with such realness you feel like you're living the life of the characters...
June 12, 2023
Good Story
Another good start to a promising series by this author. I can't imagine what people endured during that terrible time in history but Roberta Kagan does a remarkable job trying to tell their tale. These stories grab you right from the beginning and take you on an emotional roller coaster. This particular journey will definitely make you think.
Another good start to a promising series by this author. I can't imagine what people endured during that terrible time in history but Roberta Kagan does a remarkable job trying to tell their tale. These stories grab you right from the beginning and take you on an emotional roller coaster. This particular journey will definitely make you think.
February 10, 2018
Poignant
I'm always deeply touched and moved by Roberts Kagan's books .I immensely enjoyed each series. I enjoy the way each character comes alive and you're able to feel their emotions..The perspective of both sides is brilliantly explored..Thank you for helping us understand how this atrocity could take place..Hopefully we all can learn from the past..With great pleasure I highly recommend each and every book..
I'm always deeply touched and moved by Roberts Kagan's books .I immensely enjoyed each series. I enjoy the way each character comes alive and you're able to feel their emotions..The perspective of both sides is brilliantly explored..Thank you for helping us understand how this atrocity could take place..Hopefully we all can learn from the past..With great pleasure I highly recommend each and every book..
December 16, 2018
MS Kagan paints a vivid picture and brings you into the story with all your heart and soul.
Roberta Kagan has enlightened, blessed and thankfully shared her wonderful talent with us in this series.
Ela/Eidel's story is a story that is very dear to a mother's heart. Anyone who has heard of the wisdom of King Solomon, will be touched by this book.
MS Kagan is more than a five star writer.
Roberta Kagan has enlightened, blessed and thankfully shared her wonderful talent with us in this series.
Ela/Eidel's story is a story that is very dear to a mother's heart. Anyone who has heard of the wisdom of King Solomon, will be touched by this book.
MS Kagan is more than a five star writer.
February 22, 2018
Mothers Love
Another wonderful look into life in a Nazi world by Roberta Kagan has been achieved. This story gives the reader the picture of a ruthless regime and how families were affected by it. You will feel the emotional impact of each character and understand why we must never forget.
Another wonderful look into life in a Nazi world by Roberta Kagan has been achieved. This story gives the reader the picture of a ruthless regime and how families were affected by it. You will feel the emotional impact of each character and understand why we must never forget.
June 18, 2018
The best yet!
I have read nearly all of these books about. people living through terrible times as Jews before, during, and after WWII. This author has a personal stake in the stories and it is not money. This book grabs you immediately. I could not wait to read it on my kindle every night. The characters are very real and the history is correct.
I have read nearly all of these books about. people living through terrible times as Jews before, during, and after WWII. This author has a personal stake in the stories and it is not money. This book grabs you immediately. I could not wait to read it on my kindle every night. The characters are very real and the history is correct.
November 29, 2018
A good story
This is a great story of the tough times people had during the occupation of Hitler. Following a little girl and her mother’s selflessness in trying to keep her alive. Anytime it is hard to put a book down because the story is so good, I find it a great read!!! Roberta is a great writer!!!
This is a great story of the tough times people had during the occupation of Hitler. Following a little girl and her mother’s selflessness in trying to keep her alive. Anytime it is hard to put a book down because the story is so good, I find it a great read!!! Roberta is a great writer!!!
February 28, 2018
Another great read by Roberta Kagan
This was a wonderful book about the Helen, Zofia and Eidel. I cannot wait for book #2....every word Roberta puts to paper is amazing....great story teller!
This was a wonderful book about the Helen, Zofia and Eidel. I cannot wait for book #2....every word Roberta puts to paper is amazing....great story teller!
May 21, 2018
A good story, needs a better title to grab readers
I enjoyed this book...it was an interesting, easy read. Interspersed with historical background was a story of two mother's loves.
I enjoyed this book...it was an interesting, easy read. Interspersed with historical background was a story of two mother's loves.
June 11, 2018
Excellent reading
I find these novels to be so engaging. While some of the facts may be a bit misconstrued, it's important to remember that the truth is not in what happened when. The truth is in the "realness" of the characters.
I find these novels to be so engaging. While some of the facts may be a bit misconstrued, it's important to remember that the truth is not in what happened when. The truth is in the "realness" of the characters.
August 5, 2018
Great book
I have been reading a lot on the holocaust and ww2. This was an amazing book. I look forward to reading more if this author. The writing is amazing and kept me wanting more.
I have been reading a lot on the holocaust and ww2. This was an amazing book. I look forward to reading more if this author. The writing is amazing and kept me wanting more.
February 17, 2018
I am your mother
I loved reading this book. It proves that a mother,s love is in her heart. I am the adopted mother of a daughter. I could not love her any more than I do.
I loved reading this book. It proves that a mother,s love is in her heart. I am the adopted mother of a daughter. I could not love her any more than I do.
March 20, 2018
Who is the real mother
Another wonderful read by my favorite writer, roberta kagan. I finished reading this in just a few days and can hardly wait for the next book.
Another wonderful read by my favorite writer, roberta kagan. I finished reading this in just a few days and can hardly wait for the next book.
April 14, 2018
Great story!
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. No cliffhanger but you still want to read the next book.
I loved this book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. No cliffhanger but you still want to read the next book.
April 18, 2018
Brilliant read,
Kept me hooked. Love this series.
Highly recommended. An eye opener .
Shocking too. WWII was horrendous. So much misery
Kept me hooked. Love this series.
Highly recommended. An eye opener .
Shocking too. WWII was horrendous. So much misery
January 15, 2019
Who is the real mother
Excellent read. Couldn't put book down. The harsh conditions for surviving the Nazi invasion were told in a heart wrenching way.
Excellent read. Couldn't put book down. The harsh conditions for surviving the Nazi invasion were told in a heart wrenching way.
April 6, 2018
And… Who is the Real Mother! : I Am Proud to Be a Jew series Book 1 is by Roberta Kagan. This is a fiction series about a young Jewish Girl who was smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto and brought up as Catholic. The series follows her from being taken from the ghetto to her life as a Catholic and finally her life in America. This series is fantastic. It gives a different view of surviving the Holocaust. Even though it is fiction, the details are such that it seems real. In fact, this story could possibly have happened to one or more children in the Warsaw ghetto as many children were smuggled out.
Zofia Weiss was thrilled to have her baby daughter even though she was a single mother with the father nowhere in sight. Thanks to two lesbian ladies who gave her a place to stay, she and her daughter were in a clean, dry place filled with love. This soon changed when the Nazis entered Warsaw. Soon all Jews were forced into the Ghetto where starvation and disease were rampant. Zofia was persuaded by one of the ladies to let her find a way to get Eidel out of the ghetto to a dear friend of Zofia’s, Helen Dobinski, who had agreed to risk everything to provide a home for her daughter. Helen persuaded her husband to go along with having Eidel in their house. So, Eidel now Ela was raised by Helen and her husband in a family situation. Ela and their son Lars got along famously and were treated as siblings. Helen, who was Catholic, was unable to go to Church so she taught Ela and Lars Bible stories and Ela was brought up as Catholic and thinking Helen was her Mother.
What will happen if they are discovered harboring a Jewish child? Helen would soon find out when a Nazi officer lets her know that he knows who Ela really is. Will he giver her away or what? Suspense builds as does the war and fighting in the ghetto. Will Ela, Lars, Helen, and her husband survive? Can they keep her secret?
Zofia Weiss was thrilled to have her baby daughter even though she was a single mother with the father nowhere in sight. Thanks to two lesbian ladies who gave her a place to stay, she and her daughter were in a clean, dry place filled with love. This soon changed when the Nazis entered Warsaw. Soon all Jews were forced into the Ghetto where starvation and disease were rampant. Zofia was persuaded by one of the ladies to let her find a way to get Eidel out of the ghetto to a dear friend of Zofia’s, Helen Dobinski, who had agreed to risk everything to provide a home for her daughter. Helen persuaded her husband to go along with having Eidel in their house. So, Eidel now Ela was raised by Helen and her husband in a family situation. Ela and their son Lars got along famously and were treated as siblings. Helen, who was Catholic, was unable to go to Church so she taught Ela and Lars Bible stories and Ela was brought up as Catholic and thinking Helen was her Mother.
What will happen if they are discovered harboring a Jewish child? Helen would soon find out when a Nazi officer lets her know that he knows who Ela really is. Will he giver her away or what? Suspense builds as does the war and fighting in the ghetto. Will Ela, Lars, Helen, and her husband survive? Can they keep her secret?
April 10, 2019
Outstanding Historical fiction by one of my favorite authors.This is the 1st.book in a new series.
This takes place in Warsaw where a young unwed mother,lives with her small,baby girl.
She pays to have her smuggled out of the Ghetto,to a Polish woman's care.
Against her husband's wishes she attempts to raise the child,as her own.
An SS soon discovers her secret and threatens to expose her,if she doesn't do as he says.
A few yrs.go by and she gets involved with the Underground and another man,also
without her husband's blessing.
I've already given too much away,but suffice to say, this exciting novel will grab your attention from the first page.
This takes place in Warsaw where a young unwed mother,lives with her small,baby girl.
She pays to have her smuggled out of the Ghetto,to a Polish woman's care.
Against her husband's wishes she attempts to raise the child,as her own.
An SS soon discovers her secret and threatens to expose her,if she doesn't do as he says.
A few yrs.go by and she gets involved with the Underground and another man,also
without her husband's blessing.
I've already given too much away,but suffice to say, this exciting novel will grab your attention from the first page.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2018
I have read Roberta Kagan’s Michel’s Destiny series and All My Love Detrick series. They and including this are hard to put down. Good stories. But, I found some of the character’s thoughts in this one to be repetitious. Without being a spoiler....I can say “we get how he felt and who he was thinking about.”
This wasn’t my favorite Kagan book but I will read the next one in the series and hope it is better.
This wasn’t my favorite Kagan book but I will read the next one in the series and hope it is better.
April 13, 2019
I gave this book five stars because it was very well written! The characters came alive and made you feel like you were right there battling with them! But if you're looking for a light hearted, entertaining book this is not your book. It's the worst of WWII's evils. It's sad, depressing at times, and makes you angry (even at some of the characters). Thank God it had a somewhat happy ending! It really makes you think!
February 6, 2018
A Mother's Love
The period of the Nazi Occupation of Poland was a horrible time in history. This story of Zofia, Helen and little Eidel is both very sad and heartwarming. Helen and Zofia both gave up so much for this child proving that a mother will do what she must to keep her child safe and happy even at great personal sacrifice.
The period of the Nazi Occupation of Poland was a horrible time in history. This story of Zofia, Helen and little Eidel is both very sad and heartwarming. Helen and Zofia both gave up so much for this child proving that a mother will do what she must to keep her child safe and happy even at great personal sacrifice.
April 10, 2018
Beautiful story. I’m so touched by the story and the love of both of these women for this little girl biological mother was unbelievably selfless and the adopted mother had gone through such hardships to keep this little girl happy and healthy as a mother and a Jew I certainly can understand both parents I was really moved by this book
March 21, 2022
A story of sacrifice.
An easy five stars. Purchased this book as my wife and I have become big fans of Roberta. This book is just as addictive, heart rending and emotional as the other sagas written by the author of jews in WW2. Once again a heart warming and satisfying, page turning read. Have already bought the series and will now finish the sequels.
An easy five stars. Purchased this book as my wife and I have become big fans of Roberta. This book is just as addictive, heart rending and emotional as the other sagas written by the author of jews in WW2. Once again a heart warming and satisfying, page turning read. Have already bought the series and will now finish the sequels.
May 24, 2021
Mother's love
The book was a story of unselfish love, the storyline about the lives that were destroyed by the Nazis hate for the Jews in a inhuman way was a wake up call for mankind to never let this happen again
The book was a story of unselfish love, the storyline about the lives that were destroyed by the Nazis hate for the Jews in a inhuman way was a wake up call for mankind to never let this happen again
March 9, 2018
Great book about how 2 mothers can love the same child equally!!
April 19, 2018
A Holocaust Tragedy
Nobody should know what 6 Million Jews went through being destroyed by the Nazis in Concentration Camps and Non-Jews hiding children so they won't be killed.
Nobody should know what 6 Million Jews went through being destroyed by the Nazis in Concentration Camps and Non-Jews hiding children so they won't be killed.
August 22, 2018
The book was OK. But nothing special..
November 25, 2018
He's reading
A detailed telling of the terrible experiences during the great war. So many lives were destroyed by the cruelty of the Nazis.
A detailed telling of the terrible experiences during the great war. So many lives were destroyed by the cruelty of the Nazis.
May 21, 2019
Good read
Great book and it held my interest. Great character creator. I am in the process of reading all of this author's books..
Great book and it held my interest. Great character creator. I am in the process of reading all of this author's books..
June 9, 2019
Heartbreaking choices during wwIi
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews