Lifted From The Trash Heaps

by Samuel Colman

I was born in Poland to Jewish parents. World War ii started for me on September 1, 1939, when I was 6 years old.Our Father, Mother, younger brother and I ,started running away from the invading German Army and toward eastern Poland ,which was soon invaded and occupied by the Russian Red Army. In very short order the Russians deported us, along with most of the Polish refugees, to the Siberian Gulags. The conditions were terrible and my father died there when I was 7 years old. We survived the war in Siberia and in other parts of Soviet Russia. In early 1946,shortly after the war ended, we were repatriated to Poland . There ,we found almost all of our relatives exterminated in various concentration camps and all our former neighbors inimical. We were successful in escaping Poland before the Communist regime was able to lower the Iron Curtain on Eastern Europe. We were wandering throughout Europe trying to setup roots. My mother and brother did not succeed, they moved to Israel as soon as they could. I remained in France in an attempt to obtain an education which was totally disrupted during the war. I remained in France -alone-from age 14 to 21. I was floundering ,unable to set up roots and to unpack psychologically, when my number came up for permission to immigrate to the USA. Here, I was able immediately to start a normal life. I found a Job, started night college, started dating, found a wonderful wife ,became an electronics engineer and moved to NY suburbs. There, for various interesting reasons at age 40, I was propelled into local politics and part time local government. Ten years later I was elected to the NY State Legislature where I served for 18 years and rose to a leadership position. I ended my career serving as a Judge for 8 years. My book is filled with interesting observations, incidents and thoughts from every period of my life. This memoir is also very inspiring, in that I reminisce and remember with gratitude all the obstacles which I was able to overcome as I was being "Lifted From The Trash Heaps."

Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2020

Reviews

[Christine]

Leaving it un-starred for the following reasons. It appears that this memoir was designed as a family document, as part of an attempt to keep family history alive. As that it works. In terms of a book that someone outside of the family would want to read, someone who is not collecting oral testimony, the many errors in terms of syntax and grammar are distracting, and the sudden font changes confusing. It also, once the author reaches America, drags a bit so much so that combined with the errors, I dnfed.

But I do believe that oral and family history should be recorded. Just perhaps, at least in this format, sold for 4 bucks because if I had a paid for this, I would be very upset at the errors.