I’ve had my eye on “In Alexa’s Shoes,” since it was released this last summer and broke down a couple of weeks ago and bought it. I’ve read my share of WWII fiction, most of it involving the Holocaust. Poland has long been of interest to me, but it can be a challenge to find something from the Polish people’s perspective, in regards to fiction. A memoir or autobiography is easier to hunt down. That is what makes “In Alexa’s Shoes” unique. The author wrote her grandmother, Alexa’s, story down in the form of a novel. So, we have the realism and accuracy as we would with non-fiction, however, we also have the warmth and hope of fiction wrapped up in one tale.
When thirteen-year-old Alexa is stolen from her mother, and sent to Germany, she is more-or-less held captive and forced into slave labor for a Nazi and his family. She hopes and prays that she will return home someday, and be reunited with her mother and sister. Throughout the remainder of the war and through all of her struggles, Alexa holds fast to her faith in God.
The faith element is another positive factor of the book. Often with Christian or inspirational fiction, the author knocks you repeatedly over the head with sermons and evangelism. That isn’t the case with “In Alexa’s Shoes.” Alexa’s faith in God is present, there are prayers, and Psalm 91 is woven throughout the narrative, but it’s never preachy or cliché. With the knowledge that Alexa was an actual person, I came away inspired by her and her abiding faith in Christ.
I find myself hoping the author will continue writing and publish more books.