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The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen
A moving story, wrapped in humor, about love, loss, and hope in one of history’s darkest hours. 1933. Hitler’s rise to power in Germany marks the beginning of the end for the Jews of Europe. For little newborn Yaakov, this is only the beginning. Hungary, 1944. 11-year-old Yaakov and his parents and younger sister are forced out of their home into the unknown. They find themselves in the ghetto, living under impossible conditions, until they are banished by the Nazis to Bergen Belsen concentration camp through Austria, what might be their final destination. This is a unique story about the unyielding love of a mother, who fought to protect her two young children from harm while helping every stranger who crossed her path, about belief in God, and the naïve perspective of a child in such a difficult and challenging time. This is not just another Holocaust story. This is the story of an era, when tears of joy and tears grief flow together to the sea, and angels dressed in white battle with angels in black. It is laced with delicate humor and written in associative language, allowing you to relate to the story, no matter at what page you open the book. Once you open this book, you will not be able to put it down until you have completed it.
201 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
March 31, 2021
This was a disturbing but also very important book. I have read a number of holocaust books and they all tear at my heart. This one was special because it was the perspective of a young boy. in his feelings and emotions were always surrounded by a sense of hope because he just really didn’t understand the context of what was happening.
I think it’s important to continue to read these books because we can never ever forget what happened to the Jewish people. I cannot fathom the depths of hate of the Nazis that could attempt to eliminate a whole ethnic class of people I think in a dictionary next to evil should bebe the picture of Hitler and his leaders.
It’s particularly touched me because I have of German decent and I lived in Germany for almost 10 years when I was with the military. There were times when I would see a very senior citizen walk by –– usually a male I wondered within my head what role they had in WWII.
The good news about this is translation from the original Hebrew is that it does not have the amount of gory details that a book like Other recent best sellers have between their coverslip
An important read that I Do highly recommend
I think it’s important to continue to read these books because we can never ever forget what happened to the Jewish people. I cannot fathom the depths of hate of the Nazis that could attempt to eliminate a whole ethnic class of people I think in a dictionary next to evil should bebe the picture of Hitler and his leaders.
It’s particularly touched me because I have of German decent and I lived in Germany for almost 10 years when I was with the military. There were times when I would see a very senior citizen walk by –– usually a male I wondered within my head what role they had in WWII.
The good news about this is translation from the original Hebrew is that it does not have the amount of gory details that a book like Other recent best sellers have between their coverslip
An important read that I Do highly recommend
March 5, 2021
So we’ve had ‘The Tattooist’ and all of its similarly inspired concentration camp memoirs, but now we have The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen - a beautifully told tale from the eyes of an 11 year old Hungarian boy. And this is in a class of its own.
This book is absolutely beautifully written, I am in absolute shock how after being translated from its original Hebrew it is still so poetically lyrical, and flows like liquid gold off the page. For such a tough and cruel subject, the author manages to weave such lovely imagery into his tale - I can see the forests and smell their beautiful flowers, I can hear the swans and I can feel the joy from this lovely little boy who is about to have his childhood ripped from him.
The tale is told by weaving memories, memories of his mother protecting him in the fiercest of loyalty, memories of his father with his tongue poking out cutting fabric in his workshop before the deportation, impish memories of gluing his teachers bum to the seat, of his classmates racing him around the running track, and memories of the dysentery and the sickness inside Bergen Belsen.
The horrors of the camp and the ghetto are at stark contrast with the fond memories of before the internment happened, and the telling of the tale in this manner really aids to get inside an eleven year old boy’s kind and feel the war from his eyes.
It’s a rarity for a memoir book on this topic to explore the life after freedom from the camps and I found it fascinating to learn that people died from overgorging themselves on food afterwards, and the risk of bumping into familiar looking gestapo in the shops.
This is up there for me as one of the best memoirs I’ve read on this topic, and that’s all thanks to the beautiful writing style the author has. I feel I need more of his works.
Thanks to Booksirens, the author and the publisher for the arc , I provide an honest review.
This book is absolutely beautifully written, I am in absolute shock how after being translated from its original Hebrew it is still so poetically lyrical, and flows like liquid gold off the page. For such a tough and cruel subject, the author manages to weave such lovely imagery into his tale - I can see the forests and smell their beautiful flowers, I can hear the swans and I can feel the joy from this lovely little boy who is about to have his childhood ripped from him.
The tale is told by weaving memories, memories of his mother protecting him in the fiercest of loyalty, memories of his father with his tongue poking out cutting fabric in his workshop before the deportation, impish memories of gluing his teachers bum to the seat, of his classmates racing him around the running track, and memories of the dysentery and the sickness inside Bergen Belsen.
The horrors of the camp and the ghetto are at stark contrast with the fond memories of before the internment happened, and the telling of the tale in this manner really aids to get inside an eleven year old boy’s kind and feel the war from his eyes.
It’s a rarity for a memoir book on this topic to explore the life after freedom from the camps and I found it fascinating to learn that people died from overgorging themselves on food afterwards, and the risk of bumping into familiar looking gestapo in the shops.
This is up there for me as one of the best memoirs I’ve read on this topic, and that’s all thanks to the beautiful writing style the author has. I feel I need more of his works.
Thanks to Booksirens, the author and the publisher for the arc , I provide an honest review.
November 2, 2020
“Pointless changing position, since every bullet has an address written on it.”...
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen by Yaakov Barzilai is a biography based on the authors life as Jewish Holocaust survivor. This wonderfully written and richly descriptive narrative is an all-encompassing human dramatization about ‘the unyielding love of a mother, who fought to protect her two young children from harm while helping every stranger who crossed her path, about belief in God, and the naïve perspective of a child in such a difficult and challenging time.’
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen is beautifully written and exquisitely translated from the Hebrew by Philip Simpson. The author creates vivid word pictures that pulls the reader into the narrative. For such a sad story, it's extraordinarily moving and powerful.
One of many such examples for me is as follows: ‘‘Trains were dispatched with the regularity of volcanic eruptions. To each locomotive, at least two dozen livestock wagons were hitched, and in each wagon around a hundred head of cattle were crammed for their journey to the abattoir. I was one of them We were the first to be thrown into the mobile prison, which had three blank walls and a narrow barred window located near the top of the fourth, a necessary precaution to ensure delivery of a whole and healthy consignment. As we enjoyed the privilege of fist arrival, we naturally gravitated towards the one wall-panel boasting an aperture. My parents sank down on the floor of the wagon and I stood with my back to the perforated wall. My little sister, who had never travelled by train before, was beaming with excitement. Lack of space meant that she had to stand on my feet, her arms around me and her hands clutching my braces from behind. Loading of the wagon continued until the chorus of the buttons began. As more and more were pressed inside, the buttons of their clothing collided, producing a sound reminiscent of the clinking of glasses in a convivial toast, and it was only then that the loaders realized there wasn’t so much as a hair’s breadth of standing room remaining, and the heavy door was slammed shut and bolted from the outside with a massive iron bar.’
The imagery in the writing style is flawless and gives the reader a clear sense of actually being there in the moment with the author. Very rarely does a book arrive that grabs its readers by the scruff of their neck and puts them down in their armchair and commands not to leave your seat until you have devoured all the pages. This is one such book.
If anyone ever wanted to understand what effects a war has on the human spirit without going down the docudrama way, this book is a must buy. It is guaranteed to add another facet to the lives of everyone that reads it, touching them in a manner few other books could. You get a poignant, moving story that's somehow heartbreaking and triumphant all at the same time.
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen has many examples of love, kindness and self-sacrifice but also deals with horrific abuse and suffering. The best storytellers could not devise a more compelling narrative. It’s one of those books that will leave a lump in the throat of the most hardened reader. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen by Yaakov Barzilai is a biography based on the authors life as Jewish Holocaust survivor. This wonderfully written and richly descriptive narrative is an all-encompassing human dramatization about ‘the unyielding love of a mother, who fought to protect her two young children from harm while helping every stranger who crossed her path, about belief in God, and the naïve perspective of a child in such a difficult and challenging time.’
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen is beautifully written and exquisitely translated from the Hebrew by Philip Simpson. The author creates vivid word pictures that pulls the reader into the narrative. For such a sad story, it's extraordinarily moving and powerful.
One of many such examples for me is as follows: ‘‘Trains were dispatched with the regularity of volcanic eruptions. To each locomotive, at least two dozen livestock wagons were hitched, and in each wagon around a hundred head of cattle were crammed for their journey to the abattoir. I was one of them We were the first to be thrown into the mobile prison, which had three blank walls and a narrow barred window located near the top of the fourth, a necessary precaution to ensure delivery of a whole and healthy consignment. As we enjoyed the privilege of fist arrival, we naturally gravitated towards the one wall-panel boasting an aperture. My parents sank down on the floor of the wagon and I stood with my back to the perforated wall. My little sister, who had never travelled by train before, was beaming with excitement. Lack of space meant that she had to stand on my feet, her arms around me and her hands clutching my braces from behind. Loading of the wagon continued until the chorus of the buttons began. As more and more were pressed inside, the buttons of their clothing collided, producing a sound reminiscent of the clinking of glasses in a convivial toast, and it was only then that the loaders realized there wasn’t so much as a hair’s breadth of standing room remaining, and the heavy door was slammed shut and bolted from the outside with a massive iron bar.’
The imagery in the writing style is flawless and gives the reader a clear sense of actually being there in the moment with the author. Very rarely does a book arrive that grabs its readers by the scruff of their neck and puts them down in their armchair and commands not to leave your seat until you have devoured all the pages. This is one such book.
If anyone ever wanted to understand what effects a war has on the human spirit without going down the docudrama way, this book is a must buy. It is guaranteed to add another facet to the lives of everyone that reads it, touching them in a manner few other books could. You get a poignant, moving story that's somehow heartbreaking and triumphant all at the same time.
The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen has many examples of love, kindness and self-sacrifice but also deals with horrific abuse and suffering. The best storytellers could not devise a more compelling narrative. It’s one of those books that will leave a lump in the throat of the most hardened reader. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
November 2, 2020
A new view of surviving the Holocaust!
Israeli author/composer/poet Yaakov Barzilai has made the commemoration of the Holocaust his mission. He is a Holocaust survivor, apropos of the title of this book he survived the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, and has spent his life honoring fellow survivors with his many books and poems, and songs that are played in Israel and beyond. THE NEIGHBOR FROM BERGEN BELSEN, written n 1997, is now available in English, translated from the Hebrew by Philip Simpson.
The sensitivity of the author is evident in the tender opening Foreword – ‘In defiance of all logic – the greater the distance grows, the more acute is the vision. Fifty years on, the pictures are as clear as ever. Memories, too, put on skin and sinew….”The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen’ is the story of a time, from a personal perspective, in which tears of joy and tears of grief flow together to the sea, and angels in white contend with angels in black.’
And so the portal to Yaakov’s memoir opens, and the warmth of his writing invites the reader to participate in his memoires: ‘In the latter days of March in the year 1933 the signal was given for a great thaw…My father’s workshop in the provincial city of Debrecen, Hungary, was located in our house in the very heart of the conurbation. The many sewing machines, clattering away in two daily shifts, gave no respite to my mother, labouring in the nearby kitchen, except when the garment workers took their brief meal breaks. I, spending all my time in the kitchen – in my mother’s belly – saw nothing but heard everything…even the petty squabbles between my father and my mother, introducing a little colour into their lives.’
This rare quality of smiling humor and sensitive vision pervades this excellent book. The synopsis outlines the author’s tale: ‘1933. Hitler’s rise to power in Germany marks the beginning of the end for the Jews of Europe. For little newborn Yaakov, this is only the beginning. In Hungary, 1944. 11-year-old Yaakov and his parents and younger sister are forced out of their home into the unknown. They find themselves in the ghetto, living under impossible conditions, until they are banished by the Nazis to Bergen Belsen concentration camp through Austria, what might be their final destination. This is a unique story about the unyielding love of a mother, who fought to protect her two young children from harm while helping every stranger who crossed her path, about belief in God, and the naïve perspective of a child in such a difficult and challenging time. This is the story of an era, when tears of joy and tears grief flow together to the sea, and angels dressed in white battle with angels in black.’’
A wonderful book: we can only hope that more of Yaakov’s works will be made available to the English speaking audience! Recommended.
Israeli author/composer/poet Yaakov Barzilai has made the commemoration of the Holocaust his mission. He is a Holocaust survivor, apropos of the title of this book he survived the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, and has spent his life honoring fellow survivors with his many books and poems, and songs that are played in Israel and beyond. THE NEIGHBOR FROM BERGEN BELSEN, written n 1997, is now available in English, translated from the Hebrew by Philip Simpson.
The sensitivity of the author is evident in the tender opening Foreword – ‘In defiance of all logic – the greater the distance grows, the more acute is the vision. Fifty years on, the pictures are as clear as ever. Memories, too, put on skin and sinew….”The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen’ is the story of a time, from a personal perspective, in which tears of joy and tears of grief flow together to the sea, and angels in white contend with angels in black.’
And so the portal to Yaakov’s memoir opens, and the warmth of his writing invites the reader to participate in his memoires: ‘In the latter days of March in the year 1933 the signal was given for a great thaw…My father’s workshop in the provincial city of Debrecen, Hungary, was located in our house in the very heart of the conurbation. The many sewing machines, clattering away in two daily shifts, gave no respite to my mother, labouring in the nearby kitchen, except when the garment workers took their brief meal breaks. I, spending all my time in the kitchen – in my mother’s belly – saw nothing but heard everything…even the petty squabbles between my father and my mother, introducing a little colour into their lives.’
This rare quality of smiling humor and sensitive vision pervades this excellent book. The synopsis outlines the author’s tale: ‘1933. Hitler’s rise to power in Germany marks the beginning of the end for the Jews of Europe. For little newborn Yaakov, this is only the beginning. In Hungary, 1944. 11-year-old Yaakov and his parents and younger sister are forced out of their home into the unknown. They find themselves in the ghetto, living under impossible conditions, until they are banished by the Nazis to Bergen Belsen concentration camp through Austria, what might be their final destination. This is a unique story about the unyielding love of a mother, who fought to protect her two young children from harm while helping every stranger who crossed her path, about belief in God, and the naïve perspective of a child in such a difficult and challenging time. This is the story of an era, when tears of joy and tears grief flow together to the sea, and angels dressed in white battle with angels in black.’’
A wonderful book: we can only hope that more of Yaakov’s works will be made available to the English speaking audience! Recommended.
October 16, 2021
EBook Review: THE NEIGHBOR FROM BERGEN BELSEN by Yaakov Barzilai
(T) ime
(H) istory
(E) xamine…
(N) eed
(E) xplore…
( I ) nsightfully
(G) ained
(H) eart
(B) ears
(O) bjective
(R) easoning..
(F) orging
(R) ight
(O) nward…
(M) oving
(B) arriers
(E) rected…
(R) endering
(G) round
(E) qually
(N) eutral…
(B) eauty
(E) mbrace….
(L) oving
(S) ouls
(E) ssential...
(N) eed!
THE NEIGHBOR FROM BERGEN BELSEN,
memories of sorrow.
Interspersed with days of yesterday,
before taken away.
How life that was good,
would soon disappear.
With no promise of tomorrow,
or even today.
Story of now and then,
filled with tears.
Helps us not to forget,
a written warning.
Waves of before and after,
easy lose track.
Shows us how was easy,
to disregard truth.
Important enough for us today,
to truly understand.
So that doesn't happen again,
keep eyes open.
To lessen value of person,
hurts us all.
Let us embrace our differences,
and grow from.
Let us not fall asleep,
at the wheel.
Let our children joyfully inherit,
a loving heart.
***************************
I received an advance
review copy for free,
and I am leaving this
review voluntarily.
***************************
(T) ime
(H) istory
(E) xamine…
(N) eed
(E) xplore…
( I ) nsightfully
(G) ained
(H) eart
(B) ears
(O) bjective
(R) easoning..
(F) orging
(R) ight
(O) nward…
(M) oving
(B) arriers
(E) rected…
(R) endering
(G) round
(E) qually
(N) eutral…
(B) eauty
(E) mbrace….
(L) oving
(S) ouls
(E) ssential...
(N) eed!
THE NEIGHBOR FROM BERGEN BELSEN,
memories of sorrow.
Interspersed with days of yesterday,
before taken away.
How life that was good,
would soon disappear.
With no promise of tomorrow,
or even today.
Story of now and then,
filled with tears.
Helps us not to forget,
a written warning.
Waves of before and after,
easy lose track.
Shows us how was easy,
to disregard truth.
Important enough for us today,
to truly understand.
So that doesn't happen again,
keep eyes open.
To lessen value of person,
hurts us all.
Let us embrace our differences,
and grow from.
Let us not fall asleep,
at the wheel.
Let our children joyfully inherit,
a loving heart.
***************************
I received an advance
review copy for free,
and I am leaving this
review voluntarily.
***************************
April 26, 2021
Too wordy and not a well developed story or characters
Being a lover of historical WW2 Holocaust books this book just didn’t give me the same feels as all the others I’ve read. I enjoy non-fiction survivor stories and feel a link to them as many of my family derive from Warsaw, Poland and were able to escape that tragedy.
I felt like the author turned in the manuscript and the editor told him not long enough so he sat down with a thesaurus and added a ton of unnecessary words. Many of the words and descriptions would not be used or necessarily understood by a young boy, the main character in this story.
This story never really builds a robust character that allows you to feel for or fall in love with them, to get a true connection with them.
In all honesty, I would have stopped reading this book after the first chapter but had hope for the storyline to start to build and develop which it never really did.
Just glad to be finished with the book.
Being a lover of historical WW2 Holocaust books this book just didn’t give me the same feels as all the others I’ve read. I enjoy non-fiction survivor stories and feel a link to them as many of my family derive from Warsaw, Poland and were able to escape that tragedy.
I felt like the author turned in the manuscript and the editor told him not long enough so he sat down with a thesaurus and added a ton of unnecessary words. Many of the words and descriptions would not be used or necessarily understood by a young boy, the main character in this story.
This story never really builds a robust character that allows you to feel for or fall in love with them, to get a true connection with them.
In all honesty, I would have stopped reading this book after the first chapter but had hope for the storyline to start to build and develop which it never really did.
Just glad to be finished with the book.
July 31, 2021
This is an autobiographical story told through the eyes of the author when he was 11 years old. The horrors of the treatment of Jews in the Holocaust were so cruel that the means by which the author is able to tell his story uses a good deal of fantasy mixed with specifics. There are a number of shifts in the timeline of this story that make keeping track of the progression of the tale difficult, but the overall story is powerful.
I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens for my voluntary honest review. I believe it is imperative that we study history to avoid repeating terrible behaviors as a society. This book gives us a significant view of World War II that helps us to understand what many Jewish families suffered and the effects of extreme, irrational cruelty used by those in power on the less powerful segments of society. We must continue to work against prejudice and hate.
I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens for my voluntary honest review. I believe it is imperative that we study history to avoid repeating terrible behaviors as a society. This book gives us a significant view of World War II that helps us to understand what many Jewish families suffered and the effects of extreme, irrational cruelty used by those in power on the less powerful segments of society. We must continue to work against prejudice and hate.
March 2, 2021
Childlike innocence contends with evil, and wins
Told from the perspective of a young boy, The Neighbor of Bergen-Belsen weaves childlike innocence with the cynical hatreds of the short - lived master race. The journey to the death camps starts with industrious residents of a major Hungarian city, Jew and Gentile alike, living in apparent harmony. The relentless advance of the German war machine and the first actions inside the gates of the concentration camp dispel all illusions and false hopes of peaceful co-existence. With the civilizing veneer removed the betrayal of a trusted employee and the surge of antisemitism reveal how deeply our human capacity for devildoing reaches. The story is told with an economy of wit and humor and in the end, leaves a boy on the cusp of manhood, still ready to live in expectation of a fulfilling future.
Told from the perspective of a young boy, The Neighbor of Bergen-Belsen weaves childlike innocence with the cynical hatreds of the short - lived master race. The journey to the death camps starts with industrious residents of a major Hungarian city, Jew and Gentile alike, living in apparent harmony. The relentless advance of the German war machine and the first actions inside the gates of the concentration camp dispel all illusions and false hopes of peaceful co-existence. With the civilizing veneer removed the betrayal of a trusted employee and the surge of antisemitism reveal how deeply our human capacity for devildoing reaches. The story is told with an economy of wit and humor and in the end, leaves a boy on the cusp of manhood, still ready to live in expectation of a fulfilling future.
March 6, 2021
I am so appreciative that I was given the opportunity to read this novel for free on Kindle.
Thank you to the author for sharing his story. His bravery goes beyond words.
There were parts of this story that were absolutely beautiful but as much as I wanted to love this book, I didn’t. There were time period jumps that didn’t flow and confused me as the reader. Some of the dream sequences he incorporated became a little redundant and I found myself having to read them again because I didn’t know what their purpose to the story was. I also found the underlying sexual comments/references to be odd and out of place especially when it was about adults that he was related to.
The author writes beautifully. Truly. The structure and content were just not what I expected. But every story from our Holocaust survivors and victims is important and I thank this author for sharing his with us.
Thank you to the author for sharing his story. His bravery goes beyond words.
There were parts of this story that were absolutely beautiful but as much as I wanted to love this book, I didn’t. There were time period jumps that didn’t flow and confused me as the reader. Some of the dream sequences he incorporated became a little redundant and I found myself having to read them again because I didn’t know what their purpose to the story was. I also found the underlying sexual comments/references to be odd and out of place especially when it was about adults that he was related to.
The author writes beautifully. Truly. The structure and content were just not what I expected. But every story from our Holocaust survivors and victims is important and I thank this author for sharing his with us.
March 17, 2021
Yaakov Barzilai, seasoned writer and poet writes The Neighbor from Bergen Belsen from the eyes of an eleven year old boy and the heart of a wise man. Reading as both a memoir and coming of age story and interlaced with stream of consciousness narrative, this wonderful piece of biographical fiction focuses on Yaakov's memories and his perspective of the people who surrounded him prior to, during and following his stay at Bergen Belsen, with special emphasis on his mother, who he attributes his safety and well-being to. I could only imagine what it must have been like--and what it would be like--to be in such circumstances with my own children and the need to save them and see them through such a harrowing experience.
I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens for my honest opinion.
I received a free copy of this book from Book Sirens for my honest opinion.
January 19, 2021
Mother Protects
This is the story of a young Jewish boy, the journey from a loving home to the ghetto and on to the concentration camp Bergen Belsen. It tells of his fear of the math teacher and his fascination with the blond headed girl. He often dreamed he was a bird and flew different places.
The story is about the way the Jewish people were treated by the Nazi’s, but it is also about a mother doing everything possible to protect her children.
I read the book, but I had a hard time following the story from different times in the families lives and the fantasies of the young man.
Thanks to Yaakov Barzilai and Book Sirens for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review
This is the story of a young Jewish boy, the journey from a loving home to the ghetto and on to the concentration camp Bergen Belsen. It tells of his fear of the math teacher and his fascination with the blond headed girl. He often dreamed he was a bird and flew different places.
The story is about the way the Jewish people were treated by the Nazi’s, but it is also about a mother doing everything possible to protect her children.
I read the book, but I had a hard time following the story from different times in the families lives and the fantasies of the young man.
Thanks to Yaakov Barzilai and Book Sirens for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review
March 23, 2021
This is one of the best written book I have ever read. It is a story of most horrific periods in my lifetime.
I have been reading books about WWII during the time of the pandemic and have learned a lot about that time.
I lived in Stuttgart Germany 18 years after the end of the war but saw no evidence of it. As a Registered Nurse, I worked first in a nursing home . Neither the staff nor the residents talked about that war. Only one person talked about that time and she recounted the money found that had been buried under a tree. I also worked at the Fifth General USA Military Hospital.
The German people I met were lovely people. It is a mystery why such evil can come from such people.
I have been reading books about WWII during the time of the pandemic and have learned a lot about that time.
I lived in Stuttgart Germany 18 years after the end of the war but saw no evidence of it. As a Registered Nurse, I worked first in a nursing home . Neither the staff nor the residents talked about that war. Only one person talked about that time and she recounted the money found that had been buried under a tree. I also worked at the Fifth General USA Military Hospital.
The German people I met were lovely people. It is a mystery why such evil can come from such people.
February 8, 2021
The story of the Holocaust thru the eyes of a kid.
In this book we learn about the lives of the Jewish people in a town of Hungary in the years leading to the Holocaust, focusing on a young boy, his family and the relationships surrounding the family, and the deportation of the Hungarian Jews to the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen.
The narrator uses fantasy as a way to cope with his reality.
I had a hard time keeping track of the back and forth in time throughout the book. It wasn't very clear and for that reason I couldn't give more stars to the book.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens and the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In this book we learn about the lives of the Jewish people in a town of Hungary in the years leading to the Holocaust, focusing on a young boy, his family and the relationships surrounding the family, and the deportation of the Hungarian Jews to the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen.
The narrator uses fantasy as a way to cope with his reality.
I had a hard time keeping track of the back and forth in time throughout the book. It wasn't very clear and for that reason I couldn't give more stars to the book.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens and the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 15, 2021
Told from the perspective of a young boy, the story grips us from the start and takes us to the heart of a pivotal time in human history, the Second World War. The subject is approached with tact, a very human side and a touch of humor. The young boy's mother is a force of nature and to me represents goodness, perseverance and resilience. I loved the way it is written, poetically, and every word transcends the horror, pain, hope and love that come together during a period that profoundly affected an era and whose repercussions are still palpable.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 8, 2021
Poetic Justice
I’ve read many survivor’s accounts of the Holocaust, many that’s narrated without bitterness, perhaps with some anger, but mostly sadness at all that they had lost. All previous narratives depicting in great detail the savage cruelty they suffered at the hands of inhumane captors. But this is the first time that I read an an account that seems at first glance to be surreal; but I soon understood that this narrative was painting a picture of all that was happening to European Jews throughout Europe was that was so surreal as to defy reason.
I’ve read many survivor’s accounts of the Holocaust, many that’s narrated without bitterness, perhaps with some anger, but mostly sadness at all that they had lost. All previous narratives depicting in great detail the savage cruelty they suffered at the hands of inhumane captors. But this is the first time that I read an an account that seems at first glance to be surreal; but I soon understood that this narrative was painting a picture of all that was happening to European Jews throughout Europe was that was so surreal as to defy reason.
February 2, 2021
This story is told through the eyes of a child using reality and dreams. The methods of coping for the child and his mother were well written. This pulled at my heart and made me once again aware of the experiences of the Jewish people both before and during the Holocaust. It was a ncl at to me if this were a memoir or a piece of fiction. It certainly appeared to be a memoir. If so I would have liked a little more about the author.
February 13, 2021
The Neighbor From Bergen Belsen by Yaakov Barzilia
The premise of this book could be a good story, but it follows all of the author's neighbors and neighborhood businesses through the war and after. It didn't really hold my attention.
I think it could have been put together differently, that would have made it more interesting.
I received a complimentary copy from BookSirens and was under no obligation to post a review.
The premise of this book could be a good story, but it follows all of the author's neighbors and neighborhood businesses through the war and after. It didn't really hold my attention.
I think it could have been put together differently, that would have made it more interesting.
I received a complimentary copy from BookSirens and was under no obligation to post a review.
June 21, 2021
This is a very important book to read. It is very disturbing in some ways but a true account of feelings from a child in one of the most cruel concentration camps. Although one wants to feel that German soldiers were monsters and unfeeling that wasn’t always the case. And, to get through the camps one almost had to do so with a sense of humor sad as the life was. The author succeeds in portraying the grimness with a touch of humor! Well done!
July 9, 2021
Absolutely absorbing...
Every character in this book made a mark on my soul from beginning to end....! It led me on a path to research this important part of our worlds history. Well written and I won't forget it anytime soon.
Every character from beginning to end made a mark on my soul!! It led me on a path to research this important part of our worlds history. I won't easily forget it anytime soon, which is due to the amazing writing of this author!!
Every character in this book made a mark on my soul from beginning to end....! It led me on a path to research this important part of our worlds history. Well written and I won't forget it anytime soon.
Every character from beginning to end made a mark on my soul!! It led me on a path to research this important part of our worlds history. I won't easily forget it anytime soon, which is due to the amazing writing of this author!!
June 24, 2022
I felt the book was confusing till about half way through. Too many metaphors (?) and going back and forth in time, which alot of books do, but was almost in mid sentence. I felt like the father died several times and when it was mentioned the last time, I realized he finally did. About 60% thru the book it had a better stream to the reading and it was very good, I couldn't wait to see what happened. I read a book a week and it took determination that I was going to finish this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2021
Poetic and haunting
This is not a typical holocaust memoir, but one written poetically and with several dream-like episodes. This at times contributes to a certain of lack of clarity, but didn't diminish my appreciation of the book. What did diminish my enjoyment of the reading of experience was the translation, which while mostly fine, pulled me out of the story on occasion.
This is not a typical holocaust memoir, but one written poetically and with several dream-like episodes. This at times contributes to a certain of lack of clarity, but didn't diminish my appreciation of the book. What did diminish my enjoyment of the reading of experience was the translation, which while mostly fine, pulled me out of the story on occasion.
September 29, 2021
This story is sad, but poorly written. It contains fancy flights of the child's imagination which take away from the written words. It is not respectful of the souls lost during the Holocaust and is difficult to follow what is his imagination and what was actually happening around him. I forced myself to finish the book, hoping that it would eventually make sense why he included the dreams.
April 15, 2022
This book was horribly written/translated. Had it been a library checkout and not a purchase I would not have finished it. It was "translated" from Hebrew, but the results were difficult to follow, and the whole plot line was lost in the English translation.
Not recommended at all.
I love to read, and it has to be horrible for me not to rate it higher than the lowest rating here.
Not recommended at all.
I love to read, and it has to be horrible for me not to rate it higher than the lowest rating here.
October 21, 2022
Very hard to read but I also think it is important for these stories to continue to be told…so sad it took so many years for so many of the survivors to have their story told…I too have read so many stories of the holocaust and cry …we need to remember ❤️
This survivor story is told with his good memories mixed with his imprisonment..love his memories of his mother, his angel
This survivor story is told with his good memories mixed with his imprisonment..love his memories of his mother, his angel
August 12, 2023
Very interesting
I enjoyed reading this book and liked learning of the experiences of this family. I was confused sometimes by all the metafors used in place of the actual events,so sometimes I could not tell what the actual event being described was. Still it was worth the read.
I enjoyed reading this book and liked learning of the experiences of this family. I was confused sometimes by all the metafors used in place of the actual events,so sometimes I could not tell what the actual event being described was. Still it was worth the read.
January 20, 2021
Through the eyes of a child
A tale of the holocaust like no other. Through the eyes of a child, the experience no one should ever experience, was told as never before. The reader is provided a smile in what should have been an impossible horror .
A tale of the holocaust like no other. Through the eyes of a child, the experience no one should ever experience, was told as never before. The reader is provided a smile in what should have been an impossible horror .
January 28, 2021
Candid narratives with sound descriptions
This book outlines well the day to day activities of this time in history and makes one feel emotional at times in tears and the joy when freedom was finally a reality.
This book outlines well the day to day activities of this time in history and makes one feel emotional at times in tears and the joy when freedom was finally a reality.
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January 30, 2021Very entertaining book. Real life vs dream sequences were wonderful.
Very entertaining book. Real life vs dream sequences were wonderful. Heart rending story told with subtlety and love. Very good
Very entertaining book. Real life vs dream sequences were wonderful. Heart rending story told with subtlety and love. Very good
February 4, 2021
So so
My major complaint with this book is that the author has not perfected the skill of seamlessly going between events in the past and current ones! It was oftentimes confusing as to what was going on and when!
My major complaint with this book is that the author has not perfected the skill of seamlessly going between events in the past and current ones! It was oftentimes confusing as to what was going on and when!
February 8, 2021
The book was different than the other books i have read on this subject.. I did like how it was seen through a child's eyes and the way they coped with such a horrible situation. I really liked the parts where they had good memories also.
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