The Tenth: Psychological & Family Life Inspiring Novel

by Smadar Shir

A special bond is formed in the hospital between Danny ”" a mischievous, curious and very bright ten-year-old who has lost a leg and an arm ”" as well as his mother ”" in a terrorist bombing ”" and Autumn, a young journalist sent to interview him before his tenth operation. Autumn wants to publish Danny's story because she believes he is a hero, but Danny says he isn't a hero at all; he was simply sitting in a restaurant waiting for his food when the terrorist came in and blew herself up. During their conversation, Autumn tells Danny about her son and her life as a single mother. He misses his own mother, and harbors a suspicion that the journalist keeps coming to see him because she is interested in his newly widowed father. Autumn thinks that Danny should have the tenth operation, which would basically be plastic surgery to remove the shrapnel from his face and minimize the scarring. He does not want to he would rather have a scarred face that will always remind him of his mother and all that he lost. And it would also be a reminder of the reality of life in Israel, a reality in which innocent children pay the price. During the difficult days preceding the operation, still tormented by indecision and struggling against the pain, Danny undergoes a maturity process that will prepare him for his release from the hospital. He learns not to be jealous of his sister, who survived the bombing with only a few scratches. He learns not to be afraid of the Arab nurse who wants to give him an injection. He develops a new and different sense of humor and comes to realize that despite his grief and loss, life goes on and can be beautiful. He discovers that he can enjoy life if he only reaches out for it. The book is about the reality of living in Israel . About a terrorist bombing , and how it affects one little boy and his family. It's heart-wrenching, but hard to put down.

196 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2014

Reviews

[Kelsey Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no words other than read it.

[Diane Chattaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was skeptical about reading this one. War, isn't my favorite subject. Not after my husband having been in the military for all those years. That being said, I wanted something new. I needed to find something other than horror, love, or self help-how to's. So I gave this one a shot.

At first ... I had to force myself to read. It was almost as if I mentally blocked it. But then it just sort of seeped in. After a few pages I was hooked. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I think I even held my kindle while vacuuming that last day, I was too emotionally attached to set it down the five minutes it would take. I needed every second to the end.

This story is an incredibly-abled emotionally tapped story. I cried, I laughed, I cried again. The crying got to me, I do not normally cry, but on this one, I cried like a baby.

The story itself is well written. Descriptive in the right places, without going on seven pages to describe, say a tree. A writer who definitely knows where to describe and where to let the reader take it where they will.

The characters are real ... they feel real. You can almost step into the souls of these characters. They very much become a part of your psyche.

This is a story about a hero ... in which he very much was.
I would recommend this one. It definitely got to me. and that is not easy to do.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting novel. I have never had the chance to read a piece based on a terrorist attack survivor. Danny, the main character in this novel, although young, scared and in constant state of different degrees of pain, really is a strong young man with a great story to tell. Shir really did a wonderful job conveying Danny's emotional state of mind; remember Danny is a young ten-year old who has lost limbs and his mother in a terrorist bombing attack. How he relates to classmates, his father and his little sister just touched my heart. Autumn, the reporter, to me brought out Danny's will to be a better young man. Grant it he is still a child but after this event so much more will change in his life. Shir provided me with a humanizing way of looking at the victims of these attacks. Far too often we see the news and hear about the attacks but never hear about the aftermath, what happens to those who's lives are turned upside down from face=to-face experience. Really good book that opened my eyes more to the devastation and impact of terrorism.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was one that took me to somewhere I had never experienced before. It was based on a terrorist attack and I had never really read anything that was like this before. Danny is the character in the book that we follow. I felt for him because he was so young and he didn’t know what was going on or why anything was so painful for him. This was a story that was strongly told and I loved that it was based on a survivor. Shir did a great job in making me open my eyes to a whole new way of looking at the world. You only end up hearing about terrorists and attacks that happen. This time I got to read about it and it was almost as if I was there experiencing everything myself. I would definitely read something else by this author and also in this genre because this opened my eyes to want to know more. Not that terrorism is good by any means, but writing about it and exposing it to people is great. It lets the world not be so naive to the fact that terrorism is everywhere.

[Howard Katzoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply moving story

What an incredible book. The story of a boy injured in a suicide bombing in Israel. It's impossible for me to describe it-you have to read it for yourself. Truly amazing.