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A Child al Confino: A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy
Eric Lamet was only seven years old when the Nazis invaded Vienna - and changed his life and the lives of all European Jews forever. Five days after Hitler marches Eric and his parents flee for their lives. His mother hides out in Italy, taking her son deeper and deeper into the mountains to avoid capture. This book tells his story.
389 pages, Hardcover
First published November 18, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
February 8, 2016
Published: 18/11/2010
Author: Eric Lamet
Recommended for: people who enjoy true life novels and biographies
Edition: Kindle
I saw this book on the Kindle Store for free and I thought that it looked really interesting so I gave it a go. It was a really interesting topic to read a book on, it gives a view on the lives of Jewish people living in Italy when the Nazis invaded there, I have normally only read about Jewish people living in Germany,Poland and Austria when the Nazis invaded, so it was nice to see it front a different point of view.
The story did kind of jump alittle bit, it didn't all connect together but that might have been due to the fact that the author was remember back to when he was between 7 and 13. It was a really good book to read, I might have cried a little (okay...I did), the story really puts you in Eric's shoes and what life was like for him in his childhood..which is meant to be the happiest time of your life.
The kindle version wasn't edited very well which lost it a star, but it was still a very good book and I would recommend it to people who like true stories from around that time.
Author: Eric Lamet
Recommended for: people who enjoy true life novels and biographies
Edition: Kindle
I saw this book on the Kindle Store for free and I thought that it looked really interesting so I gave it a go. It was a really interesting topic to read a book on, it gives a view on the lives of Jewish people living in Italy when the Nazis invaded there, I have normally only read about Jewish people living in Germany,Poland and Austria when the Nazis invaded, so it was nice to see it front a different point of view.
The story did kind of jump alittle bit, it didn't all connect together but that might have been due to the fact that the author was remember back to when he was between 7 and 13. It was a really good book to read, I might have cried a little (okay...I did), the story really puts you in Eric's shoes and what life was like for him in his childhood..which is meant to be the happiest time of your life.
The kindle version wasn't edited very well which lost it a star, but it was still a very good book and I would recommend it to people who like true stories from around that time.
March 27, 2011
NO SPOILERS!!!
I finished this book this afternoon. I liked it, but I am very surprised that no one has classified this as a young adult book! It is written in such a manner that a boy around ten would highly appreciated what the author as a child lived through. He loved taking apart machines and constructing his own. He loved marching as a soldier. He was a talented boy who due to his curiosity and diligence proved himself often more talented than adults. As an example, he becomes friends with a German lieutenant. He is allowed to fire machineguns. He in fact helps the cadets reassemble weapons. He was only 12, but could do it better than them! My point is that the book would be wonderful for a 12 year old boy to read. He takes apart tracer bullets..... I will not say what happens.
As an adult reading the book, I learned a lot too. The book is written in a very clear educative manner. In Italy, during WW2, foreigners were restricted to small villages where they could have no communication with others, making them in this way undangerous. These villages were far behind the normal standards of larger cities. There was no running water, few telephones and while there was electricity the houses had no electric outlets. Given the conditions, life was dirty and unhealthy. Food was lacking. What good does a foood coupon do if there is no food!? In the tiny village on a mountain near Naples the author and his mother lived with other "confinati". There were many such villages all throughout Italy.The Italian government paid the confinati an allowance for food and other necessities. They had to find their own housing. They couldn't work or leave the tiny village. Basically, life was boring for the confinati. It was "boring" in that it was so restrictive and lacking in freedom, but it was certainly much better than labor camps!!! And the Italians themselves had a very lax attitude to all the restrictions. All letters to the confinati were to be read, they were not allowed to meet in groups, they were not allowed books or radios or newspapers. The Italian authorities disregarded these rules. The Italians thought the rules were ridiculous! Originally the Anti-Facists were relegated by Mussolini to such remote places, often small islands. The Olivetti family is one such example. Then when the Racial Laws were passed Jews and others were placed in these villages. Individulas that had lived in Italy for decades, but had English names, were classified as confinati. I knew nothing of this. The history, learning about WW2 in Italy, was fascinating. The reader is there with the confinati when the Italian Armistice was signed in 1943. This meant that the German soldiers in and around the villagers were suddenly surrounded by their enemies, the Italians. Reading this was exciting. The author did a fine job of putting you there among the confinati and villagers.
The book is sometimes too detailed. I mean you learn everything. All of the confinati are described in minute detail. Their bodily appearnaces, clothing, mannerisms. Sometimes it was excessive. One thing I loved were the numerous photos dispersed thourhgout the book. There is a helpful glossary at the end. Italian, French, German and Yiddish are all used within the novel. The reader also learns what happens to all of the confinati and the author and his family after the war. There isn't an item omitted. Some people may like that :0)
I thought I would read Love And War in the Apennines after this b/c that too is about life in Italy during WW2, but the font in my book was miniscule. I simply cannot read it. My husband has said he willl read it instead and tell me what happens. Nice, huh?! Now I have a new shelf - "h read instead". One of us must read the books I have bought!
I finished this book this afternoon. I liked it, but I am very surprised that no one has classified this as a young adult book! It is written in such a manner that a boy around ten would highly appreciated what the author as a child lived through. He loved taking apart machines and constructing his own. He loved marching as a soldier. He was a talented boy who due to his curiosity and diligence proved himself often more talented than adults. As an example, he becomes friends with a German lieutenant. He is allowed to fire machineguns. He in fact helps the cadets reassemble weapons. He was only 12, but could do it better than them! My point is that the book would be wonderful for a 12 year old boy to read. He takes apart tracer bullets..... I will not say what happens.
As an adult reading the book, I learned a lot too. The book is written in a very clear educative manner. In Italy, during WW2, foreigners were restricted to small villages where they could have no communication with others, making them in this way undangerous. These villages were far behind the normal standards of larger cities. There was no running water, few telephones and while there was electricity the houses had no electric outlets. Given the conditions, life was dirty and unhealthy. Food was lacking. What good does a foood coupon do if there is no food!? In the tiny village on a mountain near Naples the author and his mother lived with other "confinati". There were many such villages all throughout Italy.The Italian government paid the confinati an allowance for food and other necessities. They had to find their own housing. They couldn't work or leave the tiny village. Basically, life was boring for the confinati. It was "boring" in that it was so restrictive and lacking in freedom, but it was certainly much better than labor camps!!! And the Italians themselves had a very lax attitude to all the restrictions. All letters to the confinati were to be read, they were not allowed to meet in groups, they were not allowed books or radios or newspapers. The Italian authorities disregarded these rules. The Italians thought the rules were ridiculous! Originally the Anti-Facists were relegated by Mussolini to such remote places, often small islands. The Olivetti family is one such example. Then when the Racial Laws were passed Jews and others were placed in these villages. Individulas that had lived in Italy for decades, but had English names, were classified as confinati. I knew nothing of this. The history, learning about WW2 in Italy, was fascinating. The reader is there with the confinati when the Italian Armistice was signed in 1943. This meant that the German soldiers in and around the villagers were suddenly surrounded by their enemies, the Italians. Reading this was exciting. The author did a fine job of putting you there among the confinati and villagers.
The book is sometimes too detailed. I mean you learn everything. All of the confinati are described in minute detail. Their bodily appearnaces, clothing, mannerisms. Sometimes it was excessive. One thing I loved were the numerous photos dispersed thourhgout the book. There is a helpful glossary at the end. Italian, French, German and Yiddish are all used within the novel. The reader also learns what happens to all of the confinati and the author and his family after the war. There isn't an item omitted. Some people may like that :0)
I thought I would read Love And War in the Apennines after this b/c that too is about life in Italy during WW2, but the font in my book was miniscule. I simply cannot read it. My husband has said he willl read it instead and tell me what happens. Nice, huh?! Now I have a new shelf - "h read instead". One of us must read the books I have bought!
July 18, 2016
Interesting memoir, the war seen through the eyes of a child. Enrico’s fear, hopes, curiosity, interests, complicated family relationships; it all sounded so real to me. I loved the story at beginning, the time spent in Austria, then the Nazi invasion and the move to Italy. The final part was also thrilling with vivid descriptions of his escape to the monastery in the mountains and his post-war life. The middle part, where Enrico describes his many months spent in Ospitaletto, was perhaps too detailed and dull at times due to the domesticity and the limited experiences that the little village offered.
A great story of human resilience and love. 3.5 rounded up.
A great story of human resilience and love. 3.5 rounded up.
February 7, 2011
It became very personal for me reading A Child al Confino..I felt like I knew Eric's family..Times during and under Mussolinis rule were not as familair to me as other Holocaust Stories I have read..Rural Villages hiding Jewish Families. Risking their lives,for people who were now part of their Family...Never to reveal to German Soldiers who or where they were..The townspeople hatred of Mussolini..All seen through the eyes of Eric Lamet..A child ,then a young man..
June 12, 2011
The reading of any book on the Holocaust strikes fear in my heart, and this one is no different, except that I also came away from it with even more respect for those people who managed to survive the inhuman cruelty, deprivation and madness of that time. I was not aware, before reading this book, of the Jews, and others in Italy, who had been exiled to small towns like Ospedaletto, most of whom were never sent to internment camps (Auschwitz, Treblinka, Sobibor, Theresienstadt, Dachau), and certain death, who survived due to the kindness and compassion of the often illiterate, impoverished residents of those towns.
The time is 1938 and the official declaration of war has not yet been made, but the abuse of Jews is well under way. There are many in Europe, only too ready to take up the mantle of anti-Semitism. Those that disagreed were not well tolerated, and often were consigned to the same fate as the Jews, homosexuals, infirm, mentally deficient and other victims of Hitler’s hateful racial laws. Those who stood by silently and said they had no idea about the atrocities, lied to their listeners and were complicit in the heinous behavior. It was impossible not to know that something terrible was occurring, even if one didn’t know the specifics, even without any news of the outside world. When strangers keep arriving and disappearing, within your midst, you have to wonder why. Those who stand by silently today, ignoring the signs of the very same anti-Semitism, rising in a miasma of hate, growing and spreading in all directions, simply lie to themselves and leave the path of destruction open for other enemies to follow.
Through the "child" eyes of Eric Lamet (born in 1930, and now 81), we experience his terror and confusion as he is forced to leave Vienna and all those he loves, at the tender age of eight. What could he be expected to understand when subjected to a brutal body search? What could he deduce from his beloved servant’s suddenly cold and cruel behavior toward him? How could he understand the random acts of unprovoked cruelty, encountered in the streets? He could not possibly fathom the nightmare that was to follow for the Jews, nor could he imagine a people, turned so inhumane with mass insanity, that they could stand by and not only let it happen, but participate in its fulfillment.
I wondered if I could read this story without wanting to get up and shout invectives at all those Holocaust deniers, at all those who do not think Obama’s incitement of the Middle East is naïve , and dangerous to the Jews, not only in Israel, but everywhere, even here in the United States. Hate is an emotion which thrives on ignorance and apathy. I am filled with a profound sadness for the lost souls of the Holocaust, for those, too, that survived, whose memory is even now being defiled as it is being diminished and forgotten. I am filled with a profound fear of what new horror may come to pass in the coming days, months and years, for Jews everywhere, if our leaders do not solidly support their right to have independence and freedom and also, a Jewish homeland. Jews are a people that people love to hate.
Many of those that escaped came from fairly well-to-do backgrounds, for who could gather the wherewithal to leave and resettle without ready money, without a certain amount of sophistication? Yet, overall, it was the kindness of strangers, fortunate moments of happenstance, which often meant the difference between life and death. For, after all, hardship was a given, but living was not.
Reading this book did not reassure me, that in spite of all manner of suffering, Jews will survive as they always have done, in the past. Yet it definitely reinforced my ideas about their resilience and courage, which has previously enabled them to thrive again and again, in spite of unprovoked attacks; it made me further understand that silence in the face of injustice makes one complicit in the process and enables it to spread. Silence is not always golden.
The time is 1938 and the official declaration of war has not yet been made, but the abuse of Jews is well under way. There are many in Europe, only too ready to take up the mantle of anti-Semitism. Those that disagreed were not well tolerated, and often were consigned to the same fate as the Jews, homosexuals, infirm, mentally deficient and other victims of Hitler’s hateful racial laws. Those who stood by silently and said they had no idea about the atrocities, lied to their listeners and were complicit in the heinous behavior. It was impossible not to know that something terrible was occurring, even if one didn’t know the specifics, even without any news of the outside world. When strangers keep arriving and disappearing, within your midst, you have to wonder why. Those who stand by silently today, ignoring the signs of the very same anti-Semitism, rising in a miasma of hate, growing and spreading in all directions, simply lie to themselves and leave the path of destruction open for other enemies to follow.
Through the "child" eyes of Eric Lamet (born in 1930, and now 81), we experience his terror and confusion as he is forced to leave Vienna and all those he loves, at the tender age of eight. What could he be expected to understand when subjected to a brutal body search? What could he deduce from his beloved servant’s suddenly cold and cruel behavior toward him? How could he understand the random acts of unprovoked cruelty, encountered in the streets? He could not possibly fathom the nightmare that was to follow for the Jews, nor could he imagine a people, turned so inhumane with mass insanity, that they could stand by and not only let it happen, but participate in its fulfillment.
I wondered if I could read this story without wanting to get up and shout invectives at all those Holocaust deniers, at all those who do not think Obama’s incitement of the Middle East is naïve , and dangerous to the Jews, not only in Israel, but everywhere, even here in the United States. Hate is an emotion which thrives on ignorance and apathy. I am filled with a profound sadness for the lost souls of the Holocaust, for those, too, that survived, whose memory is even now being defiled as it is being diminished and forgotten. I am filled with a profound fear of what new horror may come to pass in the coming days, months and years, for Jews everywhere, if our leaders do not solidly support their right to have independence and freedom and also, a Jewish homeland. Jews are a people that people love to hate.
Many of those that escaped came from fairly well-to-do backgrounds, for who could gather the wherewithal to leave and resettle without ready money, without a certain amount of sophistication? Yet, overall, it was the kindness of strangers, fortunate moments of happenstance, which often meant the difference between life and death. For, after all, hardship was a given, but living was not.
Reading this book did not reassure me, that in spite of all manner of suffering, Jews will survive as they always have done, in the past. Yet it definitely reinforced my ideas about their resilience and courage, which has previously enabled them to thrive again and again, in spite of unprovoked attacks; it made me further understand that silence in the face of injustice makes one complicit in the process and enables it to spread. Silence is not always golden.
March 3, 2011
Lamet's story presents a somewhat unknown part of WW II, at least somewhat unknown to Americans. It deals with a mother and son who stay one step ahead of Hitler, eventually making thier way to Italy, where they are placed under town arrrest, confino.
In some ways, the story is not one of daring escapes. What makes the story intersting is Lamet's mother who time and time again saves her son. Lamet tells this the story from the prespective of his 11-13 year old self. Whil at first look, this might seem to weaken the story, in many ways it allows for his mother to take central stage. Instead of telling us what a great woman his mother was, Lamet simply shows us. This remove actually makes the story more compelling.
In some ways, the story is not one of daring escapes. What makes the story intersting is Lamet's mother who time and time again saves her son. Lamet tells this the story from the prespective of his 11-13 year old self. Whil at first look, this might seem to weaken the story, in many ways it allows for his mother to take central stage. Instead of telling us what a great woman his mother was, Lamet simply shows us. This remove actually makes the story more compelling.
March 15, 2016
I was fortunate to meet Eric Lamet and hear parts of his story in person. I don't really have words to describe his experience, but he was so lucky that he and some of his family survived. What horrific times...
July 10, 2012
This memoir tells of a child's flight with his family from Austria at the start of World War II through Italy and France and back to Italy, the separation of his family, and their internment in a village near Naples in Italy.
While most stories of Jews under the Axis Powers describe the more horrific tales of the concentration camps, it is interesting to see another point of view. Lamet tells this autobiographical tale from the point of view of one who avoided the terror of the concentration camp but still suffered the oppression of a fascist regime, a child who understood little of what was going on, yet could sense the fear and danger from his parents.
In the midst of internment and confinement to a small village without running water, for much of the war the greatest danger he faced may have appeared to be lack of sanitation, yet one is then reminded that he is subject to the unfair and dehumanizing laws imposed by fascist government: forbidden to go to school, leave the village, or even own a camera.
To the chagrin of his mother, the boy was fascinated with the soldiers when they were around, and seemed not to hesitate to befriend the soldiers of the government that had interned him.
This story may interest someone who would like to see a compelling but less commonly told story of oppression during World War II, one that doesn't describe in detail the horrors of the concentration camps, but rather tells the story of someone who was left to wonder why he no longer hears from his Jewish relatives in Poland.
While most stories of Jews under the Axis Powers describe the more horrific tales of the concentration camps, it is interesting to see another point of view. Lamet tells this autobiographical tale from the point of view of one who avoided the terror of the concentration camp but still suffered the oppression of a fascist regime, a child who understood little of what was going on, yet could sense the fear and danger from his parents.
In the midst of internment and confinement to a small village without running water, for much of the war the greatest danger he faced may have appeared to be lack of sanitation, yet one is then reminded that he is subject to the unfair and dehumanizing laws imposed by fascist government: forbidden to go to school, leave the village, or even own a camera.
To the chagrin of his mother, the boy was fascinated with the soldiers when they were around, and seemed not to hesitate to befriend the soldiers of the government that had interned him.
This story may interest someone who would like to see a compelling but less commonly told story of oppression during World War II, one that doesn't describe in detail the horrors of the concentration camps, but rather tells the story of someone who was left to wonder why he no longer hears from his Jewish relatives in Poland.
March 1, 2011
This book told the story of a young Jewish boy and his mother during WWII has they had to flew to survive the Nazi attack. The boy was seperated from his father as he fled to Poland. The mother and son fled to several countries before ending up in Italy. In Italy, they were forced to stay in a small village and were not allowed to leave. For several years, while in the village, the family and other detanees had to check in to the town center. The mother, during captivity, fell in love with another man and eventually left her husband and remarried after the war. The son was reunited with his father after eight years. His father had been captured and sent to Siberia. His father was not as he remembered and they reunited only for a brief period. The mother and son eventually came to the United States where the son remained and recieved his education and lived out his life. His mother, however, moved to Mexico where she spent the rest of her life.
The story was tragic and times, but not as compelling as I had hoped. It was interesting to hear of a different story of the Jewish struggle during this time period.
The story was tragic and times, but not as compelling as I had hoped. It was interesting to hear of a different story of the Jewish struggle during this time period.
April 23, 2012
A book with a different perspective on WWII. A Jewish family from Vienna is forced out of the city (and gets out in time to avoid the holocaust) and finds themselves "imprisoned" in a small Italian village for the remainder of the war. Though they weren't in jail, they couldn't leave the city and survived on meager supplies of food and essentials. I enjoyed the description of this small village with all its characters. It was interesting how this young boy befriended a Catholic priest (and even sang in the church choir as an alter boy), Italian soldiers (who taught him how to shoot a machine gun) and an educated Sicilian (who became his step-father). I wouldn't call the book a page turner, but it was interesting.
October 18, 2011
The part that sticks with you in this book is early on. He describes being a carefree boy in Vienna and then the change in the people around as they embraced antisemitism. You can hear behind the words on the page the hurt and puzzlement echoing a lifetime away from his childhood. The maid in their house was one of his best friends, he would sleep with her in her bed some mornings they were so close, and he talks about how almost overnight she refused to have anything to do with him and quit cleaning or paying any attention to her duties.
Most of the book deals with living in a remote village in Italy during the war.
Most of the book deals with living in a remote village in Italy during the war.
March 5, 2012
Mr. Lamet tells us the story of his youth as il confino in Mussolini's Italy. He tells it clearly, with the lens of a child, and with wonderful perspective. It's impossible, as an adult, to read it without seeing the story unfold through two lenses: Mr. Lamet's, and those of a parent. The result is that one spends the entire read straddling two perspectives, both equally gripping and poignant.
Mr. Lamet draws with rich detail their daily interactions, the culture of those confined in Ospadelatto, and those to whom it was always "home", the town, the life, and the world during the war.
Mr. Lamet draws with rich detail their daily interactions, the culture of those confined in Ospadelatto, and those to whom it was always "home", the town, the life, and the world during the war.
February 10, 2011
I found this book to be deeply moving. Maybe it's because my parents grew up in Italy during this time period but I can't say for sure. The conditions and the restrictions Eric and his mother had to endure were just heart breaking. I felt so badly for that little boy. His childhood was just passing him by. As a mother, I tried to put myself in his mother's place. I found the book difficult and oddly uplifting at the same time. A wonderful book about a very sad and desperate time period.
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March 13, 2011I enjoyed this look at an experience of a Jewish boy and his mother ordered to confinement in a rustic village in Southern Italy during WWII. It's hard not to fall for this spunky, curious child as he goes about daily life coping with the terrors of war. His warm, competent mother is a finely drawn character any reader would love to meet.
June 11, 2015
This book made me laugh, made me cry and once more solidified that this particular time period is one of my favorites to continue to learn about - the good and the bad.
May 22, 2017
I was told by a few folks that this was a pretty heavy holocaust novel, so its been sitting in my collection to read for some time. Interesting enough, there really isn't much "heavy" to this recollection of a survivor who spent his entire time during the war on the run with his mother. There were only brief periods of true threat that were faced but they pale in comparison to other novels of the period. This doesn't diminish or take away from the authors story however. Being constantly on the run without a true understanding of the magnitude of the situation that his mother must bear the weight of can be difficult enough to deal with. Much of the story seemed to drag as the author recollects day to day memories of escaping true captivity (Concentration Camps) and finds a way to exist while being kept in an Italian ghetto as the war rages on.
This is more of a story of struggle and endurement rather than horror and death. The fear of the unknown, whether it be the future, the ability to eat everyday, whereabouts of loved ones etc. follows the author and his mother throughout the book. Obviously not every European Jew ended up in the death camps, so to hear a story of one which didn't is a fascinating one to be told. I would've liked a bit more of an explanation of what resulted of his fathers life and his relationship with him following the war as well as more details as to what his life became as he grew up. After the war ended, the author comes off trying to close up shop way to quick which doesn't give the reader any satisfaction.
This is more of a story of struggle and endurement rather than horror and death. The fear of the unknown, whether it be the future, the ability to eat everyday, whereabouts of loved ones etc. follows the author and his mother throughout the book. Obviously not every European Jew ended up in the death camps, so to hear a story of one which didn't is a fascinating one to be told. I would've liked a bit more of an explanation of what resulted of his fathers life and his relationship with him following the war as well as more details as to what his life became as he grew up. After the war ended, the author comes off trying to close up shop way to quick which doesn't give the reader any satisfaction.
August 5, 2022
I read this book some years ago. It had a deep and personal significance for me. My Viennese mother had also found refuge in Italy - living there from 1940 to 1948 - and always talked about Italy and Italians with the greatest affection. I was born there in 1944, returned as an adult several times - including a five year stay in Naples in the 1970's and have never found reason to not share the same affection.
February 2, 2022
A very detailed autobiography of growing up Jewish in Austria, France, and Italy before and during World War II. The author remembered an incredible amount of detail. The author and his mother were able to avoid concentration camps being confined with other political "enemies" in a small mountain village in Italy.
June 26, 2024
A very interesting insight into an aspect of life during World War II that I knew nothing of. The ending in particular was very moving. For many displaced people the end of the war did not automatically mean a return to "normal" life; they had nothing left to return to. The book was a little long-winded though, and could have done with some editing.
May 14, 2020
Good read
Excellent historical data so long after the events should be compulsary reading for the youth of today so as not to let this ever happen again
Excellent historical data so long after the events should be compulsary reading for the youth of today so as not to let this ever happen again
October 7, 2021
This was an interesting account of what it was like t o be Jewish in Italy during WW II... worst a read.
July 4, 2013
While I knew that Mussolini and Hitler were allies, I never gave any thought to what happened to the Jewish people in Italy. This book opened my eyes to that part of history. The impression I got from this book was that Mussolini didn’t hate the Jews, but he wanted to stay on Hitler’s good side so he ordered them into what is referred to as ‘internal exile’.
This is the autobiography or memoirs of Eric Lamet, his parents managed a luxury hotel in Vienna when the Nazis invaded. He and his parents fled for their lives. Eric’s parents shielded him from the ugly truth of war so he spent much time thinking they ‘hated’ him and were moving around just to torture or inconvenience him. I am referring to torture as a seven year old who has had a luxurious upbringing would define it. He records the moves they had to make, how he had to leave beloved possessions behind and how although his mother loved him and protected him, he eventually came to understand the horror of war.
His father went to Poland, Eric and his mother ended up in a little village in Italy that lacked many modern conveniences, they were ‘confined’ here, as in they couldn’t leave without permission. They had to report each morning to the police.
It was very interesting seeing war from the perspective of a young boy far away from the actual fighting, he records honestly his feelings and his interactions with the villagers, the priest and even a German soldier. He is very honest about how at times he was confused, afraid and resentful of his situation. Through it all his love and admiration for his mother shines through.
Some reviewers have doubted the veracity of this account since the events Lamet is recalling happened so long ago, while I agree that some of the details my not be accurate, I think the feeling portrayed and accurate and found this book enlightening and interesting.
This is the autobiography or memoirs of Eric Lamet, his parents managed a luxury hotel in Vienna when the Nazis invaded. He and his parents fled for their lives. Eric’s parents shielded him from the ugly truth of war so he spent much time thinking they ‘hated’ him and were moving around just to torture or inconvenience him. I am referring to torture as a seven year old who has had a luxurious upbringing would define it. He records the moves they had to make, how he had to leave beloved possessions behind and how although his mother loved him and protected him, he eventually came to understand the horror of war.
His father went to Poland, Eric and his mother ended up in a little village in Italy that lacked many modern conveniences, they were ‘confined’ here, as in they couldn’t leave without permission. They had to report each morning to the police.
It was very interesting seeing war from the perspective of a young boy far away from the actual fighting, he records honestly his feelings and his interactions with the villagers, the priest and even a German soldier. He is very honest about how at times he was confused, afraid and resentful of his situation. Through it all his love and admiration for his mother shines through.
Some reviewers have doubted the veracity of this account since the events Lamet is recalling happened so long ago, while I agree that some of the details my not be accurate, I think the feeling portrayed and accurate and found this book enlightening and interesting.
January 26, 2012
This book is a wonderful memoir of a young Jewish boy in fascist Europe during World War II. Eric Lamet was the eight year old son of Polish Jewish hotel owners in Vienna. The memoir covers in detail the life lived by Eric and his mother through the war. It includes close calls, daring border crossings, and living through fear and uncertainty. Eric himself is a very bright boy and his mother is incredibly resourceful and their story is certainly one worth discovering.
Besides learning the story of Eric, this book reveals an aspect of World War II that is not well know, the experience of Jews in Musolini's Italy. Luckily the experience is much milder than that in Germany, Poland, and elsewhere. Rather than concentration camps and a concerted attempt at genocide, the Italian solution was the Il Confino program. This is a program where Jews, political dissidents, and foreigners are confined to small mountain villages in the south.
While I do not want to minimize their experiences, much of the personal confilct and discomfort experinced by Eric and his mother comes more from cultural shock. The Lamets are Vienese urban sophistocates but the village they are forced to live in only has one house with running water and the family uses the tub to store coal. The people are superstitious and living in the mid 1800s but at the same time they are friendly and good people who befriend and even defend the Jews in their midst.
This book is expertly written in plain and straight forward prose and it is full of the insights of a young boy growing up in unusual circumstances. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
Besides learning the story of Eric, this book reveals an aspect of World War II that is not well know, the experience of Jews in Musolini's Italy. Luckily the experience is much milder than that in Germany, Poland, and elsewhere. Rather than concentration camps and a concerted attempt at genocide, the Italian solution was the Il Confino program. This is a program where Jews, political dissidents, and foreigners are confined to small mountain villages in the south.
While I do not want to minimize their experiences, much of the personal confilct and discomfort experinced by Eric and his mother comes more from cultural shock. The Lamets are Vienese urban sophistocates but the village they are forced to live in only has one house with running water and the family uses the tub to store coal. The people are superstitious and living in the mid 1800s but at the same time they are friendly and good people who befriend and even defend the Jews in their midst.
This book is expertly written in plain and straight forward prose and it is full of the insights of a young boy growing up in unusual circumstances. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
June 7, 2011
Eric is 8 years old when Hitler and his Nazis invade Vienna, Austria. There are so many things such a young lad cannot understand about the world, especially about a world gone mad with racial hatred. But with a mother who loves him unconditionally, life in the darkest hours still has its bright linings. This book as written from the memories of that lad, as he was dragged across country borders to try to avoid the horrors our history books tell us were waiting around every corner for him. Yet, with the simplicity of an innocent, he made friends and found things to keep his mind occupied for those long years they were confined to a small village in Italy during the worst years of the war.
Lamet places his reader into the dusty streets of the village, onto the bouncing train seat in the crowded car that rumbles through the countryside from one jurisdiction to another, and behind the darkened windows whose ghostly watchers sigh to determine if danger or safety lurks behind the tramping feet heard from beyond nights veils. He provides a glimpse of life of those who did not face the death camps and yet faced severe hardship because of man’s hatred for his brothers. But most of all, he provides a peek into the heart of those who place others ahead of themselves, who are willing to seek the best for their neighbors, and who live for someone else rather than just for themselves.
Lamet places his reader into the dusty streets of the village, onto the bouncing train seat in the crowded car that rumbles through the countryside from one jurisdiction to another, and behind the darkened windows whose ghostly watchers sigh to determine if danger or safety lurks behind the tramping feet heard from beyond nights veils. He provides a glimpse of life of those who did not face the death camps and yet faced severe hardship because of man’s hatred for his brothers. But most of all, he provides a peek into the heart of those who place others ahead of themselves, who are willing to seek the best for their neighbors, and who live for someone else rather than just for themselves.
September 19, 2011
Brief Synopsis:
A Child Al Confino is set in Europe of which is on the brink of war....the Nazi's beginning to take control and the Germans beginning their racial hatred campaign against the Jews later to result in the devastating Holocaust.
Eric Lamet was a real boy living in war torn Europe during this time but contrary to what you may think, unlike most Holocaust related books, this is not set in Germany, nowhere near in fact. Its actually set in Italy and focuses on Mussolini's gradual but eventual change into facism turning Italy into a facist state to rival Hitler's Germany...
Therefore this book is not a stereotypical Holocaust by all means and is all true, all based on fact and backed up by photographs which are shown sporadically through the book of real places and real people that Eric encountered during his personal struggles during this difficult time period...
Review:
This book was different. When I read a synopis which mentions the word Holocaust, straight away rather stereotypically, I think set in Nazi Germany because let's face it..........
http://passionate-about-books.blogspo...
A Child Al Confino is set in Europe of which is on the brink of war....the Nazi's beginning to take control and the Germans beginning their racial hatred campaign against the Jews later to result in the devastating Holocaust.
Eric Lamet was a real boy living in war torn Europe during this time but contrary to what you may think, unlike most Holocaust related books, this is not set in Germany, nowhere near in fact. Its actually set in Italy and focuses on Mussolini's gradual but eventual change into facism turning Italy into a facist state to rival Hitler's Germany...
Therefore this book is not a stereotypical Holocaust by all means and is all true, all based on fact and backed up by photographs which are shown sporadically through the book of real places and real people that Eric encountered during his personal struggles during this difficult time period...
Review:
This book was different. When I read a synopis which mentions the word Holocaust, straight away rather stereotypically, I think set in Nazi Germany because let's face it..........
http://passionate-about-books.blogspo...
March 28, 2011
This was a very interesting read. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was originally a little worried as I usually do not read non-fiction, much less biography-sort of works.
Timeline in the story is mainly chronological, except for a few parts where the author writes about certain habits or happenings over a duration of time. Even though there are such time jumps, the book was not at all confusing, and was still easy to understand.
I was also amazed at the number of languages used throughout. I was also surprised to see some of the Yiddish sounded so similar to German.
Despite being a war-time book, this was not all tragedy and sadness... there were many humorous parts, like how Lamet wanted long pants, got them, but tore them when he fell already soon after he got them. Or when his mother went to the tailor with a friend, and the tailor switched the cloth and made the wrong suits for the boys.
It was also very interesting to read about the chance meeting with his mother's friend Bertl. I would love to learn more of this woman's story too.
Timeline in the story is mainly chronological, except for a few parts where the author writes about certain habits or happenings over a duration of time. Even though there are such time jumps, the book was not at all confusing, and was still easy to understand.
I was also amazed at the number of languages used throughout. I was also surprised to see some of the Yiddish sounded so similar to German.
Despite being a war-time book, this was not all tragedy and sadness... there were many humorous parts, like how Lamet wanted long pants, got them, but tore them when he fell already soon after he got them. Or when his mother went to the tailor with a friend, and the tailor switched the cloth and made the wrong suits for the boys.
It was also very interesting to read about the chance meeting with his mother's friend Bertl. I would love to learn more of this woman's story too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2014
After reading Escape from Aushwitz, A Child al Confino is a very different perspective on WWII experiences of Jews forced to endure the Hitler policies. If you were a Jew in southern Italy, many (most?) were confined to an Italian village and required to check-in with the police twice per day. But passes could be requested (and were granted) to make short trips to larger cities near the villages. Jews so confined were provided a very small but barely livable stipend for rent and food. As to food availability, they suffered the same as all Italians suffered during WWII. Coupons were available but oftentimes, the food just wasn't on the shelves. The most dangerous period was when Italy officially surrendered to the United States but Germany had not. As a result, Italy became the enemy of Germany and as the German army was retreating from Sicily and up through Italy, all Italian citizens and in some case Jews especially became subject to dangerous situations. Overall, a very readable story.
January 11, 2013
This was a very good book, but as compared to other stories about the fate of Jewish citizens during World War II, it is remarkably emotionally calm. It does not glorify any of the challenges faced by the narrator, at the time a child, and his family and friends, but describes the reality of their lives calmly and matter-of-factly. It follows the many characters after the war briefly to their live's post-war destinations, and for me gives rise to countless oppotunities for conversation about both the actual events recorded here and the way they are shared. Why this author is able to share his experiences so non-emotionally where others have not is interesting to me. The story is very well and even compellingly told, so I will continue to ponder the positives/unsatisfactoriness of the mood.
March 6, 2011
This is a true story written by Eric Lamet, who was only seven years old when the Nazis invaded Vienna--and changed his life and the lives of all European Jews forever.
He and his mother fled to Italy, which saved their lives. They were 'confined' to a backward Italian town, and had to check in with local authorities twice a day. There is much love, humor and display of the wonder of the human spirit in this story. It's not at all upsetting to read, for the most part, as they weren't ever in the death camps. They actually became a part of the village they were confined in, to the point that the villagers protected them when German soldiers took over.
I would recommend this as informative historical writing with heart. Good for book clubs, I think!
He and his mother fled to Italy, which saved their lives. They were 'confined' to a backward Italian town, and had to check in with local authorities twice a day. There is much love, humor and display of the wonder of the human spirit in this story. It's not at all upsetting to read, for the most part, as they weren't ever in the death camps. They actually became a part of the village they were confined in, to the point that the villagers protected them when German soldiers took over.
I would recommend this as informative historical writing with heart. Good for book clubs, I think!
June 4, 2012
This is an interesting memoir regarding a little-known (at least to Americans) circumstance in Italy during WWII. The writing itself is nothing to get really excited about. It is at times disjointed. I suppose, though, that is the style of a memoir...it's as if the author inserted paragraphs because a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind. This lent the story an authentic and sincere, if sometimes disorganized, quality.
Like most books on the plight of Jews during WWII that I have read, this memoir expanded my knowledge on their struggles and deepened my appreciation for the resilience of the people that suffered.
I would recommend this book, especially if you have a passion for social justice and/or history.
Like most books on the plight of Jews during WWII that I have read, this memoir expanded my knowledge on their struggles and deepened my appreciation for the resilience of the people that suffered.
I would recommend this book, especially if you have a passion for social justice and/or history.
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