Hiding in the Spotlight by Greg Dawson

What would you do if you are forced out of your home, told you are worthless, and sentenced to death for doing nothing, but living life all because you have a different religion? Would you fight? Would you hide? Would you be submissive and do everything you are told?

In Greg Dawson's Hiding in the Spotlight you follow the story Zhanna Arshanskaya and her sister Frina as they escape the Nazi's in a death march and find themselves hidding in plain sight from the Nazi's with the use of their musical talents.

Their journey is unlike any other's you may read or hear about from the Holocaust. While it starts off similar with Ghetto's, exterminations, bombings, etc. it doesn't have the same fight for survival. Zhanna explains in depth how she escapes the death march as her father bribes the Nazi guard and she slips out of line, without a word of goodbye and watches her family march to their death. She holds no hope in seeing them again, only holding onto the words "I don't care what you do - just live!" - Dmitri Arshanskaya

What Zhanna didn't know was that Frina would also find away to escape that same exact march. However, the details of her escape stayed silent with Frina, her way of coping with the tragedy of the situation. Respectfully this is understandable and away for many to deal with traumatic events in their lives, but leaves numerous questions for the many generations to come after them. 

As Zhanna found refuge for herself and Frina, her itch to play music, the love put into her by her father, was starting to take over. When she found a piano that itch was suddenly able to be scratched and the story of survival became one that would seem easy and successful, but one that would also be stressful and daring.

But was it betrayal to entertain those who killed her family to survive? A question of ethics and loyalty that plagued Zhanna as she clutched the idea of traveling as a musician to entertain the Nazis. However, she never betrays her family, she becomes a supporting piece of survival for so many victims just like her, who were forced from their homes and lives, but to get there she had to do the unthinkable and entertain those who demoralized and dehumanized her people. This was not betrayal, this was survival in the only way she saw fit for her situation. 

Overall this book can be a little confusing to read, with the timeline being slightly confusing in the beginning. However, once the timeline is sorted out it is easy to follow and the reader can follow through to the end. I love reading about survival, specifically holocaust stories, and found this book intriguingly different. The story was different, she didn't hide in a cellar, or a wall. She hide in plain sight where at any second her looks could be questioned based on Hitler's Aryan race criteria, but yet there was little to no questioning and her talents sealed her fate. 

Those who risked their lives for Zhanna and Frina where pivotal in their survival, including their father who bribed the guards on the fateful death march to Drobitsky Yar. Without these selfless acts during a trying time saved to amazing girls and their talents for the future to hold. 

They cage the animals at night by by Jennings Michael Burch

Exploring the meaning of love and family is an adventure we all take in our lives. Some have a harder time learning while others find it very easily. For Jennings his journey was one of unraveling agony.

They cage the animals at night was nothing of what I expected when choosing this book. I thought it would be a journey of over coming abuse and abandonment, what it turned into was the journey of finding the meaning of love, acceptance and confidence. However, to find that Jennings had to endure some of the worst experiences an adult, let alone a little boy, should ever have to experience.

From the beginning you learn that Jennings life is one of difficulty when his mom leaves him at his first orphanage. The back story of Jennings mother isn't fully disclosed which I found annoying, besides the accident that removes her from his life at the end of the book, her story is never explained or explored. Why did she need to "rest" so many times? Which just brings up many back stories left for exploration in Jennings story.

His brothers, father, and many of those who walked through his life had stories that played out to why things where happening and yet they where never explained, leaving the reader with a million questions on why did this happen, why didn't they care, etc. Thankfully he put an epilogue in to give a small detail into the lives of what happened to many of those main characters in Jennings life.

With all the abandonment and discourage put in front of Jennings I found that this was a page turner, always wanting to learn where he would end up. The raw emotions of a boy learning the rules of the homes and the abuse he suffers throughout his life really brings you into the mind set of a inquisitive little boy.

His story has a happy ending as he learns what it's like to be loved, accepted and seen for who he really is, just a little boy trying to understand life, love and the roles he has been given. The abuse he suffers is deplorable and still seen everyday within our country, where many people turn a blind eye to it everyday. However, stories like Jennings help pull this part of society out from under the rug in a sense. Exposing the abuse many suffer through "the system."

Overall this was a good book, while it left me with many questions in the end I would still recommend. If anything to open your eyes into the workings of the system. While this took place in the 50's many things still say the same, I'm not saying abuse is found in orphanages, but I'm not withholding the idea either.

These children live with the idea that they are not worth anything, in which many will take advantage of the vulnerability of the innocent. Just as they did to the children in many of the homes Jennings experienced.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Have you ever thought about your own demise? What you wish you can accomplish before the end? What if you only have 6 months to live, are you ready? Have you gotten to experience all you have wanted out of life?

The imperial bucket list is brought to life in so many different conversations that it seems as though a passing phase, but in reality it's our lives. A bucket list is our experiences, our accomplishments, hopes and dreams rolled out into a list of wants and needs. Everyone's list is different; some may have fall in love while others may have find true happiness or climb Mount Everest. Our list are uniquely the same as they are what we want for fulfillment in life. They don't have to be written down, but can be carried in our hearts where it can be re-read every moment of everyday.

In Before I Die by Jenny Downham you follow the story of Tessa who only has a few months to live out her bucket list. At 16 she faces many turbulent experiences that many grown adults may never even fathom facing anytime in their lives. Her list is full of innocents and experimentation, her adolescent and young adulthood rolled into just a few months. How could anyone choose just one or even ten things to accomplish in such a sort of time when you have barely gotten to live in general?

Downham does a great job of rolling together Tessa's  innocents and maturity into one as she faces the end of her short life. Looking into the world of someone ill, their family, the relationships gained and lost all while trying to understand and coup within herself that she's not meant to last forever.

This book will bring you to your knee's in a sense, it gives you a new outlook on the idea of life and your wants out of it. What is truly important at the end of the day to you and how you can start to reach for them are all things you can start to see at a new perspective. When we haven't lived with the idea of death we never really can live as if tomorrow is our last day, but gaining a small perspective can change you in even the smallest ways. Maybe it's telling your family you love them every night instead of every now and then or confronting you fears head on.

The grammar difference can mislead or distract the reader, but over all it was a good read. I walked away with an understanding of finding ones self, if not for the long haul, but just for the moment of time. This was a great bargain book and worth the confusion of English vs. American if you read between the lines of the story.

Does Tessa come across as a snobby brat, yes. But once you learn her story and see the larger picture you can understand her rebellion. It's not just as a teen, but as a human being losing what is her future.

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

Girl in translation by Jean Kwok is a coming of age story with a twist. Kimberly is transported from her life in China to the American Dream of Brooklyn. However, the story isn't all fun and games for this young girl.

She has to learn how to live in a world where she knows very little of the culture and language while helping her mother navigate the workings of sweatshop to help pay rent. Her life is full of inconveniences and chances, all of which help transform her into a thoughtful and courageous woman.

Her story allows the reader to dive into the idea of what many believe to be a dream, but is truly a reality for many immigrants. You start on the bottom, you aren't handed anything and just when you think life gives you an open door there are about ten million reasons not to take it. However, through all of it you come out a better person and the struggles faced seem as nothing at the end.

There were a few translation issues in the grammar of  this book, but once you move past them the story line is one seen in so many different cultures. It's not just exclusive to Asians, Mexicans or anyone who wants something better. It's a story of struggle and survival even in an era of technology and advancements.

I found myself flipping pages and yearning to know how her story ends. However, the endings twist really put the mother/daughter bond at the forefront of the story. While Kimberly did everything to help her mother survive through the struggles of the new world, she learned that her mother is ultimately the one who saves her from ever having to face those same struggles herself as an adult.

This is a great read that I recommend for all women and girls. It gives the reader an eye into the perspective of other female relationships within different cultures.

Rena's Promise

Rena's Promise by Rena Kornreich Gelissen and Heather Dune Macadam is truly one of my favorite memoirs of all times. I have always been interested in the Holocaust and the many stories of survival. So when I decided to take a course in college about the history of the Holocaust I knew that I would be required to write a report on a memoir.

The requirements where nothing more than the story of a survivor, whether an officer, witness or victim of the horrors. As I scanned the many books available I chose numerous books that could be of good choice, however after talking with a few of my classmates I learned all the individuals being reported on were male. I wanted something different, I wanted something to stand out, thus I stumbled upon Rena's Promise.

What I walked away with was a love and passion for survival stories, particularly those of the holocaust.

Rena's story is one of love, dedication, and triumph in the most difficult situation. Through Rena's eyes you learn about the in's and out's of the work labor camps. How one had to lie, cheat and steal for survival with death being a constant threat. I had a hard time putting this book down and found many nights where I barely slept because I was in need of knowing what would happen next.

The book is as informative as possible with the given information and memories available from Rena. Many individuals may question the accuracy of some of the officers or events mentioned, but you must remember, this is Rena's memory, I don't exactly remember the name of everyone whom I have encountered in my life and I was never in true survival mood while doing so.

Therefore I say with some of the names and information take it with a grain of salt because it's all just a memory, this book was not written to be a history lesson, it was written as a humanitarian lesson. A reminder of those who have suffered, lost and triumphed in the most difficult moment of history.