Books Set in Africa: Cairo, Egypt

Sipping from the Nile: My Exodus from Egypt, by Jean Naggar (2008)

 

Sipping from the Nile is a memoir of a young women who grew up in a wealthy and privileged Jewish family in Egypt.  The author was born in December 1937, on the cusp of World War II.  She grew up in a pampered and sheltered environment, so the horrors of the War largely escaped her.

 

Although her family had Italian passports, they had roots in Egypt going back centuries.  Over the years, the family had amassed an enormous fortune through banking and lived in a large mansion with many servants.  They were integral members of high Egyptian society and rubbed shoulders with high level diplomats and kings.

 

As a young girl growing up, she and her family traveled extensively throughout Europe and she (as well as other members of the family) was fluent in many languages, including English, Italian, French and Arabic.  When she entered high school, she was sent to a boarding school in England.  It was her first time being separated from her family and, although it gave her some freedom, she was also very along among her British classmates.

 

It wasn’t until the Suez crisis in 1956 that the author began to realized that being Jewish in Egypt had consequences.  Although she describes the losses of their home and property, as she recounts the family’s life in exile, they seemed not to have suffered too badly financially.  She is still able to maintain a high-society lifestyle.

 

I found the first part of the memoir more interesting that the latter part.  I tired of reading of all the “fabulous” connections her family made: winning Olympic medals, meeting all the rich and famous, all the designer clothing her mother had commissioned, etc.

 

Interestingly, it wasn’t until after she moved to the United States that she began to realized that her Jewishness was and identifying factor.  While growing up in Egypt, although her family was Jewish and observed all the rituals and holidays, being Jewish was just a fact of life (until after WWII and the country itself had a massive political turnabout).

 

Scattered throughout the book are numerous family photos and scene of Egypt.  They added to the book, and I enjoyed perusing them.

 

Read: October 4, 2021

 

3.5 Stars

 

 

Books Set in North America: Canada: Ontario

The Culprit, by Martin Sasek (2020)

 

This is a memoir about the family’s life with animals with most of the focus on their pet kitten the author acquired after he and his wife became empty nesters.  It was at times funny, but the book could have used a good editor.  There were too many exclamation marks and grammatical errors that were distracting.  This book was recommended by a woman in one of my gym classes.  It was a fair read for the flight from Boston, Massachusetts to Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Read:  July 14, 2021

 

2 Stars

 

Books Set in Europe: Hamburg, Germany and Africa: Liberia

Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, by Hans J. Massaquoi (1999)

After a whirlwind romance with the black Liberian son of a diplomat, the Bertha Baetz found herself pregnant, and in January 1926, gave birth to the author, Hans Massaquoi (Jan. 19, 1926 ~ Jan. 19, 2013).  Although the diplomat’s son promised to marry Bertha, the wedding never took place.  Instead, he went off to England to pursue his studies.  Meanwhile, Bertha and Hans, were welcomed into the diplomat’s home.  For the first 5 years of his life, Hans lived a life of wealth and privilege.

When the diplomat was called home, Bertha decided to remain in Hamburg, Germany with her son.  Their standard of living dropped dramatically, as Bertha was forced to look for jobs.  Around this time, the political climate was changing in Germany.  Like so many German children, he was indoctrinated into Nazi propaganda and dreamed of joining the Hitler Youth, like many of his comrades.

Although his was often called names by neighborhood bullies, he was generally accepted by his peers.  His teachers, however, were another story.  Many of his teachers would single him out for his black skin.  When his was denied entry into the Hitler Youth, he begged his mother to plead his case for him, arguing that he was “German just like everyone else.”  His mother fiercely protected her young son.  Throughout this memoir, the love he has for his mother is evident on nearly every page.

Through his teachers, he learns that his is “non-Aryan”, thus there is no place for him in Nazi Germany.  As Nazi Germany begins its conquest of Austria, and the war begins, Hans and his mother experience the trauma of the war and their beloved city of Hamburg being bombed.  Although Hans has been informed that after the Nazi are “done” with the Jews, he will be next.  Despite this, the author makes only an off-handed reference to Jewish extermination or the concentration camps.  I found this to be troubling.  Perhaps, at the beginning of the war, he was too young to fully understand what was happening, and by the end of the war, he and his mother were simply trying to survive.

After the War, Hans hangs out among the docks of Hamburg and often passes himself of as an American GI.  He has dreams of one day immigrating to the United States, where some of his mother’s relatives moved before the War broke out.

While still in his early 20’s, he made contact with his father, now an important businessman in Liberia.  He felt that staying in Germany would be a dead-end for him, thought that moving to Liberia would lead him to a better life.  His relationship with his father, however, quickly turned sour.  After a few years in Liberia, his mother’s relatives eventually arranged for him to immigrate to the United States.  In 1950, at age 26, he entered the United States.  After being erroneously drafted into and serving in the Army, he earned a degree in journalism.  

His mother was finally able to immigrate to the United States, where the two were reunited.  Hans ultimately became a managing editor of Ebony magazine.  As a post-script, Hans died in 2013 on his 87th birthday.

Read:  April 3, 2021

4 Stars

Books Set in the North America: United States: Tennessee

The Jew Store, by Stella Suberman (1998)

This book is part-memoir, part-fiction.  The author her family’s life in a small rural Tennessee town where they were the only Jews.  She changed the name of the town and the names of some of the townspeople to protect their identities.  Since much of the story occurred either before she was born, or before she was old enough to have a clear memory, had a clear memory, much is of the book is based on her imagination as to what actually happened.  The family lived in Tennessee from 1920 until 1933.  The author was barely 11 when her family moved away.

That said, this family memoir is probably not unlike the story of many Jews living in the rural south.  As she notes, many small southern towns had “Jew” stores – dry-goods stores run and operated by the town’s only Jews.  

Aaron and Rebe Bronson had both immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe/Russia.  Aaron was a self-described natural born salesman.  He set off for Nashville, Tennessee, where he had hoped to make his fortune.  He soon discovered that there were already many Jewish-run stores there; and was convinced to move to the small town of Concordia.  He and his young family arrived in Concordia in 1920 and were taken in by Miss Brookie, an eccentric agnostic who believed in being kind to others.

While Miss Brookie was understanding, none of the other townspeople had ever seen Jews before and were convinced they were a different species.  On the eve of the new store opening, Miss Brookie tells him that it will go well, provided the Klan approves.  The book goes into detail of the tensions between the towns people and the Bronson’s fears of anti-Semitism.  The book also describes the tensions between the white and Black population, often in terms that are very disarming.

Aaron named his store “Bronson’s Low-Priced Store”.  Once the store is open, however, most of the town comes to respect the Bronson’s.  Reba, however, fears for her children and wants them to grow up in a Jewish environment.  When the Depression came, Aaron fought to keep the town going, thereby winning the respect of most of the town.

I found this to be a charming story filled with humor.

Read:  January 23, 2021

4 Stars

Books Set in North America; United States; New York

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, by James McBride (1995)

The Color of Water is a touching memoir of James McBride’s mother.  The book alternates between McBride, in his voice, telling about his life growing up and his mother’s voice recounting her life.  The author was an adult before he learned of his mother’s background.

Ruth McBride Jordon was born on April Fool’s Day in 1921 in Poland to an Orthodox Jewish family.  Her given name was Ruchel Dwajra Zylska.  When she was 2 years old, she immigrated to the United States with her mother and older brother.  Her father had already settled in the United States.  She became known as Rachel once in America, but later changed her name to Ruth because she thought it sounded more “American.”  Ruth is an interesting choice, since there is a Biblical Ruth who is known for converting to Judaism.  Ruth McBride, however, tried to hide her Jewish roots and converted to Christianity.

When the author finally confronts his mother about her past, she acknowledges that they sat shiva for her 50 years earlier, as she became dead to them when she left her Jewish background and married a Black man.  We slowly learn of her childhood.  Her parents were in an arranged marriage and there was no love between her father and mother.

As a child, he would sometimes ask his mother why she looked different from the mothers of his friends, but her response was simply that she was “light-skinned.”

Life in the McBride home was not easy, but it was filled with love.  The author was one of 12 children.  The author never knew his father who died of cancer shortly before his birth.  Sometime after the death of her first husband, Ruth remarried Hunter Jordan, another Black man, who became a loving stepfather to James and 7 older siblings.  Ruth and Hunter would have another 4 children.  Jordan did like the chaos of so many children, so lived apart from the family except for weekends.

Ruth was a formidable woman and saw to it that all of her children went to college, and many went on to earn graduate degrees.  All the while, James, as a bi-racial child coming of age in the 1970s faced questions of his identity and race.  The author’s initial impression of the Jewish community seems harsh, but he was initially learning of Judaism through the eyes of his mother, who left an abusive and unloving childhood home.  Through his mother and his stepfather, whom he called Daddy, he learns a life of love and the important things in life.

I loved this book and look forward to reading other books by James McBride.

Read:  June 17, 2020

5 Stars

Books Set in Asia: Israel

The 188th Crybaby Brigade: A Skinny Kid from Chicago Fights Hezbollah, by Joel Chasnoff (2010)

Joel Chasnoff, the author of this memoir is a stand-up comedian, who, at the age of 24 decided that he wanted to join the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).  Chasnoff grew up in a Conservative home in the United States, but felt a strong connection to Israel.  He had made a couple of visits to Israel, and as he explored his Jewishness, he decided he wanted to fulfill his long desire to serve in the IDF.  He describes his entry into the IDF, where he was assigned to the Armored Corps.

This book describes the rigors of the basic training and the bonds formed with his fellow soldiers.  At age 24, he was years older than his fellow recruits, who were all still in their teens.  His superior officers were barely in their 20s.  He is trained as a tank gunner, and after initial training, finds himself in the Golan on the Israel-Lebanon border.

On his rare days off, he visits his Israeli girlfriend and her family in Tel Aviv.  His training schedule is exhausting and on his time off, he only wants to veg.  His girlfriend, however, wants to party.  Maintaining a relationship is not easy.

When Chasnoff and his girlfriend decide to get married, he also learns just what it means to be a Jew in Israel.  Parts of this book were laugh-out-loud funny.  Other parts certainly provide food for thought.

This book was an easy and enjoyable read.

Read:  June 11, 2020

4 Stars

Books Set in North America: United States: New Orleans, Louisiana

The Yellow House, by Sarah M. Broom (2019)

The Yellow House is a memoir of New Orleans as seen through eyes of a large, loving family that grew up in New Orleans East.  In 1961, Ivory Webb, a 19-year-old widow with two young children, purchased a house for just over $3,000, on Wilson Avenue in New Orleans East.  She would live in that tiny house for the next 44 years.  Over that period, she would remarry a man named Simon Broom and the family would grow to 12 children.

Sarah Broom, the author, is the youngest child, born in the final days of 1979.  Almost exactly six months later, her father died suddenly, leaving Ivory to raise her family on her own.

While he was alive, Simon would continually attempt to make renovations and repairs on the house.  After his death, the house became another “child” to tend to.  At some point in time, yellow siding was put up on the house, hence the Yellow House that Sarah grew up on.

The first part of the book delves into the history of the development of New Orleans East and its transformation to the neighborhood it became.  By the time the author was born, the neighborhood had changed and was the forgotten district of New Orleans, surrounded by Lake Ponchartrain and the Industrial Canal.

Sarah grew in a loving home environment.  Her mother was determined to see that her children were raised to achieve.  When Sarah began hanging out with the wrong crowd in junior high school, her mother sent her to a religious private school.  Some of her brothers also attended private schools.  Money that could have been used to make repairs in the house went towards education. 

Sarah went to college in Texas.  Two of her brothers drive her to her new environment, where she is suddenly exposed to a bigger world than her comfortable New Orleans.  She eventually lands a job in New York working for O Magazine.  She was living there on that fateful day when Hurricane Katrina struck.  Most of her family, however, was still living in New Orleans East, although they had been evacuated before the levees broke.  The large family became scattered all over the United States.

New Orleans East was one of the first areas of the city to be inundated by water from Katrina.  The Yellow House was severely damaged as water literally covered the house.  The house, however, did not collapse, nor was it displaced to another location, as so many other houses in New Orleans East and the 9th Ward were.

The Federal Government established a Road Home Program, designed to assist Louisiana residents who had been affected by Katrina (and Hurricane Rita, which occurred a month after Katrina).  The Program was to assist homeowners with funds to rebuild their homes.  The Program, however, was fraught with problems.  In addition, city officials, hoping to rid the City of blight, determined that it would demolish homes unless the owners indicated otherwise.  Notices of the demolitions were mailed to the address of the homes that were to be razed.  Thus, 2 years passed and the Broom family was still living outside of New Orleans when the Notice of Demolition was mailed to the Yellow House.  The family was unaware of the notice, and the house ~ the bloodline of Ivory ~ was torn down.  There was little recourse to the family.

After traveling the globe in search of jobs to avoid the trauma of Katrina, the author eventually returns to New Orleans, this time living in the French Quarter, to try to find closure.

I am not generally a fan of memoirs, however, I found this to be fascinating.  I lived (and still live) in South Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina.  I was intimately familiar with the rebuilding of public spaces in the City.  Thus, I was intrigued by the author’s perspective.  She has a beautiful way of describing her surroundings.  I could almost see and feel the city through the pages.

A few photographs were included in the book.  I would liked to have seen more.  Also, a map of the City would be helpful for readers unfamiliar with New Orleans.

Read:  January 6, 2010

5 Stars

Books Set in Europe: France, Austria, and England

The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal (2010)

The Hare with Amber Eyes is a memoir of the author’s paternal ancestors, who were once of the wealthy European Jewish Ephrussi’s of the banking dynasty.  The memoir starts with a telling of the author’s great-uncle Charles Ephrussi, an art collector in Paris.  In the 1870’s, Charles acquired over 260 Japanese netsuke, the small wood and ivory carvings of plants and animals.  One of the netsuke was a hare with amber eyes, hence the title of the book.

Charles gave the netsuke to his Viennese cousin, Viktor Ephrussi, as a wedding present.  Viktor was the author’s great-grandfather, which is how the items came into the possession of the author’s family.

Because the Ephrussi’s were Jewish, albeit secular, during the Nazi regime and World War II, they lost everything, including the extensive art collection.  Amazingly, the netsuke survived and remained in the family.  (We learn the story of their survival in the book.)  The author inherited the netsuke collection, which led him to explore his family’s history.

His grandmother, Elizabeth Ephurssi, converted to Anglican Church when she married the Dutch Hendrik de Waal.  The author father, Elizabeth’s son, became an Anglican priest, thus the memoir is in part a search into the author’s Jewish past.  I found it a rather uncomfortable search.

I read this book because it was a selection of one of my book discussion groups.

Read:  November 4, 2018

2 Stars

Books Set in the United States: Idaho

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover (2018)

The author, Tara Westover, comes from a very dysfunctional family, whose father is a fundamentalist who distrusts the government, public schools and the medical establishment.  He had built a bunker stocked with provisions, including fuel, so he will be ready when the End of Days arrives.

Tara is the youngest of seven children born into an extreme Mormon fundamentalist family.  Most of the Westovers were born at home so as to avoid the hospitals.  Her mother was forced into becoming a midwife, albeit unlicensed.  She also cooks herbs and essential oils as home remedies to treat any and all ailments, including life-threatening burns.

Tara’s father is clearly the head of the house.  What he says it the absolute law.  Tara’s mother meekly defers to her husband.  The father runs a junkyard and expects all his children to join in the family business.  A couple of the older sons “escaped” to the outside world, but with the exception of one brother, did not pursue a formal education.

Her childhood is fraught with traumas, from life-threatening car accidents, to serious burns and an abusive older brother.  How she survived her childhood is a miracle.

Tara learned to read from poring over the Book of Mormon and writings of the Mormon forefathers.  After she decided she wanted to go to college, she had to study on her own to learn enough mathematics to score well on the ACT exam.

At age 17, she first finds herself at BYU in an environment entirely foreign to her.  Everything she sees goes against what she learned in her family’s world.  She has such limited worldly experience, that she didn’t ever realize that she was supposed to read and study her art text book.  College life is all the more difficult because Tara fails to tell her professors and roommate that she never attended school.  When asked about her high school, Tara evades the question.  It would take years before Tara is comfortable enough in her own skin to acknowledged her upbringing.

I found this to be a riveting book.

Read:  January 22, 2019

Books Set in North America: New England

True Crime Addict, by James Renner (2016)

In the evening of February 9, 2004, U Mass student Maura Murray simply disappeared after a minor car crash on Route 112 in Woodsville, New Hampshire.  A passing motorist (who lived within sight of the accident) stopped to offer assistance.  Maura declined his help.  The motorist then went home and called the police to report the accident. By the time police arrived, the car was still at the scene, but Maura was gone.

Enter the author, James Renner.  Renner is an investigative journalist, with a special interest in crime.  After having been fired from his job at a newspaper (for unspecified reasons), he became obsessed with Maura Murray’s disappearance. He decided to investigate the disappearance.

On the surface, Maura seemed to live a charmed life.  She had been a Cadet at West Point, until she decided to change universities and enroll as a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts. She was engaged to be married to Billy, who was the All-American boy.  Sadly, behind the façade, thing couldn’t be more different.

Shortly before Maura left the University on February 9, she told her colleagues that she needed to attend a family emergency.  This proved to be false.  There was no family emergency, nor was there any perceivable reason for her to be in New Hampshire on that evening.

Renner follows the threads of Maura’s life.  Because this is still an “open investigation”, law enforcement officials could give Renner very little information.  Still, Renner dogged Maura’s friends and family in hopes of uncovering the truth of her disappearance.  Interestingly, Maura’s family virtually shut down all communication channels and her closest friends were also unwilling to open up to the author.

In the process, Renner describes his own life in a remarkable candid fashion to explain his obsession with crime and criminal investigations.  He also is very candid about his own use of drugs, some prescribed and other not, his history with his family’s skeletons, and his trouble child, and his self-destructive behavior.

Renner pursued this case for years, even setting up a blog inviting others to provide him with clues as to Maura’s whereabouts.  This book, part crime story, part memoir, recounts Renners research efforts and he offers a possible solution to the disappearance of Maura Murray.

The author has a skill with words.  This book was very readable and enjoyable despite the sad subject of a possible abduction of a young woman with a full life ahead of her.

Read: December 2, 2018

4.5 Stars 

Books Set in the United States: Washington, D.C.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, by James Comey (2018)

I don’t generally read books by celebrities or political figures.  I was browsing in the library and A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey was on display.  I decided to give the book a try.

The book is very well written.  Also, Comey has a huge ego, which he acknowledges, and seems to rarely make mistakes.  He did bully a fellow classmate while in college, which he now acknowledges, but still regrets that event.  He also acknowledges that his has a reputation for being sanctimonious, so tries to humanize himself by recounting traumatic events in his life.  His interest in law enforcement began when he was in high school and was a victim of an armed burglary in his home.

A Higher Loyalty outlines Comey’s career in law enforcement from his days as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  While there, he worked under Rudy Giuliani, whose leadership style he disagrees.  He was a prosecutor for the Mafia, and learned about how the mob mind worked.  He would later compare President Trump’s leadership to how the mob bosses operated.

After working in the public sector, we went to work in the private sector.  It seems his motive is money, as he bemoans that the salary for a government worker was insufficient to cover costs of his growing family.  This seems somewhat insulting, considering he was in high enough positions to make more money than many Americans.

After Obama became president, Comey returned to government as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  He was confirmed in that position in 2013, and knowing that the term for FBI Director is for 10 years, expected to last through 2023.

Comey describes the characteristics that make a person a great leader.  He describes steps he took to create a pleasant work environment for his employees despite the often stressful tasks of the job.

The last few chapters of the book describe the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email debacle, and the subsequent election of President Trump. He describes his encounters with the new president and the awkwardness he felt in his meetings with the president.

Comey gave a lot of insight into the function of the office of the United States Attorney and the FBI.  It was a fun and quick read.

Read: June 3, 2018

4 Stars

Books Set in the United States: Washington, D.C.

Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, by J.B. West (1973)

The author, J.B. West, entered the White House on March 1, 1941 as an assistant Usher to the White House.  He left the White House exactly 28 years later as the Chief Usher.  During those 28 years, he served six Presidents, or more precisely, the needs and demands of the First Ladies.

During those 28 years, the duties of the White House evolved from being somewhat quaint (Eleanor Roosevelt could run all over town without Secret Service on her tail), to one under a fishbowl with the advent of the television age.

The Chief Usher is responsible for running the White House, from its personnel, its budget, and all guests and visitors of the First Family.  Each First Lady had her own whims and tastes.  The White House staff must adjust.

Since the Chief Usher deals mostly with the First Lady, the book did not go into the politics of each of the six Presidents.  Instead, the book provides an insight into the inner working of the White House under the control of the First Lady.  Each presidential family had its own stamp that it incorporated into the White House.  Each family is given a budget within which to use to refurbish the home.

The White House, while sturdy on the outside, was crumbling on the inside. During a tea that Bess Truman was hosting, the chandelier nearly came crashing down on her guests.  It was soon discovered that a butler walking across the floor on the room above caused the swaying chandelier.  Engineers examined the building and discovered that it was very unstable.  During the Truman administration, the White House was gutted and all the internal rooms were rebuilt.  In addition, the iconic balcony on the White House was a Truman addition.

The author details the tastes of each First Lady.  Eleanor Roosevelt was a whirlwind, always on the go.  Bess Truman was a frugal Midwesterner.  Mamie Eisenhower, was a military wife through and through.  She came across as the least likable of all the First Ladies in the book.  She seemed to laughingly scold everyone.  Jackie Kennedy was a devoted mother with a keen sense of style.  She brought the White House to the public.  Lady Bird Johnson bowed to the wishes of her husband and children.  The author left during the Nixon Administration, and his portrait of Pat Nixon is short.

I found the book to be interesting.  It is a quick and easy read.

Read:  April 7, 2018

4 Stars

Books set in Asia: China

Colors of the Mountain, by Da Chen (1999)

Colors of the Mountain is a memoir of a young boy who grew up during the Cultural Revolution in China. His parents and grandparents were landlords before Mao took over. They were considered in an elite class, so after the revolution they suddenly found themselves outcasts in a rural farming community. Da was a good student, but was bullied in school by the farming students in his class. He essentially dropped out of school for a few years, thinking there was not future for him in academics. After Mao died, educational opportunities opened up for all young students and Da realized he may have a chance to leave his commune and realize his potential as a scholar.

This book was on my mother's suggested reading list.  I wish I had a more extensive list of her favorite books.

Interesting book, especially since I just returned from an extended stay in China.

Read:  October 30, 2017

3 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New York City

The Fortune Teller's Kiss, by Brenda Serotte (2006)

Read:  July 27, 2017

3 Stars

Books Set in Europe and Australia

The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood, by Mark Kurzem (2007)

4 Stars

Read: June 11, 2015

Books Set in Europe: Germany and Austria

The Nazi Officer's Wife, by Edith Hahn Beer (1999)

This is a memoir by a young Jewish woman whose family was from Vienna, Austria, when the Gestapo forced her into a labor camp in the early 1940s.  When she returned to Vienna, she went underground.  A Christian friend helped her by letting her use "lost" identity papers, thus emerging in Munich as Grete Denner.  She met Werner Vetter, a Nazi party member who fell in love with her.  She eventually tells him her secret ~ that she is really Jewish.  He was not concerned and the two married after his divorce to his first wife became final.  Werner had a violent temper and expected his wife to keep their apartment spotless, have dinner ready and be available to him on demand.  Edith readily agreed and adapted to this life to protect her life.

She eventually has a daughter.  Werner wanted a son and is a distant parent.  Eventually, he was drafted and sent to the Eastern front.  He became a Russian prisoner of war.

After the war ended, Edith was able to return to her real identity and procured a job as a judge in Germany.  (She had gone to law school, but was not awarded a degree because she was Jewish.  After the war, she was able to get her credentials and practice law).  She begged the Russians to assist in getting her husband home from the prison camp.  He was thus able to be released, but was unable to adjust to an "overeducated" wife with a well-paying job.  He was violent with her and she eventually divorced him.

The book was an interesting slice of life and survival, but was not particularly well written.

3 Stars

Read:  December 22, 2015

Books Set in Asia: Shanghai, China

Shanghai Diary, by Ursula Bacon (2002)

This is the memoir of a young Jewish girl who fled with her family from Nazi Germany to Shanghai China during World War II.  Unfortunately, the book is not well written, although the story itself is an important part of Jewish history.

3 Stars.
Read: March 29, 2014

Books Set in Asia: Sri Lanka

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala (2013)

Wave one woman's survival story following the Tsunami in that occurred on December 26, 2004 in Sri Lanka.  The author, who was vacationing at a beach resort with her family, lost her husband, two sons and parents in the tidal wave.  Wave recounts the aftermath of her life.  It is very well written.

5 stars.

Read: February 9, 2014

Books Set in England

The Invisible Wall, by Harry Bernstein (2007)

Read:  April 14, 2013

Books Set in the United States

When Skateboards Will Be Free, by Said Sayrafiezadeh

Read: November 2012