I Am Fifteen--and I Don't Want To Die [Paperback]

Christine Arnothy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1986

Christine Arnothy tells her story about surviving in Budapest during World War II. She was fifteen at the time.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (November 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590446304
• ISBN-13: 978-0590446303
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hiding in Hungary during WW II, April 19, 2003

By 

Rebekah Sue Harris (West Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am Fifteen and I Don't Want to Die (Library Binding)

Christine Arnothy was fifteen when her family hid in the basement of their apartment building with the other tenants during the bombings. Mainly Christian, there was only one Jewish man hiding amongst them; this makes "I Am Fifteen--And I Don't Want to Die" different from a lot of the books that take place in World War II -ravaged Europe.

There is the numbness after seeing so many dead bodies; there is the horror when they finally receive flour; there is the lack of water and the trek to get it.

The book jumps around a bit; after they escape the city, there is a three year gap which is immediately followed by an escape to the frontier. The ending is very inconclusive, leaving the reader hanging.

This is a good book, because it gives a glimpse of a Christian teenager during the Second World War. Perhaps the most moving part of the book is Christine's time in the confessional, and the priest's touching response to her words.

However, the book lacks a lot of detail. I'd like to read a more fleshed-out version, because the story is incredible. This is a great reference book for a teenager writing about World War II; I may also lend it to a friend, whose father escaped Hungary much like Christine!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is only part one of two, February 7, 2003

By 

Anehelea "charlieluke" (Hilo, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am Fifteen--and I Don't Want To Die (Paperback)

The original French book has the full story. In English the story was divided into two books. Book two is titled "It is not so easy to live". Book two is out of print but it is still available as a used book. I read the first book and I was unhappy with its unconclusive ending. I was left wondering what happened next. It seemed to me that there must be a second book that brings her odyssey to a conclusion. Hopefully a happy conclusion. The second part tells the story of how after many challenging adventures the story ends in France. That is the reason why the book was published in French. You could find the french book with the full story at www.amazon.fr (ISBN : 2213010307 or ISBN : 2253003220)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help - I Am Too Young to Die, May 28, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: I Am Fifteen--and I Don't Want To Die (Paperback)

Bang! Bombs went off just feet from the cellar. Cold, dark, and destroyed, families huddled together in the basement of their bombed-out apartment building.
I Am Fifteen - And Don't Want To Die is an extraordinary autobiography by Christine Arnothy. Christine is fiftee, living in Budapest, Hungary duriny World War II. She's growing up,, living in the middle of a war-torn city. her family is struggling to help others and to stay alive themselves. Really the only place to get water is across the road. Christine is horrified of getting bombed, while getting the water they desperately need. Throughout the many days Christine, her family and other families spent in the cellar, their world overhead was, being ddestroyed by raging bombs. They could only come out at desperate times. Her family needs to get out of the middle of this war, but when will they go, and how will they get out? Most of all where will they go?
I liked this particular autobiography because it is about Christine's hard times in life. Some books I've read about difficulties in life didn't seem real to me, but because this is a true story I could really get into it. I felt sorry for her because compared to her life, my life is perfect. The way Christine wrote this book was very interesting, she wrote this book from old diaries she kept when she went through all of these struggles. I likes the description, it is another reason why I liked this book so much. she describes the scenes she sees with great enthusiam. Like the day when she finds a wounded enemy soilder, I felt as if I was sanding right next to her looking over him.
Christine is a quiet girl, who tends to keep to herself. She also needs her parents and friends to comfort her, expecially now, living in the cellar.
Her story was a heart pumping adventure. She learned mant lessons about life and death. She lived to tell about her experience, the horror of living in the middle of a war-torn city.