Appel Is Forever: A Child's Memoir [Paperback]

Suzanne Mehler Whiteley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

The author describes her experiences during the Holocaust between the ages of five and nine, in Amsterdam, as a prisoner in the Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, and eventually in the United States.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Whiteley was born in 1935 in Amsterdam, Holland, where her father was a rabbi; her brother was born there three years later. Whiteley's parents were able to get her grandmothers, both widows, out of Germany, hoping that the family could live out the war together. But in 1943 they were taken to the Westerbork transit camp in Holland and from there to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, where the author spent two years. She survived, along with her mother and brother; her father and grandmothers did not survive the horror and suffering. Whiteley's memoir, written from the perspective of a child, also describes her life after World War II, first in Europe, then in New York, where an aunt and uncle looked after them, and finally in Chicago. This deeply personal book recounts the chilling experiences of a young Jewish girl during the savage ordeal of the Holocaust and its aftermath. It shows a stunning acuity of observation and insight, a truly important work. George Cohen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Wayne State Univ Pr (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814328229
• ISBN-13: 978-0814328224
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,464,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome and unusual contribution to both Holocaust studies, April 24, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Appel Is Forever: A Child's Memoir (Paperback)

Suzanne Mehler Whiteley was born in Amsterdam in 1935 and saw the ravages of World War II through a child's eyes. Appel Is Forever: A Child's Memoir is written in the voice of a young girl and describes the years before the invasion of Holland, her experiences during the German occupation, her time spent as a prisoner within the infamous Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and her childhood after the end of the war both in Europe and then the United States. This is a compelling, candid account of atrocities. Yet through the young Suzanne's introspection, we see beyond the history of events to a deeper meaning. Here is the miracle of having survived when millions of other perished, and after the horrors of the Holocaust, the promises and hardships of the American dream. Appel Is Forever is a welcome and unusual contribution to both Holocaust studies, Judaic studies, and Women's studies reading lists and reference collections.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars through the eyes of a child, May 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Appel Is Forever: A Child's Memoir (Paperback)

... i found this book so interesting because a child's life was overlaid on the story of the holocaust. the amazing thing about the book is the genuineness of the child's point of view. she has real problems that are independent of the madness going on around her, yet which are,of course, strongly affected by it. often these kinds of books are cutesy and inauthentic; this one is amazingly real. the child's viewpoint changes, subtly, over time as she is growing up in the midst of this unreal world. it is quite an accomplishment.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is awesome, April 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Appel Is Forever: A Child's Memoir (Paperback)

This book is anautobyogryiffy of a young girl. This book is really good because it is from the eyes of a child. It made me even more into the books, because it is what it might of been like for me. The girl's father was a rabbi in Holland. The girl's mom & dad got her Grandmothers out of Germany so they could try to sevive together.In 1943 they were taken to Westerbork (in Holland) and then to the famous Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. (in Germany) She satyed for two years. She survived but her father and grandmothers did not. The book tells about her life after World War II. In England, New York, and Chicogo were she stayes with reletives and overcomes the tragity of the war.