The Lost Childhood: The Complete Memoir [Paperback]

Yehuda Nir (Author), Cynthia Ozick (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

This compelling memoir takes readers through the eyes of a child surviving World War II in Nazi-occupied Poland. As a nine-year-old, the author witnessed his father being herded into a truck—never to be seen again. He, his mother, and sister fled to Warsaw to live in disguise as Catholics under the noses of the Nazi SS, constantly fearful of discovery and persecution. A sobering reminder of the personal toll of the Holocaust on Jews during World War II, this book is a harrowing portrait of one child's loss of innocence. This edition contains previously unpublished content from the original text.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For readers who have gone stale on the Holocaust, Nir's record of a child pursued will reawaken awareness, shock, understanding, and conscience."  —Cynthia Ozick, from the introduction

"Quite marvelous. I don't remember reading anything that tells the story so matter-of-factly. Its very lack of hype makes it so frightening and compelling."  —Hal Prince, Tony Award–winning producer

About the Author

Yehuda Nir is an associate professor of psychiatry at Cornell University Medical Center and a speaker and lecturer on the Holocaust, drawing largely from his own personal experiences. He and his wife, Bonnie Maslin, coauthored the book Patterns of Heartbreak. He lives in New York City. Cynthia Ozick is an award-winning novelist and essayist and a National Book Award Finalist in 2002 for her novel The Puttermesser Papers. She lives outside New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Schaffner Press, Inc.; 1st Paper Ed. of Complete Text edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971059861
• ISBN-13: 978-0971059863
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,253,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most compelling accounts of Jews in hiding during the Holocaust, January 12, 2012

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Lost Childhood: The Complete Memoir (Paperback)

Yehuda Nir's memoir "The Lost Childhood" mainly recounts the years of his childhood spent evading the Nazis, and is a remarkable account of Jews in hiding, and of narrow escapes which are nothing short of miracles. When Poland is invaded by the Nazis in 1939, Yehuda is a nine-year old boy who has up till then, lived a privileged life with a nanny and a German cook. His mother is an accomplished and genteel woman, and his father, though from a less exalted background than his wife, is a successful businessman. Yehuda has a beautiful older sister, Lala who has the power to beguile men. When the Germans invade Poland, their life changes drastically, and in 1941, Yehuda's father is murdered by the Ukrainians. This tragedy (though at the time, Yehuda and his family are not aware of the true fate that befell his father) sees the family of three forced to rely on their wits to survive. The family decides to go into hiding, posing as Aryans in Poland with false papers provided by Lala's boyfriend. Yehuda's mother takes on a variety of jobs, eventually finding a position as a housekeeper to a German aristocrat, having no choice but to help organize orgies and parties for the Nazis. Lala works for an SS dentist, and eventually Yehuda too finds himself working as a messenger boy for a female German dentist.

The memoir reads like a fast-paced thriller as it moves from one precarious situation to another - these three Jews never really get a respite, they are forced to be constantly on their guards, and to maintain an Aryan facade at all times for fear of being denounced by Polish collaborators. At times, I could not help but hold my breath as Yehuda/his mother/sister find themselves almost being discovered. This was especially true for Yehuda. Being a Jewish male made his situation the most precarious (his mother and sister were blessed with Aryan like looks) as his circumcised state would expose him as a Jew. Yet, despite the danger and the specter of death hanging about them, Yehuda manages to infuse his memoir with humor, albeit of the dark kind. In spite of myself, I could not help chuckling at some of the strange and remarkable situations this young man finds himself in - one instance is when the Polish gentiles in the apartment complex where Yehuda lives demand to see his Communion picture (as he has assumed a Catholic Gentile identity). They will not rest until this portrait is produced and it is up to Lala to save Yehuda. Then there are the many times where Yehuda struggles to protect his secret (of being circumcised) which is not altogether easy considering that he finds himself sharing a bathtub with a Polish Gentile brat and on another occasion, in the showers at a German labor camp. What is miraculous is that despite all their travails, these three - Yehuda, his mother, and sister Lala, manage to stay together (though they do not always live together) until the very end.

This is definitely one of the most compelling accounts of Jews in hiding during the Holocaust, and is a must-read. This edition contains previously unpublished material from the original text. Also on a similar theme:Hiding in Plain Sight: The Incredible True Story of a German-Jewish Teenager's Struggle to Survive in Nazi-Occupied Poland.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars QUITE SIMPLY,, May 12, 2010

By 

howlinwolf - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Childhood: The Complete Memoir (Paperback)

a must read. you will not be able to put it down. a well written personal account of survival against unculculable odds.

an amazing book. it may very well change your life.