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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great sequel, January 5, 2005
This review is from: My Bridges of Hope (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one of the best sequels to a Shoah memoir I've read yet. Too many such sequels fall into the trap of simply recounting what happened next and aren't as compelling as the first book because there's no constant suspense and wondering what's going to happen next, which of these people being spoken about survived and who perished. In this sequel, though, there are a lot of interesting details about what happened next, such as Elli's involvement in the Bricha, the refugee house she liked to visit and hang out at, her work at a childrens' summer camp in the mountains, her training to become a teacher, and the long hard road she and her mother went through on their way from escaping from their home town to America before it was too late and the Iron Curtain closed permanently. It was also nice that each chapter was prefaced with the date or dates during which it transpired, so you had a real timeframe of things. The only minor complaint I have is about the languages used; in this book, the Friedmanns' town has returned to Czechoslovakian control and is in what is now the free nation of Slovakia, so they speak Slovakian, though in the first book, when they were in Hungarian hands, they seemed to be native speakers of Hungarian, and in the section of this book where Elli and her mother are being cross-examined when they're sneaking over the border with a transport of real Hungarians, Elli says they can make it, since they speak Hungarian as well as natives. I can't find any mention in the first book about the Friedmanns being Slovakians or speaking that language like their native tongue, but overall, apart from that minor unexplained detail, it's a really good sequel.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Review, January 27, 2002
This book is an amazing book, about a girl and her family that struggles after the Holocaust. I suggest you read I have Lived a Thousand Years, before you read this book. In the book, I Have Lived a Thousand Years it introduces you to the characters and tells about their life before and during the holocaust. This book, My Bridges of Hope: Searching for Life and Love After Auschwitz, is amazing book that tells the story of Elli Friedmann's life after the holocaust has took place, and the many adventures along the way. I suggest that you read this book, after you have read the first one.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Addition To Your Holocaust Collection, January 12, 2004
A Kid's Review
This review is from: My Bridges of Hope (Mass Market Paperback)
My Bridges of Hope is a fascinating and well-written book that keeps you hooked from the first word to that last. Livia Bitton-Jackson gives you insight into what happened to those who were among the few to survive the Holocaust. The girl in the story is actually a younger Bitton-Jackson when she was growing up. This autobiography is more like a story than a recollection of one's past. The book is set in Czechoslovakia where before the war, Elli (Bitton-Jackson), her brother Bubi, and their parents lived. After the war, their beloved home feels abandoned and changed. Other settings of the book include Elli's apartment and various temporary homes that they live in on their way to finding hope in America. They have survived the horrid concentration camps but return to find that their father and aunt both perished in the war. The book describes events that happened through June of 1945 to March 30 of 1951 to a young Jewish woman. Elli is 14 when the book starts out. While fighting her past, she helps out in a camp for orphans, helps refuges escape to Palestine, and continues her education. After her schooling, Elli becomes a teacher. Elli is strong-willed, confused, and hopefully. She is loving and smart. Elli's mother is a seamstress and wants to go to America because they can't stay in their homeland any longer. Her mother loves her children very much and is unfamiliar with the "newer" age. Bubi is Elli's older brother. He is a warm, caring, and affectionate. Elli looks up to him and often finds herself needing his comfort. Although both her mother and brother want to go to America, Elli wants to join her friends in going to their "homeland" The dialog in the book was appropriate because she was the character. The words were probably even words she used herself. She keeps you interested because she adds in different languages and so it matches the period. Her style is wonderful and it flows and blends perfectly. She always made it so you understood what was happening. I think this book was written so she could move on and maybe start healing. I think she also wanted others to know what the Jews went through. I think this is a wonderful book for young adults. It shows how a young girl changes into a confident woman while she is fighting her past and trying to live her future. It is a great book to add to anyone's Holocaust collection.
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