15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read about a little known event!, June 19, 2007
This review is from: Someone Named Eva (Hardcover)
Like the Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars, the book is about events of the Holocaust. What makes it different from the two mentioned is that it's about a chapter of the Holocaust that is not widely known - the destruction of the town of Lidice. This was a small village that Hitler tried to literally wipe off the map. Wolf's book takes you there through the eyes of Milada, a little girl taken from her Czech family and "adopted" into a Nazi family. I couldn't put the book down, and the story left me wanting to learn more about the Lebensborn program and the families of Lidice. Though written for a young audience (the heavy subject matter is handled gently but by no means "fluffy")it's must read for anyone - adults included - wanting to know more about the Holocaust.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
*We're not talking "enjoyable" here - because humans seem incapable of learning from History*, September 26, 2007
This review is from: Someone Named Eva (Hardcover)
A child in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, Milada received a prized telescope for her eleventh birthday although no gift was expected. Her father instructed his daughter to always look for the North Star to find her way. It was a time of shortages & ration cards and being fearfully hemmed in by soldiers who demanded Nazi salutes, and yanked families apart in the night.
Milada was not a Jew but in a contrary way was DISadvantaged by her blond, Aryan appearance for which she was chosen by the Nazis to be schooled in the German language & customs. Only then was she deemed suitable for adoption into a Nazi family. German mothers 'earned points' and gained prestige in Hitler's regime by increasing their families.
Her new "mutter" and siblings gave her desperately needed affection which caused a literal tug-of-war with emotions because "Milada/Eva" realized the same woman is wife to the commandant of the feared adjacent 'death camp' from which come pervasive crematorium odors. This issue is not dealt with 'head on' but is no more ambiguous than some issues which make adolescence so difficult in contemporary society. Life always means confronting hard choices, doesn't it? And readers in middle grades may find it helpful to read about 'someone named Eva' who hung on to life for Freedom's sake.
Readers can ask whether Milada/Eva was in the end better off, because she survived the war whereas her closest Czech friend, Terezie did not; also, four out of five of her own family members were sent to work camps
and did not survive. We can be grateful to Joan M. Wolf for enlightening us about these hidden aspects of war. If today's students read about a child damaged psychologically by incessant brain-washing who forgets her true birth name for a time, perhaps they will better stand up to the societal pressures which contend that today's conflicts can be solved only by going to war.
From the time Milada was taken from her family in Lidice, she felt protected by her grandmother's garnet star pin which she wore hidden in her clothing at all times. It became a talisman along with her beloved Babichka's words: "Remember who you are. Always." Reviewer McHaiku strongly suggests that families read this book & discuss it together. Each of us needs to learn the importance of retaining identity and purpose.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Someone Named Eva, August 6, 2007
This review is from: Someone Named Eva (Hardcover)
Milada, a gentile girl living in Czechoslovakia in 1942, is turning eleven on her next birthday. When the Nazi's converge upon her town, she is separated from her family and taken to a Lebensborn center in Poland for girls who have been deemed candidates to become perfect Aryans. Milada, who is not Jewish, resents her blond hair and blue eyes, knowing these are the reason she is chosen. Upon reaching the Nazi center, Milada's name is changed to "Eva" and she and the other girls are forced to speak German. During her stay at the center, "Eva" makes a friend, but also sees girls who fall under the spell of the Nazi brainwashing. She must summon all of her emotional strength to remember her real name and family. "Eva" secretly wears a pin given to her by her Grandmother with the warning "Remember who you are. Always." This book shows an aspect of the Nazi regime that is not commonly portrayed in children's literature. It is a chilling account of the psychological control the Nazi's had over their youngest victims. Milada has never met a Jewish person, so the Jewish content is limited to sympathetic references to the impact of the Nazi regime on the Jewish community. Someone Named Eva reveals evil through the innocence of a child's eyes. This is not a Jewish Holocaust story, but would make a formidable addition to any Holocaust collection. For ages 10 and up.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
