Two Suns in the Sky [Hardcover]

Miriam Bat-Ami (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 1999

This poignant historical novel about two teenagers from different worlds centers on a little-known event on the World War II homefront. To Adam Bornstein, a 15-year-old Jewish Yugoslavian, World War II has meant constant danger, secrecy, and fear. But when Rome is liberated in June 1944, Adam, along with his mother and sister, is given the chance to escape war-ravaged Italy for the safety of upstate New York. To 14-year-old Christine Cook the war symbolizes all the drama and excitement missing in her own humdrum world of Oswego, NY. When a refugee camp is established near her home, she finds herself drawn to the residents whose pasts are so different from her own. There Christine meets Adam, and the attraction between the two is instant and overpowering. But their parents don't approve, and their objections grow more pronounced as the romance develops. Christine and Adam are brought together by a world at war, but the struggle that threatens to tear them apart lies within their own families. Will their love for each other prevail over the narrow-mindedness of the adults around them?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Star-crossed lovers are the stuff of romantic dreams, but in Two Suns in the Sky Miriam Bat-Ami pursues this theme in an unlikely setting: the grim refugee camp at Oswego, New York, during World War II. Chris Cook, 15, is fed up with the boring town of Oswego but is fascinated by the exotic strangers living so close by. She and her friends sneak into the camp where she meets Adam Bornstein, a Yugoslavian Jew. "For stony limits cannot hold love out," says Shakespeare, and neither can the quarantine fences around the Emergency Refugee Shelter. The two fall passionately in love, in spite of their differences of language and religion--and the angry resistance of Chris's father to anything "foreign." Their voices, as distinctly different as their cultures, alternate in telling the story of their ill-fated attraction.

Miriam Bat-Ami, like Norma Fox Mazer in Good Night, Maman, has drawn on a forgotten piece of American history for her setting: the Emergency Refugee Shelter, the U.S. government's sole attempt to rescue Jews fleeing Hitler's persecution. Bat-Ami captures the collision of cultures in not only the poignant love story, but in the complex emotions of the townspeople, whose good will is tempered by a naive suspicion of strangers, and in the mixed feelings of the refugees themselves, whose gratitude for a place of warmth and shelter is dimmed by their frustration at finding themselves corralled behind barbed wire in the supposed land of the free. Quotations from former residents of the camp and a substantial Author's Note add to the strong authenticity of this intriguing novel. (Ages 11 to 15) --Patty Campbell

From Publishers Weekly

Just after Rome is liberated in 1944, 17-year-old Yugoslavian Jewish refugee Adam Bornstein, his mother and young sister are among those offered passage to spend the duration of the war in what will be America's sole refugee camp, in Oswego, N.Y. Despite the barbed-wire fences and the guards, Adam enjoys a romance with an Oswego girl, Christine Cook, who, to be with Adam, surmounts barriers of her own, namely, the prejudices of her father and the warnings of her priest "to keep the purity of focus of your faith." Adam and Chris take turns narrating, and Bat-Ami's (Dear Elijah) extensive interviews with Oswego natives and internees pay off in convincing observations. Quotes from these interviews serve as epigraphs for each chapter; unfortunately, this device points up the occasional shortcomings of Bat-Ami's fictional interpretations (e.g., mannered or self-conscious speech). Some readers, too, will find the slow setup hard going. But those who persevere will enjoy the attention paid to an obscure corner of home-front America and will be challenged by the questions Bat-Ami realistically frames about tolerance and its absence. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books; 1st edition (April 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812629000
• ISBN-13: 978-0812629002
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book! I couldn't put it down!, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Two Suns in the Sky (Hardcover)

This book was soooooooo good! For one thing it was kind of like a teenage version of Romeo and Juliet, and for another thing it had true facts about World War Two (which I think is very interesting). Especially if you're a teenager, you will definitely be able to relate to the changes Adam and Chris go through during very rough times. For young adults, this book is easy to understand and intriguing at the same time. It has a great way of teaching WW2 facts while telling a romantic story. I would even recommend this book to adults!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic characters in a fascinating, true historical setting, March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Two Suns in the Sky (Hardcover)

TWO SUNS IN THE SKY is a fascinating read for YA and adults alike. Set in Oswego, New York during World War II, the novel juxtaposes the lives of European refugees housed in the Emergency Refugee Shelter at Fort Ontario and those of suburban Americans through the eyes of a teen-age refugee and a local high school student. The setting and events of the novel are based on factual events that are both well researched and well presented. The main character, Chris, a local schoolgirl, is interesting and dynamic as she navigates the changes wrought in her life by family dynamics, maturation, love and war. The presence of a refugee camp in her home town provides conflict on personal, community and global levels. Adam, a teenage refugee living in the camp, has survived the turmoil of war, arriving at the camp amid confusion and loss. The two young people learn much about life and growing up as their relationship develops. Not a trite romance, this novel presents complex and engaging characters struggling to make sense of their lives as the world changes drastically around them. I would highly recommend this book

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's more like Seven Stars!, March 27, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Two Suns in the Sky (Paperback)

The only thing I can say is Wow! Everything is wonderful and Bat-Ami is an exceptional authoress! It is like a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet, even better in some aspects! Everything seems so real and that it could have really happened! Some parts are sad, while others uplifting. Shows the true meaning, emotions, and just plain everything about a true love story! There are also some good facts about WWII, but that's not really why I read the book. The plot entrigued me. The end left me begging for more. So, if your out there reading somewhere Bat-Ami, you are a WONDERFUL AUTHORESS!