Overall, I liked reading the book. It was selected by a friend of mine in my hometown book club. When I heard about it, I wasn't sure if I would appreciate and yet another Holocaust book. Dare I admit that! I almost dared the book to draw me into its story. It didn't take long for me to feel interested and keep reading until I was done. I liked that it was a short easy read but also that it stimulated thinking about survivors of any tragedy. I have a lot of thoughts and will post many of them here. I am sure I will miss something because I lent my book out and lost my notes from the first half of the book. So, please add your thoughts and fill in anything I don't address. Some of my ideas I may just throw out there and some I will discuss with more thought. There may or may not be some organization!
- I liked the opening on the train. It got my attention and I didn't mind knowing how he got out of the camp before I knew how he got into the camp. I found it incredible how Pista survived all of the bullets and I found it so sad that it was friendly fire with the exception of the Nazi's in the woods. At first, I didn't understand what he was talking about when he was pulling his arm hair. Finally, I understood that he was pinching himself to see if he was still alive. I also liked the presence of his brother when he hears him in his thoughts. That is the point of the entire book and thus the title. His brother keeps him alive with his voice.
- Later in the picture section of the book he states that he is 99% sure that a head/body is his in a picture of a train car. Considering his illnesses I do question how he can be sure; maybe the soldier looks familiar; maybe there weren't too many cars found with survivors on them? Oh! And I was glad to see the pictures. I didn't look ahead and was pleasantly surprised to see them. I thought it gave his story some credibility. To be honest there were times when I thought it was just too incredible to believe. For instance, the way his baby cousin is killed and the first time he as beaten. I think sometimes readers don't like bad things to happen to the main characters. I was thinking, "no, not him. Don't beat him."
- I liked the foreshadowing (if I can call it that) of the prisoner that gives them advice when they first arrived at the camp on how to survive. I believe it was eating and ______? And then they were eating sawdust! Icky.
- I liked how his conversation with the nurse brought about his story and he started with his happy times. It was important for readers to understand the contrast of lifestyles. I also thought it was sad that they experienced discrimination at school. The Holocaust was beginning, but I am sure they had no idea of how bad it would become.
- I remembered thinking it was a day to day survival. One day they would be fortunate enough to go to the work camp and eat better. Another day they were starving. I understood that any day they could get extra food or supplements, was another day that they were alive. I read for an understanding of critical events that would keep them alive or would contribute to their demise. For example, the work camps were arduous. But, was it better than being at Auschwitz? Would they have been dead already. Pista was doing so well at getting extra food with his carvings, but then he lost the use of his had for a piece of bacon fat. He was fortunate to work in the kitchen for a while but then he received a message from his brother. Was the meat loaf he was stealing for his brother worth receiving a beating when he got caught? The beating had to contribute to his ill health along with the poor camp conditions and winter's temperatures. I believe his thinking processes had to have been impaired. While I understand he was driven to help his brother, he did receive his message to let him go. Of course I wasn't in his shoes!
- I did wonder how they got away with hiding potatoes in their bunk and how he kept his knife from being stolen.
- I appreciated Pista's ability to see the beauty in things even when he was barely walking to the job site, he would notice how beautiful the trees looked. Or when he was looking out of the train and appreciated the countryside. It demonstrated an inner strength that helped to keep him alive.
- Later, he refuses to die in the "Dying Room". On a day to day basis he wills himself to live. I liked how the guard sent him back to work if he wasn't going to die.
- I thought to myself that only a year had transpired and he was barely alive. He wasn't even sure how old he was. Who could survive a year or longer and under what conditions? Was it a string of coincidences that kept him alive or his will or both?
- Thank goodness for the soldiers that searched the entire train for survivors. I loved how he would stash his food under his mattress at the recovery center.
- One of my favorite specials is Band of Brothers, and I was reminded of the scene where the soldiers find the concentration camps and don't know what to do with the prisoners. They report to headquarters and finally are told to leave them there and not give them chocolate or too much food. Too much too fast could make them sick. So, it made sense in the book when they gave him chicken broth at first in the hospital.
- I also loved how they converted a German training camp into a recovery center. It once trained German boys and now it housed Jewish refugees. One day you're in and the nest day you're out, not to diminish the many years the allies endured to win the war.
- I was intrigued with his visit with the General who offered him a passport to America but not to Hungary. But, I understood his need for closure. I was so scared for him when he took off on his own to travel to Hungary without papers and what he went through to get there. More luck when he hid in the bathroom?
- I did not expect that he would find his mother alive. The odds seemed too low. Kudos to all of the survivors.
- I liked his friends that he met along the way and they gave each other moral support.
- I was intrigued with his description of the Ipoly river and the only legal across it. And, then he swam into Hungary. I liked how he told people he was a Jewish orphan and they would help him.
- I enjoyed reading about Aunt Manci and Uncle Karloy. I was unclear about why they didn't go into the concentration camps. Something about being in a Swiss community. Why couldn't they all go there? Again, did the extra time the boys spent at the ammunition's factory, reduce the time they spent in the concentration camps and thus saved at least one life.
- I thought about the contrast again in his life style. He had found remaining family members and was eating wonderful meals, and sleeping in a bed. Only a few short months ago he was dying.
- I was not surprised that he was having nightmares and that was part of his recovery.
- I understood why he didn't tell his story for so long. He probably waited for his family members to die so he would not have to tell the story of his baby cousin.
- I am sure he received help in writing his book from the second writer listed on the book. How could he have remembered such detail?
- It was sad that he had to leave Vera. I am glad he found a productive life in the United States. I was sad that he didn't stay one year longer and finish his education. But maybe the opportunity would have been gone and he could not have predicted when the communism would prevent him from leaving the country as it did for Vera. I think his career would have been different with his graduation. But, he seemed o.k. with it.
- I was touched by the letter from Vera's mother thanking him for releasing her daughter of their commitment to each other. That must have been difficult.
- Do you think we could experience loss of freedom in our country? Check out this web page that I stumbled on the other day. I am not endorsing it, just wondering if it is true.http://www.infowars.com/ouwmar9901.html
- Here is another link about genocide and its occurrences after WWII.http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/war/overview/crimes_2.shtml
- Isn't it incredible that one crazy man (Hitler) could convince so many of his organization to take over other countries and try to eliminate a race. What would we believe?
These are some of my thoughts, I anticipate hearing your ideas. Disclaimers, Disclaimers, if I have a name wrong or misspellings. Whatever!!!!
Diane
I look forward to reading your books.
Our next book that we will be reading is Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is the first book in a series of 6 books. The plot takes place in a country that has initiated a population law due to overpopulation and food shortages. It is illegal to have more than 2 children. Among the Hidden introduces us to a "shadow child" named Luke.
