by Vera W. Propp
The book I have chosen to write a review on is titled When the Soldiers Were Gone. Vera W. Propp is the author of my selection. This book teaches us about the aftereffects of the Holocaust and some of the trials and tribulations Jewish families went through as a result of the Holocaust.
This is the true story of a young Jewish boy named Benjamin, whose family placed him in hiding during the war with a Christian family to protect him. He was hidden from the soldiers, and he adopted a new name, "Henk." Since he was placed with the Christian family at such a young age, he thought of the Christian family as his real family. After the war was over, he was astonished to find out that they were not his real family, and he would have to depart from the family farm to reside with his real family. After an amount of time, Benjamin begins to accept his real parents and would begin to recollect certain events that had happened. He would end up having a wonderful life with his real family.
I really liked this book because it was very fascinating to see how the Holocaust affected children. This book was not filled with the terror of the war. It showed us the way the war affected a young child emotionally when the child would be separated from its family. This book was very easy to follow and really kept my interest. I didn't want to put the book down.
The theme of this book is that no sacrifice is too big for someone you love. This is an awesome book. It gives us a glimpse of some of the things that happen as a result of war. Hopefully none of us will ever see that day.
Reviewed by Alylsa 9/02