Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Other Half of Life

Most Recently Read Book:

The Other Half Of Life

By Kim Ablon Whitney

I obviously studied WWII school and have read a lot of historical fiction set during WWII but this is the first time I had heard of the MS St. Louis, a ship that left Germany full of Jewish passengers only to arrive in Cuba to find out Cuba would not allow them into the country.

The story is written from the perspective of a young man whose mother puts him on the ship in hopes of getting him safely to Cuba where his brother is. The book revolves around his experience on the ship. I don't want to give too much away but I thought this was a great read especially after all the books I have read about WWII. Having said that, even though this happened towards the beginning of WWII, I think it is best to read it after studying or reading about the Holocaust specifically because that is not a focus in this book.

I do have to add that I did at one point spontaneously burst into tears...you can ask Chad. In my eyes, that's a mark of a good book because it means I had a strong connection with the characters and with the story. I'd love to hear what you think of this book...or other WWII historical fiction you have read.

1 comment:

Laraf123 said...

Wait a minute--I did not know about the bursting into tears part...maybe I should rethink this book. (Just kidding--it's my next read!)