Gimmy A Hankie

I'm cold right now. And it's late, but after spending the past two and a half hours between falling asleep, crying, and attempting to finish the book I was reading, I didn't want to wait until morning to give my thoughts. If this post doesn't make much sense, please feel free to keep it to your self...

Someone Named Eva is a deeply moving accounting of a chapter of the Holocaust that is not widely known; the annihilation of Lidice, Czechoslovakia.

While food rations are low and war rages around them, Milada's small village of Lidice is otherwise untouched. Milada herself lives unaware of the death and destruction not to far away, calibrating her birthday with her family and friends and attending school as usual. That is until one night when a troupe of Nazi solders march in, dragging residents from their home, separating the women and children from the men, and forcing Milada and her friends, family, and neighbors into confinement in a school gymnasium. Here, scared for her very life, Milada is examined, measured, and separated from all she knows and sent to a re-education center. where she learns that she fits the Aryan ideal: blond hair, blue eyes, head and nose shape. Through harsh training and constant brainwashing, she is taught to become the perfect Germain citizen.

Many parts of the story seamed to be underplayed for the sake of the young reader, merely underlining the true horror of life during World War 2. We do not learn until the very end, indeed, until the author's own end note, the true story behind Milada's tale. Perhaps it was the authors first-person accounting that hindered the story in such a way--Milada is a young girl who only knows what's around her and she isn't very inquisitive.

On the jacket cover it states: Ages:10-14, Grades: 5-9. And while the book--with its simple structure, wording, and descriptions--attests to the age requirements of it's readers, the soul of the story is a definitely a read for people of all ages. Emotionally touching and historically informative, Joan M. Wolf has created an easy to read story that is well worth the time.

[Someone Named Eve - Joan M. Wolf - Clarion Books - 978-0618535798 - July 2007]

The author was also kind to include a link to the Lidice Memorial web site. Take a look, but don't forget to bring a hankie. [LINK]