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nancyadelman 's review for:
Mendel's Daughter: A Memoir
by Martin Lemelman
Okay, first things first: the title is somewhat misleading. This is a story about a woman whose Jewish-Polish father's name is Mendel. He's not the genetic scientist. And he's not the Nazi doctor of death whose name I am now ashamed to read is Mengele, not Mendel (I was reading one thing and thinking another). The Mendel in this book is likely someone you've never heard of. It doesn't mean his story is any less valuable than anyone else's.
This book is about Gusta Mendel and her family who were living in Poland at the outbreak of World War II. Gusta's son, Martin, is the author and artist of this book. He recorded his mother's incredible story on videotape before she passed away and pretty much transcribed her words into this book, broken English and all. Parts of it were supplemented by his uncles. Anyway, Gusta's story could be an anyman's story: she and her family were living and working in Poland, running a grocery store out of their home. She describes a near-idyllic existence before the Nazis arrived. The story of how she and her siblings survived the war without being caught is equal parts impressive and fascinating. I won't spoil her story, but it is an amazing one.
As mentioned earlier the book is written in broken English, with some Yiddish words and Hebrew thrown in for good measure. Some readers find this off-putting, I think it's charming. I felt like I could really 'hear' her voice coming out of the pages. Most of the artwork is done by the author, but there are a few photographs of real family members interspersed here and there. This book is only a couple hundred pages and I was able to read it in a day. It's a good story; an important one to remember. We should never forget what happened during the Holocaust. Every man's story bears witness to the atrocities committed by the Nazis and others who simply looked the other way.
This book is about Gusta Mendel and her family who were living in Poland at the outbreak of World War II. Gusta's son, Martin, is the author and artist of this book. He recorded his mother's incredible story on videotape before she passed away and pretty much transcribed her words into this book, broken English and all. Parts of it were supplemented by his uncles. Anyway, Gusta's story could be an anyman's story: she and her family were living and working in Poland, running a grocery store out of their home. She describes a near-idyllic existence before the Nazis arrived. The story of how she and her siblings survived the war without being caught is equal parts impressive and fascinating. I won't spoil her story, but it is an amazing one.
As mentioned earlier the book is written in broken English, with some Yiddish words and Hebrew thrown in for good measure. Some readers find this off-putting, I think it's charming. I felt like I could really 'hear' her voice coming out of the pages. Most of the artwork is done by the author, but there are a few photographs of real family members interspersed here and there. This book is only a couple hundred pages and I was able to read it in a day. It's a good story; an important one to remember. We should never forget what happened during the Holocaust. Every man's story bears witness to the atrocities committed by the Nazis and others who simply looked the other way.