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A review by fatkidatheartreads
The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
"Is man God's mistake, or God man's mistake?" No, think about this statement for a second. Is man a mistake made by God, or is God a mistake made by man? Because when it boils down to it, genocides and the Holocaust are idealized as a "cleansing of ideas" and/or racial cleansing aimed to create "physical perfection", size, color & to achieve "purity" as discussed heavily in this book. Who gave man the choice to decide what was good and pure and acceptable and what was not? And why are these ideologies so heavily reliant on religion? Why hide behind your god to excuse and execute hate and cruelty and violence?
.
This book opens with a gut punching declaration that reads "I was almost twelve years old when I decided to kill my parents."
Before we get into any philosophical thoughts, I'll tell you the synopsis of this book:
Hannah Rosenthal woke up one morning in the spring of 1939 to find that her charmed life had been completely shattered. Germany was on the brink of war, and all she & her best friend Leo could do was depend on each other . Hope appeared in the form of the SS St Louis transatlantic line offering Jews safe passage out of Germany. But soon ominous rumors from Cuba undermined the passengers' fragile sense of safety. From one day to the next, the ship that was their salvation seemed likely to become their doom. What do you believe in and hope for when your own country rejects you and no other country can take you in?
This story is told in a dual POV. Hannah (1939) and Anna Rosen( a descendant of Hannah from the year 2014). Through the two main characters, the author ties together the events of World war II (1939-1945), the Cuban revolution (1959) and the September 11 attacks (2001).
I picked this book on a whim because of that first line but this has been a profound and harrowing read based on true events. It reminds me of the poem 'Home' by Warshan Shire which in part reads
..." you have to understand
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land."
Go read that powerful poem. It discusses the refugee crisis.I recommend reading this book too. History should never be forgotten, no matter how difficult is to discuss. It will help foster empathy and kindness.
.
This book opens with a gut punching declaration that reads "I was almost twelve years old when I decided to kill my parents."
Before we get into any philosophical thoughts, I'll tell you the synopsis of this book:
Hannah Rosenthal woke up one morning in the spring of 1939 to find that her charmed life had been completely shattered. Germany was on the brink of war, and all she & her best friend Leo could do was depend on each other . Hope appeared in the form of the SS St Louis transatlantic line offering Jews safe passage out of Germany. But soon ominous rumors from Cuba undermined the passengers' fragile sense of safety. From one day to the next, the ship that was their salvation seemed likely to become their doom. What do you believe in and hope for when your own country rejects you and no other country can take you in?
This story is told in a dual POV. Hannah (1939) and Anna Rosen( a descendant of Hannah from the year 2014). Through the two main characters, the author ties together the events of World war II (1939-1945), the Cuban revolution (1959) and the September 11 attacks (2001).
I picked this book on a whim because of that first line but this has been a profound and harrowing read based on true events. It reminds me of the poem 'Home' by Warshan Shire which in part reads
..." you have to understand
that no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land."
Go read that powerful poem. It discusses the refugee crisis.I recommend reading this book too. History should never be forgotten, no matter how difficult is to discuss. It will help foster empathy and kindness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide