A review by silverliningsandpages
A Time to Speak by Helen Lewis

5.0

Excerpt from Foreword:
“Ecclesiastes:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
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“Helen Lewis has chosen her time to speak. Only the dead know the whole truth and some of those witnesses who survived have taken upon themselves the painful task of speaking for them. It is our task to listen and never to forget.” - Jennifer Johnston
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Given that tomorrow is Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am so glad that I’ve finally read this memoir, having seen the play adaptation a few years ago. Helen Lewis was a Czech dancer with a seemingly bright future, who was herded to the Terezin ghetto and then deported to Auschwitz death camp in 1942. This is the memoir of her survival, but it has the cadence of a novel, and is told with integrity and immense grace. I’m particularly interested in her story because after the war, Helen settled in Belfast (my home city), and became a dance teacher, going on to inspire young people by founding the Belfast Modern Dance Group.
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This was such a worthwhile read, full of humanity and authenticity. Unpopular opinion alert : I would recommend reading this rather than The Tattooist of Auschwitz, as I feel the writing is much stronger.