Should be required reading....

books:


	• The Seamstress Sara Tuval Bernstein Putnam Adult, 1997 - 353 pages average customer review:based on 44 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Unique Holocaust Story

Sara Tuvel's story was unusal for a holocaust story because she was able to manipulate the system and remain free for the majority of the time. She was her own counsel from childhood through adulthood, with the ability to think for herself and the fortitude and discipline to prosper in any type of undertaking. Her story is both heart wrenching and uplifting at the same time. From a woman's point of view, this is a good example of a strong woman, who uses her intelligence, intuition, and fortitude to survive a terrible ordeal.

Should be required reading....

This Holocaust survival memoir is both unique and remarkable and ensures we will never forget the tragedies suffered at the hands of the Nazis. This story in particular evinces the notion that no two Holocaust stories are the same- so many people suffered in so many different places and in so many different ways.

Seren's story teaches us that survival for so many depended upon connections with others- friends/ relatives, etc. Seeimingly so many Holocaust survival stories depict this idea of surviving for others or because of others. Hence, her story teaches us not only of love and relationships but of what it takes not to give up or give in.

I have read a few times that reviewers found the tone of this novel "detached," and/or "irreverant," and I wholeheartedly disagree. I was extremely connected with the characters and felt Seren's emotions throughout the various stages of her life. Indeed, in contrast to so many survivors who can not speak of the atrocities they witnessed and suffered, the very fact that Seren was able to tell her story shows a great deal of strength and her ability to connect with her past on an emotional level.

I HIGHLY recommend this book, and believe it should be required reading in all schools. It would make an excellent book club selection, and would greatly enhance any courses on the Holocaust, WWII, women's studies, history, etc.

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moving, thought provoking book

This is a fantastic book about a fantastic person during one of the worse times in human history. A must read.....

unforgettable and moving

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was unable to put it down and finished it in two sittings. It was simultaneously fascinating and appalling if that is comprehendable.
The horrific and degrading treatment of Seren and her fellow prisoners is beyond anything any of us can imagine and their ability to survive against all odds is truly heroic. Man's inhumanity to man is portrayed in all it's shocking detail. I found myself moved to tears several times, but could not stop myself from finishing the book as quickly as I could. It is definitely worth reading. You will never forget it.

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Unforgettable

Although I have an interest in Holocaust memoirs and have read dozens to date, I found Bernstein's story both unique and compelling.

Bernstein begins by providing a full picture of her life, starting from childhood. Then known as Seren, the young Bernstein was happy, growing up as one of the youngest children in a large blended family in Hungary. Her father, a mill supervisor, never failed to provide well for his plethora of children, in-laws and grandchildren.

However, even he couldn't stop the forces that wanted to annihilate the Jews. In the early 1930s -- well before many people even had an inkling of the depth of trouble brewing -- Bernstein, her family and friends were forbidden from working or socializing normally. Before long, the huge extended family was unable to keep in contact, though geographically close by; and Bernstein and her father were imprisoned.

Bernstein's troubles, though, were only just beginning. Over the next few years, as she and her sisters struggled to maintain some semblance of normal lives -- young Seren working as a seamstress -- the Iron Guard began to close in upon them.

Bernstein details the long months when she, her youngest sister Esther, and their friends Lily and Ellen struggled to survive at a little-known all-women's work camp. Although Jews were only a small number of the prisoners, they were treated the worst.

Bernstein, who had a friend amputate her big toe after gangrene set in from the cold, and literally became a walking skeleton, was considered one of the luckiest ones -- she survived.

Told in a manner that is simultaneously human yet matter-of-fact, Bernstein's story of survival against all odds is magnificent. It's impossible to read it and not feel incredulous, let alone to ever forget how one woman could possibly survive so much.

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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