Józef Hen

Jozef grew up in a middle-class Jewish family on Nowolipie Street in Warsaw prior to the German invasion. He provides a wealth of details about his childhood and idyllic youth. When Germany invades Poland his life changes almost overnight and he is forced to make the difficult decision to leave his family.

I thought this book would be very suitable as a family-type memoir. I found it a bit boring, after all, things that may have been interesting as a child, aren't that interesting to read about as an adult. I do think that it is an important contribution to literature and provides a little known portrait of life before the German invasion of Poland. Overall, not a bad book, just not one I would re-read.… (more)