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Anne C. Voorhoeve

Author of My Family for the War

9 Works 336 Members 10 Reviews

About the Author

Works by Anne C. Voorhoeve

My Family for the War (2012) 266 copies
Lilly unter den Linden (2004) 32 copies
Einundzwanzigster Juli (2008) 13 copies
Unterland (2011) 12 copies
Kascha Nord-Nordost (2015) 5 copies
Nanking Road (2013) 4 copies
Gefährten für immer (2018) 1 copy
Wir 7 vom Reuterkiez (2016) 1 copy

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1963-12-19
Gender
female
Nationality
Germany
Birthplace
Bad Ems, Germany
Places of residence
Berlin, Germany

Members

Reviews

Es ist nicht das Buch für mich, ich kann nichts dafür.
 
Flagged
blueskygreentrees | Jul 30, 2023 |
This captivating story is told through the eyes of a young Protestant girl of Jewish ancestry in World War II. Torn from her family and smuggled out of Germany on the kindertransport of Jewish children, living in London with Jewish strangers, Franziska explores questions of identity, family, and love. Epilogue, Afterword.
 
Flagged
NCSS | 7 other reviews | Jul 23, 2021 |
This book, oh my word, where do I begin? My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve is a magnificent book, filled with so much information about WWII that I've not known before. It's beautifully written, exceptionally translated, incredibly emotional, and surprisingly accurate. I knew, from the beginning that I would love this book, and it didn't let me down. I know, it sounds weird to know you're going to love a book about the worst piece of human history, but somehow YA historical fiction authors - who write about WWII and the Nazis and Hitler - have a knack for keeping the story real without cheapening the truth with shock-horror cut-scenes. There's a very fine line between acceptable and unacceptable writing in historical fiction in general, especially when it comes to this particular period, but Anne C. Voorhoeve did an amazing job from start to finish. Also, whoever was responsible for the translation - bravo!

My Family for the War starts off where a ten-year old Franziska and her friends are testing escape routes and trying to map out hiding spots, in case the SS are on their tail. Her family haven't been Jewish for generations, they're Christian, but even assimilated Jews are still "impure" in the eyes of the SS. Therefore, they are being ostracized and hunted down like Jews ... From there, she eventually makes her way to England, where an Orthodox Jewish family fosters her. It's not only a new country, but she's learning a new faith, she has a new name, and there's war on the horizon. Frances can't get her family into the country, her only reports are of friends and neighbours disappearing, and her mother isn't keen on the idea of her adopting a faith that her parents gave up.

This is the type of book that every young adult needs on his/her shelf. I understand that not many teenage boys would be interested in reading about a girl's journey from Nazi Germany to England, but it's important for the next generation to understand that you cannot treat human beings worse than animals merely for their beliefs or race. Especially in today's society, where ISIS is considered the voice of all of Islam, when it's not, and where the colour of our skin supposedly define our intentions, when it doesn't. You see, the moment you forget history, you repeat the mistakes of the past.

DEFINITELY add this book to your library. It is, without a doubt, one of the best books I've read this year (and possibly my life).

Review originally posted at:
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Flagged
MoniqueSnyman | 7 other reviews | Oct 3, 2019 |
READ IN DUTCH

Earlier last year I had read the other book by Anne Voorhoeve, Liverpool street. I liked that one, it had a not so usual point of view for a WW2 book.

This one is also set during the Second World War, and yet again it is a unusual point of view. What if you were were family of the people who planned operation Valkerie? Another interesting read. Days after reading this book I happened to see an interview with one of the people this book deals with.
 
Flagged
Floratina | May 26, 2016 |

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Statistics

Works
9
Members
336
Popularity
#70,811
Rating
4.2
Reviews
10
ISBNs
39
Languages
5

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