All but my life (1957)

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Such a good book- everyone should read it. ( )

I first heard about this book from my daughter who is a school teacher in Chicago. Apparently the documentary of this book had been sent to many of the school in the city. The impact is always so much greater when one is reading the words of another's life, so much more personal. I love that this starts out with her happy family, her brothers, her neighbors, her friends, such a simple life full of hope. Than they are confronted with the Nazi invasion and things began to change for them very quickly, yet they still held on to little things that provided them with hope. A letter from a family member, deportations that had been postponed, a brother who has manged to escape, a neighbor who brings them food, all of these provide hope. A young childhood quickly changed, I remember one passage that really brought this home for me. Gerda is walking past the pool where in previous summers she had gone to with her friends. Now she is walking past the pool, with a Jewish armband, and while there is still laughing coming from the pool, she is no longer able to go in. Wonderfully poignant book, in the afterward she explains what has happened to her life after the war and why she has felt compelled to write this, her memoir. Wonderful book from a wonderfully strong woman. ( )

Gerda Weissman Klein’s memoir of her life during World War II is harrowing to say the least. Separated from her loved ones, surrounded by fear and tragedy, Gerda’s life is turned upside down overnight and she faces years of anguish, pain and grief. Despite it all she retains an immense sense of what is right and fair, often putting the needs of others above her own and often putting her own life at risk in order to stand up for her principles.

Although the details given in Gerda’s account do not feel watered down by any means, you can’t help but think that even though her recollections are horrific, there’s much more that she has chosen not to share and can only be stunned by her bravery and determination. She loses everything – all but her life and her spirit.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the story is the advice Gerda is given by her father to wear her winter walking boots one day: advice that will prove to be lifesaving. If it had been a novel, it would have seemed like one of those quaint coincidences that ties a book together but knowing that this is an autobiographical tale actually makes this incredibly poignant. Even though I finished the book a couple of weeks ago, every time I think about it I remember those boots and how her father’s last piece of advice would be, literally, life-saving.

It is impossible for me to give All But My Life anything other than five stars. This is a beautifully related memoir: despite the overwhelming sense of tragedy and pain, Gerda’s will to survive and determination to keep not only herself going but others as well is utterly heart-wrenching. Although I have never been a huge fan of autobiographies, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this. It is a story that must be told and it is a time that we must never, ever forget. ( )

All but my life
All but my life is a wonderful book that made me cry at least four times. It is all about a a girl named . She is a 15 year old girl at the beginning. She is a jewish girl who is part of the holocaust she lived in a house with her mother father and brother. She started to frequently see a boy and asked her to marry him after the war and holocaust. Her brother named Arthur he was sent away to a labor camp but escaped. Her mother was sent away to a labor camp. She at first was sent to a transition camp. The boys family that she was seeing lived in the town that she was in. She went and had dinner with them. They were trying to get her a work card. They did but she turned it down to go with her friend to a new camp. Their she made a lot of friends and got into contact with her uncle in turkey and her family well at least her brother. He was captured but escaped again. Her boyfriend would send her gift and her uncle would too. She was liberated in the end and married the man who saved her.
This book was amazing! It was very well written and sad 6 million people died during the holocaust and the survivors have to be overjoyed that they lived but want to be with their family friends and lovers who died during the horrific time.this book should have an option of more than five stars. It mad me cry so many times. It is most definitely for 8th grade and above. Eighth grade is a little young in my thoughts. In the end this book is amazing beyond belief everyone should read it when they are the right age. ( )