Loading...
173rd out of 411 books
—
305 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946
by
Greg Dawson
Zhanna, a young Jewish girl from Ukraine, also happens to be a gifted piano prodigy and is giving concerts by the age of six. When disaster strikes her hometown and her family is condemned to exile and execution, Zhanna manages to escape the famed Nazi death march to Dorbitsky Yar and uses her rare musical gift to help her survive. Performing and giving concerts for the oc...more
Hardcover, 278 pages
Published
June 27th 2009
by Pegasus Books
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
386)
The story of two sisters, Russian/Ukrainian Jewish piano prodigies, who survived the war under false identities playing the piano for Nazi officers. Written by the son of one of the girls. The section on the war is not as detailed as I would like, and it covers only about half the book -- the rest of the pages are devote to the girls' childhood and the beginnings of their musical careers, and then to the post-war period. I was fascinated by the character of the American officer who recognized th...more
Zhanna and Frina were lucky in many ways: they were blessed with substantial talent, staunchly supportive parents, a rich musical culture, and each other. Without any one of these, they may not have even survived the unspeakable atrocities that took their family and neighbors; but they did more than just survive. The headstrong young Zhanna took her father's parting words to heart, and he would be proud of just how she lived.
Besides telling Zhanna's incredible story, Hiding in th...more
Besides telling Zhanna's incredible story, Hiding in th...more
No matter how much I have read about the German atrocities in W. W. II, I was sickened all over again to read the awful story of Sara, Dimitri, and their two daughters, Zhanna and Frina, marching to certain death in the Ukraine. Stalin's lack of preparation for war left the country vulnerable; once the killing began he blocked the news reports, leaving the Jewish population defenceless. Zhanna escaped into the forest with nothing except her father's coat and his admonition, "Just live."...more
I received this book as a Christmas present, and got so caught up in the story, I nearly decided to purchase a copy for my Kindle so I could put it in "text to speech" mode while mopping my kitchen floor (in the end, I managed to restrain myself).
In this book, Greg Dawson tells the story of his mother, a young piano prodigy who survives the Nazi occupation of her beloved Ukraine by literally playing for her life. It's a fascinating read about a girl who must learn to rely ...more
In this book, Greg Dawson tells the story of his mother, a young piano prodigy who survives the Nazi occupation of her beloved Ukraine by literally playing for her life. It's a fascinating read about a girl who must learn to rely ...more
Before diving into this book, I read some reviews here on GoodReads. Thus armed with some opinions in regards to the writing and editing I expected to be somewhat disappointed.
How delighted I was to find just the opposite. I've read other books that I thought were more poorly written & with more glaring editorial mistakes. I was not nearly as bothered as I expected to be.
And what a story this was. That was truly a horrific time in history & those brave survivors ar...more
How delighted I was to find just the opposite. I've read other books that I thought were more poorly written & with more glaring editorial mistakes. I was not nearly as bothered as I expected to be.
And what a story this was. That was truly a horrific time in history & those brave survivors ar...more
Greg Dawson and his amazing mother, Zhanna, have combined to put Zhanna's musical odyssey into words. It took the questions of a granddaughter, Aimee, then 14, to open the long-sealed doors to horrific memories. Zhanna was a child of 14 herself when the Nazis forced her Jewish family from their home in Ukraine. In artistic words befitting the musical artist that she is, Zhanna's evocative memories share the page with her son's narrative to tell the harrowing yet uplifting story. She fulfilled...more
Melissa
rated it
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes biographies, autobiographies, or true stories.
Shelves:
auto-biographies
A fascinating story of two Russian-Jewish sisters, Zhanna and Frina, living during WWII. While there are some disturbing and tragic parts, true to the nature of the time, place and events that were going on, the overall tone of the story is hopeful. I cannot believe all they went through, and they have my respect.
One thing that struck me most about this book was that elements of their wartime experience reminded me strikingly of other WWII stories I have read of German citizens. ...more
One thing that struck me most about this book was that elements of their wartime experience reminded me strikingly of other WWII stories I have read of German citizens. ...more
I have set out to read memoir or historical fiction set in various countries involved with WWII. This is the first book I read with Ukrainian ties. It is about how a Jewish child piano prodigy and her sister survived for four years by performing concerts for Nazi soldiers. They were even based out of Berlin for a time!
In 1945, the American commander of a refugee camp hears the sisters play. The only way he can get them immigration papers to the US is by adopting them. A year a...more
In 1945, the American commander of a refugee camp hears the sisters play. The only way he can get them immigration papers to the US is by adopting them. A year a...more
This is an amazing story not only of survival, but of how the main characters flourished by holding onto the hope and strength they learned from their family before tragedy finally struck.
I appreciated how the author's style of writing helps drive home that this is an uplifting story, in spite of the horrors of the war. He switches between his own narrative and Zhanna's own powerful, matter-of-fact words. Any discussion of the political and historical background further highlights t...more
I appreciated how the author's style of writing helps drive home that this is an uplifting story, in spite of the horrors of the war. He switches between his own narrative and Zhanna's own powerful, matter-of-fact words. Any discussion of the political and historical background further highlights t...more
It hurts me to give this two stars. It's a very interesting story - one that certainly needed telling. But it is full of editing errors and the authors habit of using esoteric words when a plain straight forward regular word would do just made me narrow one eye ever so slightly. Of course the story was touching - two talented Russian Jewish sisters who escaped death during WWII because of their father's determination - survive because they are both brave and lucky to a certain extent. The son...more
This'll be on the brief side because I had to return the book right away and then got imbedded in an anticipated novel immediately afterward. An older acquaintance (in fact a veteran of the European theatre of WWII) enthused to me about this book, and his insistence won me over. Many (make that very many) books have been written about the adversity and horrors of wartime, particularly concerning the holocaust and Stalinist terror. Count this one among those, but what enthralled me here is that t...more
A compelling story told with heart and compassion. The historical setting was a side of the Nazi and Russian ethnic cleansing during WWll that I did not know. This book is well written and does not emphasize the cruelty of the time and place, but it does not leave it undefined either. The honest portrayal of how the political forces of the time were used to dupe and destroy certain groups in the Ukraine and Germany both sad and offers an insight into how it affected everyday life. I highly re...more
I was intrigued by the story of Jewish sisters and musical prodigies surviving the Holocaust by assuming fake names and performing for German soldiers. It was interesting to read about their experiences, growing up with music as a foundation of their lives, getting into a number of prestigious schools and performing opportunities. Then, to see how things changed in an instant and how the future - once promising and bright - became only nothing more than a question and a hope for survival as they...more
Another holocaust survival narrative. The author, until he was an adult, had no idea his mother had escaped being killed by Nazi, that she and her sister had hidden their Jewish heritage and had actually had to do piano concerts for Nazis. I didn't give this 4 stars mostly because, despite the horrors, everything always seemed to work out for the girls which seemed too good to be entirely true. But still, a story of survival and fortitude.
Non-fiction. A World War II/Holocaust Survivor story. This one is a bit different in that the Jewish survivor did not spend time in a concentration camp but managed to hide her identity. She (and her sister) still endured many privations and was constantly in danger of being discovered, but instead of being forced to do hard labor, her musical talent enabled her to survive by playing concerts for German troops, etc.
I really enjoyed this book because it showed how resilient the human spirit could be when in the midst of tremendous adversity. Amazing to me how anyone, much less children, could survive in these situations and how music was so important to their soul. Holocaust stories can never be too many or go out of date as it's so important we all remember and be repelled by such atrocities. I'm glad to have my autographed copy. The author did such service to his mother's story.
I only gave this book two stars because there were too many errors that I felt marred the story. The editing was atrocious. Also, many things were repeated, a few times, and it became redundant.
I actually wrote to the author (he responded) to tell him about all of the mistakes. He is well aware of them and hopes that they will be fixed for the second printing.
I actually wrote to the author (he responded) to tell him about all of the mistakes. He is well aware of them and hopes that they will be fixed for the second printing.
Sweet memoir of two gifted sisters and their escape from Russia during World War II. A reminder of how bad things were for the Jews in Russia/Ukraine during the war. And a reminder of how inept and what a deplorable leader Stalin was. The book doesn't end with the war, it follows the sisters to the United States and the beginning of their muscial careers here. (Diane, this would be a great book for your book group--check it out.)
A wonderful read on one/two jewish girls plight during World War II. Heart renching. Can be warm and funny, cold and cruel, insightful. Descriptive without being too graphic. Artfully done. A great look into the souls of the german/polish people both Jewish and non jew. So many lives, so much lost, so much to be learned.
Just started it but being a musician I love this book so far! Love how much music reference. Based on a true story how interesting! I LOVED this book. It was very powerful from the beginning and knowing it was a true story just made it even more interesting for me. I will own this book. Loved it the whole way through, very gripping.
An inspirational tale, but lacking the enriching detail that would truly make this book stellar. I love these women because of the lives they came to lead after getting jerked rudely out of childhood into hell and emerging into the light of art, family, and life.
Fascinating true story of a young Ukrainian Jewish girl and how whe and her sister were able to hide from the SS in plain sight because of their amazing musical talent. Written by her son, it is really interesting and hopeful story. I couldn't put it down.
Since I met the author, I was very intrigued by the story of Zhanna and her sister Frina. This is a portion of the Holocaust I didn't know much about - the Ukraine. So much of the literature is around Germany and Poland. Parts of the story dragged out for me, but as a whole, I really liked it and thought Greg Dawson did a great job of retelling his mother's story.
This was an interesting story. It follows the authors mother, who was a piano prodigy and also a Jew in the Ukraine during WWII. In order to survive they had to hide their identity, but they couldn't hide their talent.
I was struck by all the people that helped these girls, despite their personal risk. These were not part of the underground and didn't hide Jews long term, they saw two girls in need and gave them a place to sleep for the night or some food or advice. It was touching....more
I was struck by all the people that helped these girls, despite their personal risk. These were not part of the underground and didn't hide Jews long term, they saw two girls in need and gave them a place to sleep for the night or some food or advice. It was touching....more
The woman in this true story of Austria and World War 11 is so interesting, not to mention astounding. How her music saved her life in Nazi occupied territory and all she saw and did is inspirational and NOT what you might expect.
I wanted to LOVE this book - a Jewish piano prodigy who survived the war playing for the Nazis. The story was amazing; the writing was just not up to the material, which is too bad because the woman's son wrote her story.
A simply beautiful story. A memoir of the author's mother who survived Nazi Germany as a Ukrainian Jew with an incredible gift. Those who love music will especially appreciate this book.
This book is about two young child prodigies who literally survived the Holocaust because of their parents love and because of their unbelievable musical talent. The story chronicles their lives before, during and after the war. Well told by the author but poorly edited as it contains some errors. Still, worth reading in my opinion.
Good story but almost too "fairy tale" ending for me....his depiction of his mother seemed to be that she was a Saint...I would have liked to hear more about her adult life.
A twist on the story of holocaust survivors, hiding in plain view. The typos and mistakes here and there really begin to grate as the book goes on. Is anyone proofreading anymore??
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
![Joue, Joue Sans T'arrêter!: Vie Et Destin D'une Pianiste Prodige, 1941 1946: [Roman]](http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg "Joue, Joue Sans T'arrêter!: Vie Et Destin D'une Pianiste Prodige, 1941 1946: [Roman]")
