Memories of my Life in a Polish Village: 1930-1949

by Toby Knobel Fluek

The memoir of a young Jewish girl growing up in a Polish farm village, from the peaceful early 1930s through the tragic war years, and finding safe harbor at last. Portrays through text and paintings, Jewish life in her village, her family, and the people among whom they lived, Jewish and Catholic, and how Jewish customs and holidays were observed.

Paintings, drawings, and text by Toby Knobel Fluek.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Poland, Religion, World War II, Jewish, Holocaust

110 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jan Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for the art.
The author used her artistic talent to illustrate her life living as one of ten Jewish families in a rural Galician village before the war and then to show what happened afterward. Her village was then in Poland. They lived on a farm; her father was very attached to the land but her mother was more enterprising with her cooking, while she had an older sister who was the best dressmaker around. (No ready-t0-wear!) No artistic training was available to the author in those days, though once in the US she does mention an art teacher.

On each page is one of Ms. Fluek's paintings. She describes what it represents in matter-of-fact prose.

I saw a review of this book last week. It was originally published in the '90s by Mrs. Fluek, who lived from 1926-2011. This is a beautiful new edition to which I treated myself and read in one day -- although the artwork I will continue to enjoy.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a difficult one to describe, but easy to rate. There have been so many texts about WWII era Europe, by everyone from top generals to common civilians to concentration camp prisoners. Fluek's book is one of the shortest and simplest, yet it is an example of how a simple text can be stunningly beautiful. Think of it as a picture book, though the target audience is definitely not children, for she tells the story of how the Soviet and then Nazi occupations of her Polish hometown tore life apart for her and her family.

The first part of the book creates for the reader an image of prewar Polish village life. Each family member, various scenes, and holidays are described in a paragraph or two, and accompanied by an illustration (also by the author). This is not a detailed, sprawling narrative. This is a series of scenes and memories, which, when combined, create a mosaic of life. The first part of the book is idyllic, but as WWII tears its way across Europe, Fluek's family is sent to the ghetto, scattered, and forced through terrible trials. This book took me only an hour or two to read, but it is a pleasure to look at, scan through, and return to every so often. An understated but powerful little gem.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was easy to read in a few given the sensitivity of the Holocaust, the autrocity and cruelty at the hands of Nazis and anyone who was lucky to survive; it was kess than 150 pages to read.

I enjoyed all the photos and the personal analysis by Fluek about the details of each. Some photos were inspirational. Some were heartbreaking but also hopeful.

I was really appreciative to read another personal account of survival during such a horrendoud time in world history. That is why memors and accounts like this, brief or comprehensive are so important to share. It still bogles my mind that there are people on this planet that think the Holocaust is a hoax or a conspiracy theory. SMH.

A recommended read.

Thanks to Toby Knoble Fluek and The Experiment LLC for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/6/2024

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt and detailed illustrations bring to life the smallest moments in a child's life as she first lives in a tiny village, then is forcibly moved to a Jewish ghetto, and eventually flees to hide in the wilderness until finally being reunited with the few in her family who remain alive after the war is over. I've always loved looking inside daily life in other time periods. This book is filled with gems like the fact that her mother made the bread for each week all at once, and therefore kneaded the dough in a huge pot (that's a lot of dough!). Or how a pot that could no longer be repaired would have its hole plugged with a scrap of cloth pulled through, and find a second life as a storage container. The illustrations of life in the village could be illustrating the lives of her ancestors a hundred years earlier. It's a shock as you follow her from there into the terrible realities of the war and its brutality. The story is ultimately one of resilience. It's also an incredibly important documentation of a way of life that no longer exists. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.

[Kelley Jansson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really straight-forward, yet unique approach to a memoir by someone with real artistic talent. With one picture per page, each pictures is accompanied by about a paragraph of text. The pictures were 5-star, while the text was 3-star, but the art and text combined held the story together. The memoirist was Jewish and one of only two family members to survive the Nazi occupation of Poland. The gravity of the author's loss is portrayed through her loving memory of her family, farm, and a way of life.

[Nechama Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim book is an artistic memoir of life in a Polish Shtetl. It contains the author's depictions of daily life before the Holocaust, paintings of the ghetto and hiding in the forest, and post-war survival.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, these paintings from an artist who lived and saw so much, are worth infinite words about a world that no longer exists. I've read a lot of books about the Shtetls, heard stories from my grandparents who were themselves raised in Eastern Polish Shtetls, but the artwork brought that world to life in a way that isolated photography and many memoirs never did.

[Elizabeth Rynecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The team at The Experiment (the book's publisher) reached out and asked if I might like a copy of this book. My great grandfather painted in the interwar years and artist Toby Knobel Fluek painted (and wrote) her story after the war. But there are, of course, many connections between the two stories - primarily the impulse to illustrate and document the Polish Jewish community. The paintings are a lovely ode to Fluek’s family and even the depressing wartime paintings beautifully illustrate (and bear witness) to history in an emotionally important way.

[Cj Zawacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was life in a small Polish village of Czernica before and during WW2? This is excellent description of life in Europe during the life of Toby Knobel Fluek, complete with her paintings describing every day events of all the villagers. A young girl growing up in the 1930's throughout the war years, and finally finding safety out of a DP camp to America.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memories of My Life in a Polish Village is the memories and drawings of a young girl who lived in the eastern Polish village of Czernica from 1930, and emigrated to the US in 1949, having survived invasions and Nazi genocide. Not a groundbreaking work, but the drawings in particular recreate a world destroyed.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. Filled with paintings & drawings & simple text, it depicts a Jewish family's life on a farm in Poland pre WWII thru their experience during the Holocaust. We get a true feel of their daily life & holiday celebrations, along with vivid descriptions of hiding from Nazis, the ghetto, & the survivors experience post-liberation.

[Erin O'Riordan]

A hidden gem. They sure ate a lot of potatoes.

[Amy Bodkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of art including various styles to represent many beautiful memories....and also many sad memories.

[Judy]

Wonderful paintings

[Kobito · Rating 2 out of 5]

Autobiographie d'une personne juive en Pologne des années 20 à la fin des années 40, racontée à travers de souvenirs découpé en petits textes en dessous de tableaux peint par l'auteur.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving and interesting

[Sheila Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that tells the story of the simple yet complex life of a girl from a small village in Poland. There’s an intimate drawing/painting on each page also done be the author.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW….a beautiful short book!

[Amanda Magier Lampke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The combination of text and images on each page literally paints a picture of life in rural Poland before the war. It was an easy read and I finished it in one sitting! Though short and simple, this is an important supplement any Holocaust/WWII bookshelf.

[Boris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby Fluek is an artist. She has a painting or drawing on every page to accompany her stories. It feels real.