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I Remember
A young Jewish girl from a middle-class Russian family recalls the events of her childhood--both good and bad--in a small village just before the Revolution of 1917.
- GenresHistory
165 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 21, 2017
The memories of a little Jewish girl growing up in the early years of revolutionary Russia. My family were originally Russian, refugees. I remember my great-grandfather and grandmother very well, so I thought the book would be of interest to me. (My great grandfather's passport is actually on a BBC site as an immigrant. I was amazed when I found it).
The author was the little Jewish girl of the story. Only two facts about Jewish life in revolutionary Russia are mentioned. Firstly, there was a quota for Jewish children in schools and she could only get into a grade two years lower than her age level. Secondly, many Russian Jews supported Germany in WWI saying that it was a cultured country that treated the Jews as everyone else whereas Russia was very difficult for Jews and getting worse. This was early in the war before they knew of the industrial scale murder of Jews in the concentration camps.
What the little girl means by Russia being so terrible is because of the pograms against them. Pomgroms can be defined as '"riots, arson, burglary up to and including murder by an armed mob intoxicated with hatred against helpless people and their property, while the police and the army look on if not actually join in').
The book is very sub-Anne Frank in every way. It's a sketch of a young girl's life in a family without much money and with an absent father. Very little in it is interesting. Perhaps more interesting is that the author, as I read in the preface, despite educational strictures against Jews, graduated in law. She married and emigrated to the US and became a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in Chicago and dance-teacher. I would have liked to have read more about that.
There just isn't enough content in the book to justify a hardback price - or even a paperback one. If you see it on sale for a couple of dollars, it will pass an hour or two for you. But if you are looking for a good book on growing up Jewish in revolutionary Russia, this book wasn't it.
The author was the little Jewish girl of the story. Only two facts about Jewish life in revolutionary Russia are mentioned. Firstly, there was a quota for Jewish children in schools and she could only get into a grade two years lower than her age level. Secondly, many Russian Jews supported Germany in WWI saying that it was a cultured country that treated the Jews as everyone else whereas Russia was very difficult for Jews and getting worse. This was early in the war before they knew of the industrial scale murder of Jews in the concentration camps.
What the little girl means by Russia being so terrible is because of the pograms against them. Pomgroms can be defined as '"riots, arson, burglary up to and including murder by an armed mob intoxicated with hatred against helpless people and their property, while the police and the army look on if not actually join in').
The book is very sub-Anne Frank in every way. It's a sketch of a young girl's life in a family without much money and with an absent father. Very little in it is interesting. Perhaps more interesting is that the author, as I read in the preface, despite educational strictures against Jews, graduated in law. She married and emigrated to the US and became a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in Chicago and dance-teacher. I would have liked to have read more about that.
There just isn't enough content in the book to justify a hardback price - or even a paperback one. If you see it on sale for a couple of dollars, it will pass an hour or two for you. But if you are looking for a good book on growing up Jewish in revolutionary Russia, this book wasn't it.
January 14, 2016
Good, but not great. It was fascinating to read that the Russian Jews saw Germany as their great hope because "such cultured people would never persecute us."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2016
gr 4-6 165 pgs
1910s Pochep, Russia. Hannah Kagan feels like her mother and older sister don't understand her, so she confides in her diary about her love of music and desire to learn to play the piano. She also describes her family's struggles to survive on the money her father earns as a traveling furrier and to obtain a good education despite anti-semitism. Based on the author's childhood.
I recommend this book for readers grade 6+ (despite booklists suggestion of gr 4-6), because a couple chapters focus on when Hannah hits puberty
1910s Pochep, Russia. Hannah Kagan feels like her mother and older sister don't understand her, so she confides in her diary about her love of music and desire to learn to play the piano. She also describes her family's struggles to survive on the money her father earns as a traveling furrier and to obtain a good education despite anti-semitism. Based on the author's childhood.
I recommend this book for readers grade 6+ (despite booklists suggestion of gr 4-6), because a couple chapters focus on when Hannah hits puberty
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews