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Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila
There is a truth in Every survivor has a story to tell. Sadly, it is very true. They have remembrances of evil too horrible to talk about, but anable to be forgotten. But, what of their children, the second and third generations? They too have stories to tell. Fortunately, their tales are not of prison guards and ovens, but of parents, who because of the war, were badly broken. Channa, a Partisan Fighter during World War II, prepares Katzir and her four siblings to survive a war that ended before they were born. Channa's rules are Failure means Death. Strangers mean Danger. Anyone who is not blood is a Stranger. When Channa suddenly dies, the unexpected contents of her will force her adult children to recognize the affects her guidance has had on their relationships with one another, with their created families, and with her. What was once a close-knit family is now led down the road to emotional destruction.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
89 people want to read
About the author
Jeannette Katzir
2 books66 followersI am sixty plus, and have scribbled down my thoughts and feelings ever since I was a young girl. But when my Momila died, I needed to say things to my Mom, Dad and brothers and sisters. It helped to write it out. And now the flood gates are open and I can't stop myself.
It's 2016 and I've finished my second book: Footprints in the Forest and I invite everyone to read my Ebook.
As the old saying goes So many things to do.... So little time.
It's 2016 and I've finished my second book: Footprints in the Forest and I invite everyone to read my Ebook.
As the old saying goes So many things to do.... So little time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 17, 2010
A dark tale at times, this story deals with the shattering horror of World War II survivors in part and a long legacy of family and their joys and sorrows. It treats the Holocaust with utmost seriousness and respect. Such a tragic time that it makes my blood boil. Especially since I am one quarter German myself. Fortunately my great-grandmother left Germany before those horrible events took place. The sibling rivalry through the rest of the book I am sure would be recognizable to most people. Reflecting on my own experiences, the shadows of my own family and wife's family problems seem echoed in many ways. I have never had to face off against family in court however. I imagine it would be extremely ugly. All rambling aside, the tale was excellently written with very few errors that I could find. The story has good flow and never gets dull at all. I definitely recommend this book to people with an interest in either the Holocaust or anyone would likes a good story about family problems. =)
April 10, 2010
From author
Broken Birds, written by Jeannette Katzir, is the multigenerational memoir that documents the lives of two Holocaust survivors and the unfortunate, irreversible damage that inflicts upon their relationships with their remaining family members, their children, and their children's children.
While I tend to walk past non-fiction novels while shopping, I do remain open to reading them when they are recommended, or gifted to me. It's true that I am a fiction lover through and through. But I am also a well-told story lover. And that is what Jeannette has to offer her readers - a well-told story.
What a challenge it must be to write the story of your life, and the life of your parents. When an author is telling a story from their own point of view, they run the risk of, at times, tainting it by their own emotions and personal recollections of the facts and conversations that occured. How difficult it must have been for Jeanette Katzir to tell her story, the Story of her Momila, how painful and draining, and how brave to write it all down and to allow the world the opportunity to critique and criticize it.
Jeannette managed to write her story in such a way that it reads like fiction - the chapters flow off the page, the details so sharp and the people so human - I had to remind myself that what I was reading was real. That the events Channa and Nathan (her mother and father) are described to have survived were real events, and that this story, all of it, is real.
Katzir lays it all out there. The fear those events instilled in her mother, the way the trama of being a survivor unintentionally soured how she dealt with "strangers" and unconventionally attempted to protected her children. The way the fear manifested itself - in her appearing "cheap" and not allowing anything to be wasted, stashing money all over the house, sheltering her husband from infidelity for fear that he would leave her for "someone better", and infusing doubt into every single one of her children when they tryed to make a better life for themselves. How living under those circumstances actually caused the one thing she feared the most to happen - her family began to fall apart.
Katzir describes how she and her siblings fought amongst themselves as adults, and mistrusted one another. Turned their backs on one another or teamed up against each other. She describes the life her father Nathan lived - hard working, peace-making Nathan - and how her mothers death dealt the final devastating blow to them all.
A painful and vivid picture of how the damage of the Holocaust and the reign of Hitler continues to make itself known generations later. And how Katzir and her family attempt to repair their broken wings, and move beyond the bitterness to a better life.
Broken Birds, written by Jeannette Katzir, is the multigenerational memoir that documents the lives of two Holocaust survivors and the unfortunate, irreversible damage that inflicts upon their relationships with their remaining family members, their children, and their children's children.
While I tend to walk past non-fiction novels while shopping, I do remain open to reading them when they are recommended, or gifted to me. It's true that I am a fiction lover through and through. But I am also a well-told story lover. And that is what Jeannette has to offer her readers - a well-told story.
What a challenge it must be to write the story of your life, and the life of your parents. When an author is telling a story from their own point of view, they run the risk of, at times, tainting it by their own emotions and personal recollections of the facts and conversations that occured. How difficult it must have been for Jeanette Katzir to tell her story, the Story of her Momila, how painful and draining, and how brave to write it all down and to allow the world the opportunity to critique and criticize it.
Jeannette managed to write her story in such a way that it reads like fiction - the chapters flow off the page, the details so sharp and the people so human - I had to remind myself that what I was reading was real. That the events Channa and Nathan (her mother and father) are described to have survived were real events, and that this story, all of it, is real.
Katzir lays it all out there. The fear those events instilled in her mother, the way the trama of being a survivor unintentionally soured how she dealt with "strangers" and unconventionally attempted to protected her children. The way the fear manifested itself - in her appearing "cheap" and not allowing anything to be wasted, stashing money all over the house, sheltering her husband from infidelity for fear that he would leave her for "someone better", and infusing doubt into every single one of her children when they tryed to make a better life for themselves. How living under those circumstances actually caused the one thing she feared the most to happen - her family began to fall apart.
Katzir describes how she and her siblings fought amongst themselves as adults, and mistrusted one another. Turned their backs on one another or teamed up against each other. She describes the life her father Nathan lived - hard working, peace-making Nathan - and how her mothers death dealt the final devastating blow to them all.
A painful and vivid picture of how the damage of the Holocaust and the reign of Hitler continues to make itself known generations later. And how Katzir and her family attempt to repair their broken wings, and move beyond the bitterness to a better life.
February 3, 2016
I've read dozens of Holocaust memoirs. All were horrible, and yet, strangely empowering with their tales of survival. They typically end at the completion of the war. Maybe you get a chapter of epilogues, but that's the end of the story.
Broken Birds is a Holocaust story, but that's only a part of it. Katzir tells the war stories of both her parents - their sufferings and the circumstances that allowed them to survive. Two unique stories, one within the camps and one without. But that's only the beginning. We learn of their early marriage and the childhood and life of our author. While she recounts her family's struggles, she sees within their failing the effect that the horrors of the Holocaust had on future generations.
I'm torn over this book. Katzir's parents stories are intriguing and it's clear that she truly loves them and honors their past. She's willing to forgive them for their mistakes and places much of the blame (rightfully or not) on their tragic pasts. Her mother, especially, as difficult as she is to deal with, is portrayed with respect, for the most part.
However, the bulk of the later part of the book is more of a hashing out of all the problems amongst her and her siblings. I made my way through selfish legal battles and was depressed by their lack of cohesion. I recognize that this is Katzir illustrating how the survival instincts, fear and loneliness of holocaust survivors can harm their children, but the long list of wrong-doings by everyone sometimes gave me the feeling that the text itself was vindication for past wrongs. For me, all the bitterness played my emotions differently than other memoirs of the era.
Despite that, I give kudos to Katzir for her raw honesty about many frustrating situations. She's created a story that does get into the heart of family battles that may really ring true for many other families who have had a parent or two who have survived horrible situations. If you are already interested in Holocaust memoirs, this definitely adds a different sort of history to the genre.
Broken Birds is a Holocaust story, but that's only a part of it. Katzir tells the war stories of both her parents - their sufferings and the circumstances that allowed them to survive. Two unique stories, one within the camps and one without. But that's only the beginning. We learn of their early marriage and the childhood and life of our author. While she recounts her family's struggles, she sees within their failing the effect that the horrors of the Holocaust had on future generations.
I'm torn over this book. Katzir's parents stories are intriguing and it's clear that she truly loves them and honors their past. She's willing to forgive them for their mistakes and places much of the blame (rightfully or not) on their tragic pasts. Her mother, especially, as difficult as she is to deal with, is portrayed with respect, for the most part.
However, the bulk of the later part of the book is more of a hashing out of all the problems amongst her and her siblings. I made my way through selfish legal battles and was depressed by their lack of cohesion. I recognize that this is Katzir illustrating how the survival instincts, fear and loneliness of holocaust survivors can harm their children, but the long list of wrong-doings by everyone sometimes gave me the feeling that the text itself was vindication for past wrongs. For me, all the bitterness played my emotions differently than other memoirs of the era.
Despite that, I give kudos to Katzir for her raw honesty about many frustrating situations. She's created a story that does get into the heart of family battles that may really ring true for many other families who have had a parent or two who have survived horrible situations. If you are already interested in Holocaust memoirs, this definitely adds a different sort of history to the genre.
Read
October 1, 2010Broken Birds provides an excellent example of the reasons why parents and children should engage each other in a discussion of the family's plans and future long before a will must be executed. Unless frank discussions about how assets will be divided occurs, parents are likely to leave behind disappointment and tension instead of goodwill.
Ruth Nemzoff, Ed.D.
Author and Speaker: Don't Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children (Palgrave/Macmillan,2008)
Ruth Nemzoff, Ed.D.
Author and Speaker: Don't Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children (Palgrave/Macmillan,2008)
May 12, 2010
An interesting story about a family's present in light of it's matriarch's past. A particularly good read for anyone interested in the loyalties and strains of parent-child relationships or the ongoing effects of the Holocaust.
May 21, 2010
I wrote it, but have to admit . . . I love it.
February 9, 2011
Broken Birds: The Story of Momila
Author Jeannette Katzir
The Holocaust really did happen and we should never forget that. Many survived only to live with unseen scars and permanent memories of the atrocities that were inflicted on them by these horrific people under the command of Hitler and his regime. There are many who would tell this story differently; there are others that would hide from the truth and bury their heads in the sand. Author Jeannette Katzir will take you back in time to where it all began for her mother and describe what becomes of her family and her in a poignant and heartbreaking novel with a title that surely fits: Broken Birds: The Story of Momila.
Twelve year old Channa Perschowski and her older brother Isaac are forced to leave all their worldly possessions, family and the safety home to flee the horrors that would befall so many at the hands of the Nazi’s who inflicted more than just pain on the Jewish people. No child should or adult should have to endure what Channa and her brother did when their mother Rachel and sister Yetta, sacrificed themselves and were forced to remain at the hands of the inhumanities endured by so many people because they were Jewish. Told through the voice of Channa’s daughter Jaclyn, you learn not just about the Holocaust and its devastating impact on this and many other displaced families, but what happens when trust and family loyalties become frail and fall apart and the priorities that prominent are anything but family based.
Returning to her home at the close of the war brings the end result in perspective as Channa comes face to face with the destruction and harsh reality of having to leave Poland and embark on a life in America along with her brother, Isaac. As the author completes Channa’s introduction to the reader she next tells us about her father, Nathan and all he endured at the hands of the Germans in the camps before coming to America. As she recounts his life with his mother Jolin an enterprising woman taken by soldiers in Uzhgorod in Hungry, as the government there decided to inflict their own rules of Anti-Semitism on the Jewish population living there. As with segregation in the South where blacks were forced to ride in the back of the bus and eat at separate counters in a restaurant, Jews were forced to walk on different sides of the streets from Gentiles and hand over their hard earned businesses to them just because they said so. As fear set in 14 year old Nathan’s life would take a horrific a family member is killed and life would become more tragic. Food became scarce, anti-Semitism was on the rise and by 1944 the Hungarian Government became just as cruel as the German. Forced to spend time in Dachau and finally escaping and hidden, Nathan and his friends hope to find safe passage to America and freedom.
Alone and with nowhere else to go he humbly asks his stepfamily for help although they really did not want to. As he became acclaimed to the country and learned much from his experiences he goes to a dance where Channa and Nathan finally meet and their life would begin together. Channa worked at many jobs, saved money and her brother had taken much gold and hidden it during the war. But, when Channa and Nathan finally marry and their family begins to grow, Isaac, her brother becomes more like a stranger to her, enlisting Nathan into helping him start a new bungalow business, taking the gold for himself and forcing her to give over her well earned money needed for her family, convincing Nathan to turn against her.
Like the feathers on a bird, which are so fragile and delicate so is the structure of this family, which has begun to crumble and fall apart. Even as the dynamics of the family changed and with Channa having five children each different and requiring different needs, the family did not always get along and what happens will teach not only our narrator but other family members some long and hard lessons. Jaclyn married Gol an ambitious man who provided well for their family. Working together with her husband they built several lucrative businesses. But, sister Shirley married to Eric found herself always in competition with her older sister and often caused much strife within the family. Added to that Eric’s business sense and acumen were not always honest and this too caused a major rift in the family along our narrator always felt that family comes first and must be trusted, little did she know that they were the ones that would ultimately betray her in the end. Channa and Nathan were drifting apart and the family was becoming as worn as a coat with a torn seam that could not longer be repaired. As Gol, tried to help many members of Jaclyn’s family make a living, he also realized that certain things would never work out and Eric and Shirley two of them. As Jaclyn enlisted the cooperation of her sister in using her address so her children could attend a better school, the stab in the back came hard and swift and the knife would forever remain.
Single minded, difficult to dissuade from her own point of view, Channa remained a force to be reckoned with and her children rarely went against her wishes or thoughts. Difficult to deal with, often blunt and too straightforward in her remarks to her children, it is amazing that she was able to keep her family together at all. Stating that family comes first and you only trust your blood, learning that from surviving during the war, our narrator soon learns through many hard lessons in life and in business that her mother’s viewpoint was not always right or true but she respected and honored it. Betrayals come in all forms and from many different places in this family. New members are not exactly what they seem and sides are taken and battle lines are drawn.
But, Jaclyn could not say no to her nephew Garth no matter what her sister had done to her and instead of common sense and saying no to his working with Gol, she managed to figure out something that he could do anyway which once again proved wrong. Channa and Nathan were two war torn individuals that would never really overcome what they endured in life nor were they ever really happy for the successes of their children. Happiness was relative to them and certain aspects of life were such as marriage and family loyalty was foremost in their minds. As the author so aptly states her parents were like two broken birds waiting for the next crisis or shoe to fall. But, the real dissent starts when Channa passes. As the will is read each family member realizes the end result of their mother’s wishes and vies for a large piece of her estate. Emails back and forth and harsh words said, one brother wanting it all and the rest fighting for their share, this family becomes more than just broken apart. As the family visits their father’s homeland they begin to understand what kind of life he weathered and relived his past right in front of his children. Many will deny and say that the Holocaust was made up but those of us who had family who lived and survived it know better. As they visited the death camps and saw the crematoriums reliving his past in the present. But, what would the end result be for the family and who would finally get what Channa left and who would be left without.
Channa Perschowski was a strong yet fearful woman who distrusted even her own husband and thought he would eventually leave her. How can a family mend itself when its branches are too broken and its backbone not able to keep it in place? Author Jeannette Katzir brings to light so many important issues in this outstanding true story of the lives of her dysfunctional family members, the greed, betrayal and distrust that ensued and one woman: Channa: Her Momila, which is what my mom calls me, that only wanted to be loved. Powerfully written, heartbreaking, events clearly depicted and described and I am honored to have been asked to read and review this outstanding book. The Holocaust did more than just take the lives of those killed, it destroyed the spirit, the joy and the souls of both Nathan and Channa who lived it, survived and created a live for their five ever so different children in a world filled with many more Broken Birds. One simple document: One Will: The Words of One Woman: What had Channa Done? Read this novel and understand what happens when the greatest war of your life is not fought on the battlefield.
After just losing my precious sister, Marcia, who was my best friend in the whole world, I cannot imagine why any family would want to drift so far apart and not fix those broken branches and make them into a tall, strong tree with many strong limbs. This is one novel that everyone needs to read and hopefully will open your eyes to the importance and love of family. A sad but true story that brought tears to my eyes and much more. My grandmother and her sisters survived the camps in Poland and told me what they went through and more. I dedicate this review to all those Holocaust Survivors to our outstanding author who had the courage to share her sister and to my grandmother late grandmother Katie Goldberg who lived it.
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
Author Jeannette Katzir
The Holocaust really did happen and we should never forget that. Many survived only to live with unseen scars and permanent memories of the atrocities that were inflicted on them by these horrific people under the command of Hitler and his regime. There are many who would tell this story differently; there are others that would hide from the truth and bury their heads in the sand. Author Jeannette Katzir will take you back in time to where it all began for her mother and describe what becomes of her family and her in a poignant and heartbreaking novel with a title that surely fits: Broken Birds: The Story of Momila.
Twelve year old Channa Perschowski and her older brother Isaac are forced to leave all their worldly possessions, family and the safety home to flee the horrors that would befall so many at the hands of the Nazi’s who inflicted more than just pain on the Jewish people. No child should or adult should have to endure what Channa and her brother did when their mother Rachel and sister Yetta, sacrificed themselves and were forced to remain at the hands of the inhumanities endured by so many people because they were Jewish. Told through the voice of Channa’s daughter Jaclyn, you learn not just about the Holocaust and its devastating impact on this and many other displaced families, but what happens when trust and family loyalties become frail and fall apart and the priorities that prominent are anything but family based.
Returning to her home at the close of the war brings the end result in perspective as Channa comes face to face with the destruction and harsh reality of having to leave Poland and embark on a life in America along with her brother, Isaac. As the author completes Channa’s introduction to the reader she next tells us about her father, Nathan and all he endured at the hands of the Germans in the camps before coming to America. As she recounts his life with his mother Jolin an enterprising woman taken by soldiers in Uzhgorod in Hungry, as the government there decided to inflict their own rules of Anti-Semitism on the Jewish population living there. As with segregation in the South where blacks were forced to ride in the back of the bus and eat at separate counters in a restaurant, Jews were forced to walk on different sides of the streets from Gentiles and hand over their hard earned businesses to them just because they said so. As fear set in 14 year old Nathan’s life would take a horrific a family member is killed and life would become more tragic. Food became scarce, anti-Semitism was on the rise and by 1944 the Hungarian Government became just as cruel as the German. Forced to spend time in Dachau and finally escaping and hidden, Nathan and his friends hope to find safe passage to America and freedom.
Alone and with nowhere else to go he humbly asks his stepfamily for help although they really did not want to. As he became acclaimed to the country and learned much from his experiences he goes to a dance where Channa and Nathan finally meet and their life would begin together. Channa worked at many jobs, saved money and her brother had taken much gold and hidden it during the war. But, when Channa and Nathan finally marry and their family begins to grow, Isaac, her brother becomes more like a stranger to her, enlisting Nathan into helping him start a new bungalow business, taking the gold for himself and forcing her to give over her well earned money needed for her family, convincing Nathan to turn against her.
Like the feathers on a bird, which are so fragile and delicate so is the structure of this family, which has begun to crumble and fall apart. Even as the dynamics of the family changed and with Channa having five children each different and requiring different needs, the family did not always get along and what happens will teach not only our narrator but other family members some long and hard lessons. Jaclyn married Gol an ambitious man who provided well for their family. Working together with her husband they built several lucrative businesses. But, sister Shirley married to Eric found herself always in competition with her older sister and often caused much strife within the family. Added to that Eric’s business sense and acumen were not always honest and this too caused a major rift in the family along our narrator always felt that family comes first and must be trusted, little did she know that they were the ones that would ultimately betray her in the end. Channa and Nathan were drifting apart and the family was becoming as worn as a coat with a torn seam that could not longer be repaired. As Gol, tried to help many members of Jaclyn’s family make a living, he also realized that certain things would never work out and Eric and Shirley two of them. As Jaclyn enlisted the cooperation of her sister in using her address so her children could attend a better school, the stab in the back came hard and swift and the knife would forever remain.
Single minded, difficult to dissuade from her own point of view, Channa remained a force to be reckoned with and her children rarely went against her wishes or thoughts. Difficult to deal with, often blunt and too straightforward in her remarks to her children, it is amazing that she was able to keep her family together at all. Stating that family comes first and you only trust your blood, learning that from surviving during the war, our narrator soon learns through many hard lessons in life and in business that her mother’s viewpoint was not always right or true but she respected and honored it. Betrayals come in all forms and from many different places in this family. New members are not exactly what they seem and sides are taken and battle lines are drawn.
But, Jaclyn could not say no to her nephew Garth no matter what her sister had done to her and instead of common sense and saying no to his working with Gol, she managed to figure out something that he could do anyway which once again proved wrong. Channa and Nathan were two war torn individuals that would never really overcome what they endured in life nor were they ever really happy for the successes of their children. Happiness was relative to them and certain aspects of life were such as marriage and family loyalty was foremost in their minds. As the author so aptly states her parents were like two broken birds waiting for the next crisis or shoe to fall. But, the real dissent starts when Channa passes. As the will is read each family member realizes the end result of their mother’s wishes and vies for a large piece of her estate. Emails back and forth and harsh words said, one brother wanting it all and the rest fighting for their share, this family becomes more than just broken apart. As the family visits their father’s homeland they begin to understand what kind of life he weathered and relived his past right in front of his children. Many will deny and say that the Holocaust was made up but those of us who had family who lived and survived it know better. As they visited the death camps and saw the crematoriums reliving his past in the present. But, what would the end result be for the family and who would finally get what Channa left and who would be left without.
Channa Perschowski was a strong yet fearful woman who distrusted even her own husband and thought he would eventually leave her. How can a family mend itself when its branches are too broken and its backbone not able to keep it in place? Author Jeannette Katzir brings to light so many important issues in this outstanding true story of the lives of her dysfunctional family members, the greed, betrayal and distrust that ensued and one woman: Channa: Her Momila, which is what my mom calls me, that only wanted to be loved. Powerfully written, heartbreaking, events clearly depicted and described and I am honored to have been asked to read and review this outstanding book. The Holocaust did more than just take the lives of those killed, it destroyed the spirit, the joy and the souls of both Nathan and Channa who lived it, survived and created a live for their five ever so different children in a world filled with many more Broken Birds. One simple document: One Will: The Words of One Woman: What had Channa Done? Read this novel and understand what happens when the greatest war of your life is not fought on the battlefield.
After just losing my precious sister, Marcia, who was my best friend in the whole world, I cannot imagine why any family would want to drift so far apart and not fix those broken branches and make them into a tall, strong tree with many strong limbs. This is one novel that everyone needs to read and hopefully will open your eyes to the importance and love of family. A sad but true story that brought tears to my eyes and much more. My grandmother and her sisters survived the camps in Poland and told me what they went through and more. I dedicate this review to all those Holocaust Survivors to our outstanding author who had the courage to share her sister and to my grandmother late grandmother Katie Goldberg who lived it.
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
June 8, 2012
Jeannette Katzir was born in New York to two Holocaust survivors. She and her four siblings were raised by their loving but strong willed mother--a woman whose wartime experiences motivated her to raise her children to be survivors first and foremost. Even into adulthood, Katzir's mother coached her oldest daughter to distrust anyone who was not blood (even her husband) and to approach each decision with the worst-case-scenario in mind. As a result, Katzir become a woman strained by opposing allegiances with the family that raised her and the family she was creating.
It wasn't until Katzir's mother unexpectedly died that Jeannette began to recognize how far the shadow of the Holocaust had stretched into her life. To deal with her loss, she began writing a book that told the story of her mother, whose life was forever marked by the Holocaust. Later, she expanded her focus, and Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila became a family memoir that dealt both with the Holocaust and her dysfunctional family. Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila was published in 2010, marking the beginning of Katzir's career as an author.
Broken Birds has received rave reviews from The Huffington Post, Head Butler, BestSellersworld.com, The Internet Review of Books, Compulsive Reader and more. Katzir's articles have been published in The San Diego Jewish World, Ezine and TNBBC. She lives in Southern California with her husband.
________________________________________________________________________
Broken Birds: the Story of My Momila examines the depth of horror that results from surviving the Holocaust (and fighting with the resistance) and the impact it contributes to a struggling family. While it might be surmised that having the courage to survive atrocities would build character and stiffness of disposition, the trauma also infects the survivor’s personality resulting in serious emotional disfigurement, destruction of trust and lifelong neurosis. In this case, it deprives the mother from having a constructive influence upon her children and within her marriage.
This is a powerful and vivid story of a family born into war and persecution; and the fractured relationships that result. The author describes her mother’s dominant maternal instincts which become compromised by her wartime experiences and her increasingly-controlling neurosis. Jeannette Katzir and her siblings were raised by their overbearing mother (Channa) whose experiences fighting in the resistance during the Holocaust altered her personality; and their father Nathan, who survived Nazi concentration camps. Channa is so emotionally scarred by her experiences that she is consumed by an obsessive compulsive neurosis for the rest of her life. She coaches her children to distrust anyone who “is not blood,” including her husband, and to assume a negative result from all situations. This reviewer has seen similar personality artifacts among Holocaust survivors. Channa is overbearing but also loving, producing opposing familial allegiances and a powerful dichotomy of personality.
Katzir has produced an excellent memoir that is both informative and insightful. It illustrates the plight of genocide survivors and their children as they try to adapt to and assimilate within a new nation and dissimilar culture. She reveals the emotional catastrophe resulting from memories of abject horror and deprivation; and their impact within a fruitless attempt to raise children. The depravity and fractured relationships that result constitute the bulk of this book.
This story is well written, particularly for a memoir. The pace and flow is solid, although the reader can at times feel constrained by the endless familial internal strife. As memoirs typically lack the elegant metaphor of a novel, this book might be enhanced by the addition of maps, diagrams and pictures. Such objects are not difficult to incorporate, even for an e-book and result in a more comprehensive and rewarding reading experience.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage: A Holocaust Love Story
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com
It wasn't until Katzir's mother unexpectedly died that Jeannette began to recognize how far the shadow of the Holocaust had stretched into her life. To deal with her loss, she began writing a book that told the story of her mother, whose life was forever marked by the Holocaust. Later, she expanded her focus, and Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila became a family memoir that dealt both with the Holocaust and her dysfunctional family. Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila was published in 2010, marking the beginning of Katzir's career as an author.
Broken Birds has received rave reviews from The Huffington Post, Head Butler, BestSellersworld.com, The Internet Review of Books, Compulsive Reader and more. Katzir's articles have been published in The San Diego Jewish World, Ezine and TNBBC. She lives in Southern California with her husband.
________________________________________________________________________
Broken Birds: the Story of My Momila examines the depth of horror that results from surviving the Holocaust (and fighting with the resistance) and the impact it contributes to a struggling family. While it might be surmised that having the courage to survive atrocities would build character and stiffness of disposition, the trauma also infects the survivor’s personality resulting in serious emotional disfigurement, destruction of trust and lifelong neurosis. In this case, it deprives the mother from having a constructive influence upon her children and within her marriage.
This is a powerful and vivid story of a family born into war and persecution; and the fractured relationships that result. The author describes her mother’s dominant maternal instincts which become compromised by her wartime experiences and her increasingly-controlling neurosis. Jeannette Katzir and her siblings were raised by their overbearing mother (Channa) whose experiences fighting in the resistance during the Holocaust altered her personality; and their father Nathan, who survived Nazi concentration camps. Channa is so emotionally scarred by her experiences that she is consumed by an obsessive compulsive neurosis for the rest of her life. She coaches her children to distrust anyone who “is not blood,” including her husband, and to assume a negative result from all situations. This reviewer has seen similar personality artifacts among Holocaust survivors. Channa is overbearing but also loving, producing opposing familial allegiances and a powerful dichotomy of personality.
Katzir has produced an excellent memoir that is both informative and insightful. It illustrates the plight of genocide survivors and their children as they try to adapt to and assimilate within a new nation and dissimilar culture. She reveals the emotional catastrophe resulting from memories of abject horror and deprivation; and their impact within a fruitless attempt to raise children. The depravity and fractured relationships that result constitute the bulk of this book.
This story is well written, particularly for a memoir. The pace and flow is solid, although the reader can at times feel constrained by the endless familial internal strife. As memoirs typically lack the elegant metaphor of a novel, this book might be enhanced by the addition of maps, diagrams and pictures. Such objects are not difficult to incorporate, even for an e-book and result in a more comprehensive and rewarding reading experience.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage: A Holocaust Love Story
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com
August 11, 2010
In “Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila” Jeannette Katzir has written a touching true story about the lasting and damaging effects of her family’s survival after the Holocaust.
Having lost her entire family (except her one older brother, Isaac) to the horrors of the Holocaust, Channa as a child has to learn from him how escape the Nazi’s—learning how to save scraps of food and any possession she has, to how to sleep in the snow, live in the forest and learning to fight. It’s a truly heartbreaking and terrifying time for her. These events would come to color and mold the adult she will become—trusting no strangers and always putting her family first.
When they finally flee to the US, Channa relishes the American lifestyle and adapts quickly. She eventually marries Nathan and has five children, one who is the narrator of the story, Jaclyn. Through her eyes we see how badly the events of the Holocaust has affected her mother. Channa is married but is terrified that at any moment and for any reason that her husband may leave her for “someone better.” She hides money throughout the house and in various banks in their safety deposit boxes, telling no one about her activities. Channa trusts no one and is always the voice of foreboding to her children, sabotaging their happiness with warnings that they too, can trust no one but family, and always seems to dash their dreams whenever they accomplish something positive. She seems to find faults in everyone. But she can also be generous too. When her attempts to dissuade her children to marry the spouse of their dreams fails, she actually relents and offers them a substantial amount of money to either buy their own home or start their own business. Despite her negativity, she is also the glue that holds the Poltzer family together.
But when Channa dies, the entire family basically falls apart. Bitter sibiling rivalry comes to the surface as they all try to renegotiate Channa’s will, which has given her one son Steven their original family home and has left her husband virtually penniless. All of the injustices endured by the children finally come to the surface. Suddenly the distrust they’ve learned from Channa against strangers backfires and they are fighting against one another. They try to work out a fair 5-way split of the assets, but to no avail. Steven has become selfish and has no desire to help out his siblings or his father. Court battles ensue, family ties are forever broken, and only three of the five children remain on speaking terms.
This well-written story is a sad but compelling tale about the devastation and collapse of a family that you wish could have survived their upbringing if only they had learned to trust and love without suspicion. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Holocaust or the complexities of family dynamics.
Having lost her entire family (except her one older brother, Isaac) to the horrors of the Holocaust, Channa as a child has to learn from him how escape the Nazi’s—learning how to save scraps of food and any possession she has, to how to sleep in the snow, live in the forest and learning to fight. It’s a truly heartbreaking and terrifying time for her. These events would come to color and mold the adult she will become—trusting no strangers and always putting her family first.
When they finally flee to the US, Channa relishes the American lifestyle and adapts quickly. She eventually marries Nathan and has five children, one who is the narrator of the story, Jaclyn. Through her eyes we see how badly the events of the Holocaust has affected her mother. Channa is married but is terrified that at any moment and for any reason that her husband may leave her for “someone better.” She hides money throughout the house and in various banks in their safety deposit boxes, telling no one about her activities. Channa trusts no one and is always the voice of foreboding to her children, sabotaging their happiness with warnings that they too, can trust no one but family, and always seems to dash their dreams whenever they accomplish something positive. She seems to find faults in everyone. But she can also be generous too. When her attempts to dissuade her children to marry the spouse of their dreams fails, she actually relents and offers them a substantial amount of money to either buy their own home or start their own business. Despite her negativity, she is also the glue that holds the Poltzer family together.
But when Channa dies, the entire family basically falls apart. Bitter sibiling rivalry comes to the surface as they all try to renegotiate Channa’s will, which has given her one son Steven their original family home and has left her husband virtually penniless. All of the injustices endured by the children finally come to the surface. Suddenly the distrust they’ve learned from Channa against strangers backfires and they are fighting against one another. They try to work out a fair 5-way split of the assets, but to no avail. Steven has become selfish and has no desire to help out his siblings or his father. Court battles ensue, family ties are forever broken, and only three of the five children remain on speaking terms.
This well-written story is a sad but compelling tale about the devastation and collapse of a family that you wish could have survived their upbringing if only they had learned to trust and love without suspicion. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Holocaust or the complexities of family dynamics.
January 9, 2011
Broken Birds, by Jeannette Katzir
Channa Perschowski of Baranavichy Poland and Nathan Poltzer of Uzhgorod, Czechoslovakia move to the United States after World War II, meet and marry in New York, move their growing family to Los Angeles, and—as penny pinching and hard work evolve into financial stability—live their version of the American dream.
As Holocaust survivors, they know how to endure. Yet, as we learn in Jeannette Katzir’s compelling memoir, Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila, the skills needed to survive the pogroms and death camps do not translate well into an open husband and wife relationship, positive role modeling, or good parenting.
Channa fears her husband will abandon her, does not trust strangers, and is suspicious of people and events she cannot not control. While Nathan works long hours to support his family, he avoids conflict and allows his wife to have her blunt way in family matters for better or worse. When Channa dies in 2004, the dysfunctional Poltzer family does not endure in peace because her will treats them all unfairly.
“Mom, what did you do to us?” Katzir asks rhetorically in the opening chapter as the adult children enter the family probate room with more animosity than love.
Readers must wait until the book’s powerful conclusion to learn how Nathan and his five children survive the financial tangle they’ve inherited. Before then, Katzir looks back in time to Poland and Czechoslovakia where Channa survives the pogroms by fleeing her crumbling neighborhood to join the Partisan fighters and where Nathan learns to work rather than await his fate in the barracks and otherwise to be as invisible as possible at Auschwitz and Dachau before he escapes from a prison train.
Katzir writes with great detail, searing honesty and a natural storyteller’s pacing as she traces the lives of Channa, Nathan, and their five children. The children grow up, marry and begin their own careers and families, and Channa has a strong hand in all of it. While the author might have shown us a stronger connection between her parents' attitudes as Holocaust survivors and their children’s resulting negative outlook on life and family, the memoir clearly shows that survival alone is not enough.
“During the war,” writes Katzir, “Dad and Mom had experienced the untimely loss of their families and suffered atrocities that corrupted their souls, and they ended up passing that damage along to their five children.”
At the end of the book, the broken birds bring their own wounded souls into the legal system to thrash out how they will divide the remains of their nest. In the process, they will decide whether family is stronger than money and then how to endure the results of their decision.
This story of survival, endurance and families is highly recommended.
Channa Perschowski of Baranavichy Poland and Nathan Poltzer of Uzhgorod, Czechoslovakia move to the United States after World War II, meet and marry in New York, move their growing family to Los Angeles, and—as penny pinching and hard work evolve into financial stability—live their version of the American dream.
As Holocaust survivors, they know how to endure. Yet, as we learn in Jeannette Katzir’s compelling memoir, Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila, the skills needed to survive the pogroms and death camps do not translate well into an open husband and wife relationship, positive role modeling, or good parenting.
Channa fears her husband will abandon her, does not trust strangers, and is suspicious of people and events she cannot not control. While Nathan works long hours to support his family, he avoids conflict and allows his wife to have her blunt way in family matters for better or worse. When Channa dies in 2004, the dysfunctional Poltzer family does not endure in peace because her will treats them all unfairly.
“Mom, what did you do to us?” Katzir asks rhetorically in the opening chapter as the adult children enter the family probate room with more animosity than love.
Readers must wait until the book’s powerful conclusion to learn how Nathan and his five children survive the financial tangle they’ve inherited. Before then, Katzir looks back in time to Poland and Czechoslovakia where Channa survives the pogroms by fleeing her crumbling neighborhood to join the Partisan fighters and where Nathan learns to work rather than await his fate in the barracks and otherwise to be as invisible as possible at Auschwitz and Dachau before he escapes from a prison train.
Katzir writes with great detail, searing honesty and a natural storyteller’s pacing as she traces the lives of Channa, Nathan, and their five children. The children grow up, marry and begin their own careers and families, and Channa has a strong hand in all of it. While the author might have shown us a stronger connection between her parents' attitudes as Holocaust survivors and their children’s resulting negative outlook on life and family, the memoir clearly shows that survival alone is not enough.
“During the war,” writes Katzir, “Dad and Mom had experienced the untimely loss of their families and suffered atrocities that corrupted their souls, and they ended up passing that damage along to their five children.”
At the end of the book, the broken birds bring their own wounded souls into the legal system to thrash out how they will divide the remains of their nest. In the process, they will decide whether family is stronger than money and then how to endure the results of their decision.
This story of survival, endurance and families is highly recommended.
June 30, 2011
Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila isn’t just a story about Channa, it is a story about the whole family. Every one of them is a broken bird. It was interesting reading about life for the Jews after World War II. Many books on World War II usually only tell about life during the war but not after it, so this book was eye-opening. I was especially intrigued when it came to the part where Jaclyn, her two brothers, and father journeyed back to his hometown and the concentration camps where he was held. I hadn’t realized before the amount of denial the Germans had about the Holocaust right after the war. They even made the concentration camps look better so that no one would really see the actual horrible conditions. Worse than that, they called the concentration camps “work camps” and glossed over the deaths in the gas chamber!
The writing style of the book was quite good albeit slightly casual. Since the narrator is Jaclyn, stories were told from her perspective and were quite biased. I would have loved to know how “the other” parties thought and felt. Sometimes it sounded like the book was her chance to write her story and point of view. I would also have loved it if there were more pictures for illustration purposes. Nothing beats a well-illustrated book with pictures at the right places!
Since this is a memoir with many references to history, readers have to enjoy reading about other people’s lives and experiences. After the middle of the book, the story was mainly focused on the family’s many feuds and it wore me out quickly. It isn’t nice reading about a family’s backbiting and fights, especially since those concerned are all adults. I thought that it was a sad thing that the family was so broken up with all the bad feelings against each other.
I did not have a particular favorite part in the book. Some parts were informative especially with issues pertaining to World War II and its aftermath. What I like about the whole story is that despite all the differences, each and every of Channa’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are a testimony to the fact that “Hitler had failed – the Poltzers had continued”.
I would recommend Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila to those who are interested in the effects of World War II’s aftermath. If you are looking for a story with a complete, happy family, then this book isn’t for you. There is nothing complete or truly happy about this family. At the end of the day, Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila can be a book of lessons for us. Every family faces a threat and is vulnerable to be broken up over any issues, even petty ones. It’s how each family deals with the issues that threaten to burn up their relationships that matter.
The writing style of the book was quite good albeit slightly casual. Since the narrator is Jaclyn, stories were told from her perspective and were quite biased. I would have loved to know how “the other” parties thought and felt. Sometimes it sounded like the book was her chance to write her story and point of view. I would also have loved it if there were more pictures for illustration purposes. Nothing beats a well-illustrated book with pictures at the right places!
Since this is a memoir with many references to history, readers have to enjoy reading about other people’s lives and experiences. After the middle of the book, the story was mainly focused on the family’s many feuds and it wore me out quickly. It isn’t nice reading about a family’s backbiting and fights, especially since those concerned are all adults. I thought that it was a sad thing that the family was so broken up with all the bad feelings against each other.
I did not have a particular favorite part in the book. Some parts were informative especially with issues pertaining to World War II and its aftermath. What I like about the whole story is that despite all the differences, each and every of Channa’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are a testimony to the fact that “Hitler had failed – the Poltzers had continued”.
I would recommend Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila to those who are interested in the effects of World War II’s aftermath. If you are looking for a story with a complete, happy family, then this book isn’t for you. There is nothing complete or truly happy about this family. At the end of the day, Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila can be a book of lessons for us. Every family faces a threat and is vulnerable to be broken up over any issues, even petty ones. It’s how each family deals with the issues that threaten to burn up their relationships that matter.
August 10, 2010
This review is from: Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila (Paperback)
"Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila"
Jeannette Katzir
ISBN:9780615274836 ISBN: 0615274838
I received "Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila" when I entered a contest at [...:]. I did not win, but I had marked that I wanted to read, and Ms. Katzir, contacted me asking if I was still interested in the book, I replied yes, and I ordered the book from Jeannette Katzir.
"Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila" is based on true events that shaped Channa Perschowski,a young Jewish girl from Poland,and with her brother Isaac as they ran from the Nazi's during WW11 and Nathan Poltzer, that she would meet and marry when he came to America after being freed from the Holocaust nightmare. This is Channa and Natham Poltzer's journey, and the start of the five Poltzer children lives in America. The events that are the consequences of lessons learned at their Momila knee, and the shaping of each of the Poltzer children's lives.
Channa teaches her five children to cling to each other, while teaching them to be suspicious of the outside world. When Channa dies years later, it rocks the bedrock foundation of the Poltzer children. The contents of her will, which forces her children to face years of suppressed indignation. The greatest war will not be with the outside world, but one another.
And years later Nathan, Shlomo, Jacyln, and Steven will journey back to his hometown of Uzhgorod. Walk with Nathan and his children as he comes full circle at where it all began for him. Learn about the Holocaust through his memories, and his anger at the cover-up of the events of the Holocaust. Walk with him during his final journey, a journey that only he could make, with the help of his children.
As I read this book, I discovered that we are all Broken Birds. I can relate to this story, because this in many ways was the way I grew up. Because to me, it was taking a journey back into my own past. I kept thinking Channa and all the women who came before her, was very strong women, that did survive.
The book is well written, and draws you within the pages, it makes you stop and think and reflect on your own past and your own belief's. I personally give this book 5 stars, because it is a keeper, and a book that you can pass on to your own children and grandchildren. Let the book bring out the lessons that each one of need to understand and how to relate to our siblings. And as Jaclyn learned, sometimes we just have to walk away from some of our own siblings. Let this book carry you on your own journey.
Jane Burdette
"Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila"
Jeannette Katzir
ISBN:9780615274836 ISBN: 0615274838
I received "Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila" when I entered a contest at [...:]. I did not win, but I had marked that I wanted to read, and Ms. Katzir, contacted me asking if I was still interested in the book, I replied yes, and I ordered the book from Jeannette Katzir.
"Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila" is based on true events that shaped Channa Perschowski,a young Jewish girl from Poland,and with her brother Isaac as they ran from the Nazi's during WW11 and Nathan Poltzer, that she would meet and marry when he came to America after being freed from the Holocaust nightmare. This is Channa and Natham Poltzer's journey, and the start of the five Poltzer children lives in America. The events that are the consequences of lessons learned at their Momila knee, and the shaping of each of the Poltzer children's lives.
Channa teaches her five children to cling to each other, while teaching them to be suspicious of the outside world. When Channa dies years later, it rocks the bedrock foundation of the Poltzer children. The contents of her will, which forces her children to face years of suppressed indignation. The greatest war will not be with the outside world, but one another.
And years later Nathan, Shlomo, Jacyln, and Steven will journey back to his hometown of Uzhgorod. Walk with Nathan and his children as he comes full circle at where it all began for him. Learn about the Holocaust through his memories, and his anger at the cover-up of the events of the Holocaust. Walk with him during his final journey, a journey that only he could make, with the help of his children.
As I read this book, I discovered that we are all Broken Birds. I can relate to this story, because this in many ways was the way I grew up. Because to me, it was taking a journey back into my own past. I kept thinking Channa and all the women who came before her, was very strong women, that did survive.
The book is well written, and draws you within the pages, it makes you stop and think and reflect on your own past and your own belief's. I personally give this book 5 stars, because it is a keeper, and a book that you can pass on to your own children and grandchildren. Let the book bring out the lessons that each one of need to understand and how to relate to our siblings. And as Jaclyn learned, sometimes we just have to walk away from some of our own siblings. Let this book carry you on your own journey.
Jane Burdette
February 6, 2017
Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila is by Jeannette Katzir. It is the story of her Mother and Father as well as the lasting effect the Holocaust has on her family. It is a very interesting book and it is not written in terms of a “normal” biography. It is a poignant story of the “broken” bonds the siblings have which are not that unusual for a family “broken” by war. Momila comes out of the war a much stronger person than one who went into it while Tat or Daddy comes across more as a “people pleaser”.
Nathan or Tat had come from a small town in the Ukraine in1926. He was the third born of Jeno Polczer and his second wife Jolin. Jeno had married Jolin to care for his five children from his first wife. Jeno operated a transportation business but was not very ambitious and could be found more often than not at the synagogue while his sons worked for the family. Even as a young child, Nathan worked well for the family. Jolin’s real income didn’t come from the sale of chickens but with her income from the black market with sugar. When Jeno was stopped while carrying a load of sugar, he told the officials that the sugar belonged to his wife. She was taken away. While she was gone, the family was rounded up with all other Jews and taken away. They were taken to Auschwitz where he last saw his family. He was taken to clean up the Warsaw Ghetto and then to Dachau and Maudorf. When released by the Americans, he joined Channa, Isaac and Leja and headed for America and a new life.
Channa (Momila) and her brother Isaac fled the Warsaw Ghetto into the forest to be with the partisans. With the help of her brother Isaac and Leja, a girl in the partisans, Channa became an integral part of the partisans. Luckily she survived and left for the US with her brother, Leja, and Nathan. She and Nathan married and set about creating a new life for themselves and their children.
Jeannette tells the story of her parents and the raising of their five children. The stories of their parents during the Holocaust is told in a swift manner as the story of their survival is more important to them as they face growing up as the children of Holocaust survivors. Channa’s early story is told In a fictitious manner in Jeannette’s book, Footprints in the Forest. Broken Birds tells her true story as well as that of her family .
Nathan or Tat had come from a small town in the Ukraine in1926. He was the third born of Jeno Polczer and his second wife Jolin. Jeno had married Jolin to care for his five children from his first wife. Jeno operated a transportation business but was not very ambitious and could be found more often than not at the synagogue while his sons worked for the family. Even as a young child, Nathan worked well for the family. Jolin’s real income didn’t come from the sale of chickens but with her income from the black market with sugar. When Jeno was stopped while carrying a load of sugar, he told the officials that the sugar belonged to his wife. She was taken away. While she was gone, the family was rounded up with all other Jews and taken away. They were taken to Auschwitz where he last saw his family. He was taken to clean up the Warsaw Ghetto and then to Dachau and Maudorf. When released by the Americans, he joined Channa, Isaac and Leja and headed for America and a new life.
Channa (Momila) and her brother Isaac fled the Warsaw Ghetto into the forest to be with the partisans. With the help of her brother Isaac and Leja, a girl in the partisans, Channa became an integral part of the partisans. Luckily she survived and left for the US with her brother, Leja, and Nathan. She and Nathan married and set about creating a new life for themselves and their children.
Jeannette tells the story of her parents and the raising of their five children. The stories of their parents during the Holocaust is told in a swift manner as the story of their survival is more important to them as they face growing up as the children of Holocaust survivors. Channa’s early story is told In a fictitious manner in Jeannette’s book, Footprints in the Forest. Broken Birds tells her true story as well as that of her family .
February 14, 2012
For the purpose of this review the author provided me with a Microsoft Word copy of her work, so I have not read the actual e-book.
This book is intended both as a memoir and a portrayal of the effects that the holocaust had on its survivors and their children. The first fourth of the book centers on the lives of the author's mother, Channa Perschowski, and father, Nathan Poltzer, beginning when these lives begin to unravel. Channa was taken by her brother Issac to join the resistance against the Nazis at the tender age of 12 while Nathan at age 18 was deported to a concentration camp. They both managed to survive their brutal ordeal but they lost their family and friends. These chapters were harrowing to read.
Eventually Nathan and Channa traveled to America, met and got married. When their first son was born Nathan thought to himself that "Hitler had not won" because his lineage would continue. As it turns out, even though Hitler indeed had not won, his poison had become embedded deeply in both Nathan and Channa.
The rest of the book chronicles how this poison affects their marriage and their children resulting in a deeply divided and dysfunctional family. Hence the title of the book: "Broken Birds." Jeannette Katzir deftly describes in minute detail and analyzes how her parent's insecurities, unresolved anger issues, and a mistrust of strangers verging on paranoia slowly spread over the years into her and her four siblings affecting everything from their choice of spouses to how their own children were treated.
We often have the notion that if a person survives a period of intense hardship that person can face whatever life throws at them. The author in this book dispels that myth. The skills that one may develop to survive a war may not be the ones required during peacetime to have a healthy marriage and raise balanced children.
Overall reading Jeannette Katzir's book was a powerful experience. It is both a very intimate look at the inner workings of a family affected by the holocaust and a slice of history that documents very trying times for a group of people persecuted for their race.
This book is intended both as a memoir and a portrayal of the effects that the holocaust had on its survivors and their children. The first fourth of the book centers on the lives of the author's mother, Channa Perschowski, and father, Nathan Poltzer, beginning when these lives begin to unravel. Channa was taken by her brother Issac to join the resistance against the Nazis at the tender age of 12 while Nathan at age 18 was deported to a concentration camp. They both managed to survive their brutal ordeal but they lost their family and friends. These chapters were harrowing to read.
Eventually Nathan and Channa traveled to America, met and got married. When their first son was born Nathan thought to himself that "Hitler had not won" because his lineage would continue. As it turns out, even though Hitler indeed had not won, his poison had become embedded deeply in both Nathan and Channa.
The rest of the book chronicles how this poison affects their marriage and their children resulting in a deeply divided and dysfunctional family. Hence the title of the book: "Broken Birds." Jeannette Katzir deftly describes in minute detail and analyzes how her parent's insecurities, unresolved anger issues, and a mistrust of strangers verging on paranoia slowly spread over the years into her and her four siblings affecting everything from their choice of spouses to how their own children were treated.
We often have the notion that if a person survives a period of intense hardship that person can face whatever life throws at them. The author in this book dispels that myth. The skills that one may develop to survive a war may not be the ones required during peacetime to have a healthy marriage and raise balanced children.
Overall reading Jeannette Katzir's book was a powerful experience. It is both a very intimate look at the inner workings of a family affected by the holocaust and a slice of history that documents very trying times for a group of people persecuted for their race.
March 7, 2012
Halfway through this book, I was determined to give it only one star.
First off, the author barely touched on the part of the story where her parents survive the Holocaust. There are plenty of books on that subject that go into much greater detail.
Secondly, I was frequently put off by what I perceived to be the authors extremely harsh judgement of selfishness and greed of others, which was mirrored by what seemed to be a complete lack of awareness of those qualities in herself. One example was the way she was so enraged when her sister decided she would no longer lie for her about where she lived so that she could get her children into a different school. It never seemed to occur to her that it was a lie to begin with, and that it wouldn't be very good if everyone circumvented the rules for their own benefit. I wondered, "Does she think that since her mother survived the Holocaust, she is entitled to grab every bit she can get for herself and her children?"
That was the "aha moment" that changed my mind about the book. How does a person survive such brutality? The persecuted Jews who followed the rules were more likely to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The survivors did so by grabbing every opportunity, every, crumb, every morsel - even at the expense of others - and long after, it wouldn't be surprising if their children continue this way of interacting with the world.
It's possible to disagree with the author's values, even feel put off by the personality of the author as it comes through in the book, and still find value in the work. The last sentence says it all: "We then were to suffer our own disillusionment and sadness at the destruction and loss of a family - a loss not caused by strangers, as Mom had always feared, but by ourselves, the broken birds we had all become.
This book isn't really about the Holocaust. The Holocaust is really just the exposition. Any traumatic background experience could lead to the same conclusion. This book will not go on the shelf next to the other books about the Holocaust. It goes on the shelf next to "The Family Crucible," and other books about family dysfunction.
First off, the author barely touched on the part of the story where her parents survive the Holocaust. There are plenty of books on that subject that go into much greater detail.
Secondly, I was frequently put off by what I perceived to be the authors extremely harsh judgement of selfishness and greed of others, which was mirrored by what seemed to be a complete lack of awareness of those qualities in herself. One example was the way she was so enraged when her sister decided she would no longer lie for her about where she lived so that she could get her children into a different school. It never seemed to occur to her that it was a lie to begin with, and that it wouldn't be very good if everyone circumvented the rules for their own benefit. I wondered, "Does she think that since her mother survived the Holocaust, she is entitled to grab every bit she can get for herself and her children?"
That was the "aha moment" that changed my mind about the book. How does a person survive such brutality? The persecuted Jews who followed the rules were more likely to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The survivors did so by grabbing every opportunity, every, crumb, every morsel - even at the expense of others - and long after, it wouldn't be surprising if their children continue this way of interacting with the world.
It's possible to disagree with the author's values, even feel put off by the personality of the author as it comes through in the book, and still find value in the work. The last sentence says it all: "We then were to suffer our own disillusionment and sadness at the destruction and loss of a family - a loss not caused by strangers, as Mom had always feared, but by ourselves, the broken birds we had all become.
This book isn't really about the Holocaust. The Holocaust is really just the exposition. Any traumatic background experience could lead to the same conclusion. This book will not go on the shelf next to the other books about the Holocaust. It goes on the shelf next to "The Family Crucible," and other books about family dysfunction.
June 21, 2016
Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila is Jeannette Katzir’s emotionally charged memoir about growing up as one of five children of Holocaust survivors. Katzir devotes much of the book to her relationship with her siblings — Shlomo, Shirley, Steven, and Nina — as they grow up, start careers and families, and try to stay close. Channa always told her children that family members can depend on one another, but strangers are not to be trusted. Thus, when Shirley, her husband Eric, and Steven turn to Jaclyn and her husband for help on the business front, Jaclyn finds it difficult to turn her siblings away. However, time and again they take advantage of her and her husband, and whenever Jaclyn stands up for her husband and what she believes to be right, the sibling bond is strained.
The arguments about money and failed business deals grow tiresome, and if I found it hard to read without becoming angry and having to shut the book and take a deep breath, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Jaclyn to have to constantly choose between doing what is right and being loyal to her siblings and the bonds created by blood. When the siblings discover that Channa altered her will to leave the family home to Steven alone, the real battle begins.
Katzir writes with an obvious love for her family, although she doesn’t sugar-coat the events that have transpired over the years. She talks about her mother’s distrust of her father, how Channa constantly worried that Nathan would leave her, and Channa’s belief that a little abuse is a normal part of marriage. She lays bare the hurt of Steven and Shirley’s numerous betrayals, and I believe it takes a great deal of courage to write something so honest about people so close to you.
I finished the book sad and emotionally drained, but a bit hopeful, as it became obvious that writing the book was part of the journey on Katzir’s road to healing.
Full review on Diary of an Eccentric.
The arguments about money and failed business deals grow tiresome, and if I found it hard to read without becoming angry and having to shut the book and take a deep breath, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Jaclyn to have to constantly choose between doing what is right and being loyal to her siblings and the bonds created by blood. When the siblings discover that Channa altered her will to leave the family home to Steven alone, the real battle begins.
Katzir writes with an obvious love for her family, although she doesn’t sugar-coat the events that have transpired over the years. She talks about her mother’s distrust of her father, how Channa constantly worried that Nathan would leave her, and Channa’s belief that a little abuse is a normal part of marriage. She lays bare the hurt of Steven and Shirley’s numerous betrayals, and I believe it takes a great deal of courage to write something so honest about people so close to you.
I finished the book sad and emotionally drained, but a bit hopeful, as it became obvious that writing the book was part of the journey on Katzir’s road to healing.
Full review on Diary of an Eccentric.
May 10, 2011
If you've ever been curious about the Holocaust and wanted to know more about what actually happened and the effects it left on survivors then this is the book for you. Jeannette Katzir brings you smack dab in the middle of it with Broken Birds: The Story of my Momila.
I can't say enough about this book. Katzir did such a fantastic job you feel the emotions from the beginning to the very end.
Channa and Nathan were caught in the middle of Hitler's Reign. Fighting to survive, they found each other. Though they loved each other and made it through some horrific times, surviving did not come without costs.
We are taken into the Holocaust, from Channa being on the run from Nazi soldiers to Nathan enduring concentration camps. This was so heart wrenching you had no choice but to want to save them yourself.
After Channa and Nathan marry, they have five children. Though the effects of the war are still imminent in their lives, they try to provide a loving home for their children.
We see these kids grow up, we see emotional conflict, and the worst is the sibling rivalry. I felt bad for two of the children, as they felt that they deserved everything without working for it.
It was amazing to me how Channa loved her children yet tried to control every aspect of their lives even after they were grown. Nathan always remained quiet, and took things in stride. Even after Channa departs from this world, her way of life still seemed to hold strong.
I have never read a book such as Broken Birds. I've always been curious as to what happened during this time and I will tell you that no history will ever have you feel the effects of war like this book. Katzir did a fantastic job with detail, drawing you in so deeply you had no choice but to feel. I highly recommend Broken Birds to get a real taste for what actually happened, the effects after and how that extends to the families.
I can't say enough about this book. Katzir did such a fantastic job you feel the emotions from the beginning to the very end.
Channa and Nathan were caught in the middle of Hitler's Reign. Fighting to survive, they found each other. Though they loved each other and made it through some horrific times, surviving did not come without costs.
We are taken into the Holocaust, from Channa being on the run from Nazi soldiers to Nathan enduring concentration camps. This was so heart wrenching you had no choice but to want to save them yourself.
After Channa and Nathan marry, they have five children. Though the effects of the war are still imminent in their lives, they try to provide a loving home for their children.
We see these kids grow up, we see emotional conflict, and the worst is the sibling rivalry. I felt bad for two of the children, as they felt that they deserved everything without working for it.
It was amazing to me how Channa loved her children yet tried to control every aspect of their lives even after they were grown. Nathan always remained quiet, and took things in stride. Even after Channa departs from this world, her way of life still seemed to hold strong.
I have never read a book such as Broken Birds. I've always been curious as to what happened during this time and I will tell you that no history will ever have you feel the effects of war like this book. Katzir did a fantastic job with detail, drawing you in so deeply you had no choice but to feel. I highly recommend Broken Birds to get a real taste for what actually happened, the effects after and how that extends to the families.
May 17, 2011
Date: 5/10/11
Title: Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila
Author: Jeanette Katzir
ISBN 10: 0615274838
ISBN 13: 978-0615274836
Pages: 376
Publisher: Jeanette Katzir
Cover: eBook ARC
Reviewer: Yolanda M, Johnson-Bryant– Literary Wonders!
Rating: 5 Stars
Broken Birds by Jeanette Katzir was a challenging read for me. And by challenging, I mean that I wouldn’t normally have read a book of this genre, however, I am glad that I did. Broken Birds shows that even in all of our differences, all races have something in common, whether it is struggle, family, values or conquests.
Broken Birds is narrated by Jaclyn, one of the five Poltzer children. Her mother Channa suffered much and was a survivor of the Holocaust. Ms. Katzir gives vivid imagery of the rise and fall of Hitler and how many were tortured and killed—this includes Channa and her family. Channa escaped to America and married Nathan Poltzer.
Although Nathan is the head of the family, Channa seems to be the glue of the family as she strives to keep her family together through the good and bad. And although Channa was very negative towards her children, she always wanted them to be forgiving towards one another.
Fat chance. Channa meets an untimely death and secrets and deceit emerge from every direction—secrets that are eventually played out in years of court battles. Thus questioning whether blood is really thicker than water.
Broken Birds is a lengthy read, but well worth it. I knew the basics of the holocaust but this book expanded my knowledge for this terrible time and I came to the realization that like African Americans and any other race that has been enslaved. We all have values we try to gel our families with and, we really are not that much different.
Kudos to Katzir for Broken Birds. I really enjoyed this one.
You’ve just experienced another Literary Wonders! 5 Star Review – Vid-review to follow!
Title: Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila
Author: Jeanette Katzir
ISBN 10: 0615274838
ISBN 13: 978-0615274836
Pages: 376
Publisher: Jeanette Katzir
Cover: eBook ARC
Reviewer: Yolanda M, Johnson-Bryant– Literary Wonders!
Rating: 5 Stars
Broken Birds by Jeanette Katzir was a challenging read for me. And by challenging, I mean that I wouldn’t normally have read a book of this genre, however, I am glad that I did. Broken Birds shows that even in all of our differences, all races have something in common, whether it is struggle, family, values or conquests.
Broken Birds is narrated by Jaclyn, one of the five Poltzer children. Her mother Channa suffered much and was a survivor of the Holocaust. Ms. Katzir gives vivid imagery of the rise and fall of Hitler and how many were tortured and killed—this includes Channa and her family. Channa escaped to America and married Nathan Poltzer.
Although Nathan is the head of the family, Channa seems to be the glue of the family as she strives to keep her family together through the good and bad. And although Channa was very negative towards her children, she always wanted them to be forgiving towards one another.
Fat chance. Channa meets an untimely death and secrets and deceit emerge from every direction—secrets that are eventually played out in years of court battles. Thus questioning whether blood is really thicker than water.
Broken Birds is a lengthy read, but well worth it. I knew the basics of the holocaust but this book expanded my knowledge for this terrible time and I came to the realization that like African Americans and any other race that has been enslaved. We all have values we try to gel our families with and, we really are not that much different.
Kudos to Katzir for Broken Birds. I really enjoyed this one.
You’ve just experienced another Literary Wonders! 5 Star Review – Vid-review to follow!
April 2, 2010
Jaclyn shares the story of her family and how they fought battles against the Nazis and each other.
Jaclyn’s mother, Channa Perschowski was born in a small town in Poland. Jaclyn’s father, Nathan Polczer came from a large family. When Channa was a little girl, she and her family fled from the Nazis. She later traveled to New York with some friends.
On January 29, 1948, Nathan Polctzer became Nathan Poltzer. He boarded a ship for New York. Once in New York, he found that his family didn’t really want him.
While attending a dance, Nathan meets Channa. Later they get married and have five children. Jaclyn and her brothers grow up…get married and have children of their own. Sadly when Channa dies, Jaclyn learns that sometimes the blood between families can be tainted.
Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila is inspired by author, Jeannette Katzir’s own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. I thought that Mrs. Katzir did a good job portraying life back then during World War II and the Holocaust. I always have found a fascination with reading stories in regards to the Holocaust. Some of my favorites were The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. I thought that this book fit nicely somewhere in the middle. While I enjoyed reading this book, I only became attached to a few people in this book and they were Channa, Nathan and Jaclyn. Not to say that the rest of the people won’t interesting but I just liked Channa, Nathan and Jaclyn better. So when the story pertained to them, I was more engaged in the story. Which is why at times, it seemed that the story dragged a bit. Overall, though, Broken Birds does fly with emotion and sorrow.
Jaclyn’s mother, Channa Perschowski was born in a small town in Poland. Jaclyn’s father, Nathan Polczer came from a large family. When Channa was a little girl, she and her family fled from the Nazis. She later traveled to New York with some friends.
On January 29, 1948, Nathan Polctzer became Nathan Poltzer. He boarded a ship for New York. Once in New York, he found that his family didn’t really want him.
While attending a dance, Nathan meets Channa. Later they get married and have five children. Jaclyn and her brothers grow up…get married and have children of their own. Sadly when Channa dies, Jaclyn learns that sometimes the blood between families can be tainted.
Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila is inspired by author, Jeannette Katzir’s own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. I thought that Mrs. Katzir did a good job portraying life back then during World War II and the Holocaust. I always have found a fascination with reading stories in regards to the Holocaust. Some of my favorites were The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. I thought that this book fit nicely somewhere in the middle. While I enjoyed reading this book, I only became attached to a few people in this book and they were Channa, Nathan and Jaclyn. Not to say that the rest of the people won’t interesting but I just liked Channa, Nathan and Jaclyn better. So when the story pertained to them, I was more engaged in the story. Which is why at times, it seemed that the story dragged a bit. Overall, though, Broken Birds does fly with emotion and sorrow.
July 5, 2011
I'm not entirely sure where to begin in my review for this book. Broken Birds is the story of a family growing up in the aftermath of the Holocaust. This story is dark, but what makes it so much more difficult to read is knowing that it is truth. Jaclyn, one of the five Poltzer children, is the narrator of the book and following her through her memories is heart wrenching to say the least.
A little bit of back story for you. Channa, the mother of these children, was a survivor of the Holocaust. Despite everything she managed to escape, and even made it to America to marry a decent man. However she cannot seem to let go of the images and memories that have become a part of her. She just can't seem to make the switch to loving mother and parent.
What I enjoyed most about reading this memoir was honesty that brims off of every page. There is no screen here. Nothing to separate the reader from the atrocities that are being remembered on every page. However even when things seem bleak, there is always that glimmer of hope that the family might persevere. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll end here. Still it's a definite truth that this is a book well worth your time.
Broken Birds was definitely not a book that was an easy read. It is filled with anguish, deceit, and horrific acts that are burned into the memories of the people within it. However, in terms of memoirs, this is definitely one of the most intriguing ones that I have ever read. Under all the pain and darkness, Jeanette Katzir shares with us the power of human survival and understanding. I know that this isn't something I would have normally read on my own, and so I thank Katzir for offering it to me for review. A tough read definitely, but one that is well worth it.
A little bit of back story for you. Channa, the mother of these children, was a survivor of the Holocaust. Despite everything she managed to escape, and even made it to America to marry a decent man. However she cannot seem to let go of the images and memories that have become a part of her. She just can't seem to make the switch to loving mother and parent.
What I enjoyed most about reading this memoir was honesty that brims off of every page. There is no screen here. Nothing to separate the reader from the atrocities that are being remembered on every page. However even when things seem bleak, there is always that glimmer of hope that the family might persevere. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll end here. Still it's a definite truth that this is a book well worth your time.
Broken Birds was definitely not a book that was an easy read. It is filled with anguish, deceit, and horrific acts that are burned into the memories of the people within it. However, in terms of memoirs, this is definitely one of the most intriguing ones that I have ever read. Under all the pain and darkness, Jeanette Katzir shares with us the power of human survival and understanding. I know that this isn't something I would have normally read on my own, and so I thank Katzir for offering it to me for review. A tough read definitely, but one that is well worth it.
June 19, 2010
I was given this book free to review--free books rock! I've been pondering how to explain my thinking about this book and have come up with this analogy. Although I realize it probably fits best with my experience, I'm sure some of you will understand my meaning. Reading Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila is like running a marathon. You're glad you did it. It was long. It took dedication and hard work, but at least for me, I'll never do it again. It was painful. Too painful to want to read a second time. There were many times I wanted to put it down because the fighting between the siblings was just so sad and depressing I didn't want to know how it could get worse...and you know it's supposed to get worse because it says so in the opening chapter. It seems so awful that siblings would fight so bitterly. Their relationships are so horrible because of their own actions, and yet they still can't seem to stop. Maybe I'm alone in my desire to not read things that make me sad, but that is truthfully the reason I didn't give this book a higher rating than 3.5. Am I glad I read it? Yes. Have I learned a lot from it? Yes. But, you know my thoughts on the matter.
October 5, 2011
I took the book on holiday with me not expecting great things when i read the back cover notes. The premise of the story is that it follows one family through the years (starting present day then going back a couple of generations before moving towards present day again) It's based on Jeanettes own family life and struggles. I started reading it and got so involved in it that hours flew by, it took me 3 days to read it and that was only really at night. I found it a good read and very well written although there being some discreptencies in how it was written. For instance there was a lot of background info on some family members and not a lot on others when maybe it could have done with being the other way round. That aside it's 373 pages kept me wishing for more. all in all a good book (if slightly harrowing at times) to read. a thumbs up from me
August 17, 2010
I am fascinated by all acts of depravity done to humans by humans. The Holocaust, then, is one of those subjects I can never stray far from. However, I have never read a book that focused on the effect of the Holocaust on the next generation.
While the psychology student in me was very interested in the effects that were being shown, the drama-hating part of me was very disturbed. I was both fascinated and angered that so many family members could treat each other so terribly and then be expected to be forgiven time and time again. Even more disturbing was the fact that most did not see the damage being inflicted or believe it was their fault.
I did enjoy reading this book, but it did feel a lot like I was rubbernecking on a terrible accident on the highway.
While the psychology student in me was very interested in the effects that were being shown, the drama-hating part of me was very disturbed. I was both fascinated and angered that so many family members could treat each other so terribly and then be expected to be forgiven time and time again. Even more disturbing was the fact that most did not see the damage being inflicted or believe it was their fault.
I did enjoy reading this book, but it did feel a lot like I was rubbernecking on a terrible accident on the highway.
December 6, 2010
Jeannette Katzir tells her parents' story of living through the holocaust and then later how they both came to America, met and started their family. Through Jeannette's eyes the reader learns how our past effects greatly our future. Channa comes from a different area in the Holocaust than that of Ann Frank or Corrie ten Boon. Each has their own survival story and they all will put chills down your back when your eyes are open to what the survivors had to endure for great periods of time in their lives. This book will certainly have you wanting to learn more about what comes next in their life. I was so glad that the author contacted me to review her memoir I totally enjoyed reading this book; however, be warned there are some curse words used.
February 6, 2011
From my book review blog Rundpinne...."Broken Birds by Jeannette Katzir is a memoir unlike others I have read, it is almost two separate memoirs told as one. In one part, the reader is taken into the dark days of the Holocaust, which is vividly portrayed through the eyes of Channa Perschowski, and Nathan Poltzer. As one would expect, the subject matter is very bleak and grim, and yet against odds, Channa and Nathan both survive the Holocaust and eventually meet in the United States, where the second storyline comes in, one of love, hope, and a future."...The full review may be read here.
October 27, 2011
I started reading Broken Birds cursorily at first intending to settle down to it later. I wish I hadn't opened the book, I missed my dinner, and my breakfast as well. I was held spellbound. I raged, cried, and was fearful as I lived through the dark years of humanity in the second world war with Channa. Her lost childhood that never made her able to live the future sucessfully. A love that stayed unsure and tormented. I wished I could bring her back to life and show her the love of her children and how she ought to have been a parent. I also took some needed hard lessons on what parenting ought to be. It is a truly amazing book.
January 1, 2011
I am a huge fan of memoirs, but not all books capture my attention and pull me in like Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila did. Channa and Nathan are Holocaust survivors, and their experiences during the war along with their eventual escape and move to America are chronicled in an emotionally gripping and painfully honest way. Once in America, they marry and begin to raise a family, but the scars of the war are so deep that dysfunction within the family is inevitable and deeply rooted. Both elements of the story had me deeply engrossed and fascinated the whole way through.
February 20, 2014
This book was interesting in a few different ways... Of course the Holocaust history portion in the beginning is horribly tragic and captivating as I find most biographical writings of that time. But the middle part of the book had my emotions all over the map! I found myself judging the author and her review of family members whining at times but also brutally honest about her broken family dynamics. As much as I believe children should honor their parents, maybe her honest depiction of their faults combined with her unwavering love for them is the ultimate honor?
July 14, 2010
I'm not sure why but I found this book hard to put done while at the same time feeling like I was invading the private world of one disfunctional family. A good moral to this story is the old adage that money trumps family relationships. The historical context the WWII was interestingly portrayed. I would recommend this book.
June 24, 2009
A MUST READ!
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