The Young Survivors (inspired by a true story)

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I really loved reading this book. It is a beautifully constructed novel which provides a window into the experiences of French Jews during World War Two, in an extremely engaging way. Inspired by the poignant, true story of the author’s mother, this moving historical novel conveys the hardship, the uncertainty and the impossible choices the Laskowski children were forced to make to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

Even if we study at school about the Holocaust and we have watched, probably, hundreds of movies about it, I still can’t shake the dreadful feelings I feel when reading the survivors testimonies.. this book based on the author’s mother story is heartbreaking. Those innocent kids having to endure so much pain and experiencing such a traumatising fate.. and when everything is over they are left with the grief of loosing their loved ones, at the expenses of a group of fanatics.. honestly it just upsets me! Five siblings struggle to stay together as the tides of war threaten to tear them apart. When Germany invades France in the Second World War, the five Laskowski children lose everything: their home, their Jewish community and most devastatingly their parents who are abducted in the night.

‘We never talked about the Holocaust at home’

The harrowing journey that these children went through, and all that they lost, was horrible and heartbreaking. The chapters alternated with different siblings and the reader was able to see those alternate viewpoints which added to the complexity of the novel. We see their journey throughout this devastating time. Set between 1938-1945 in France the story follows the plight of a Jewish family. There are some truly heart-breaking scenes to read. The five siblings have a strong bond and love for each other. Along the way they meet the very good and the completely evil. The youngsters are so brave, even the youngest twins who were born in 1938.

Paulette died long before the work was written. Barnes says “I wouldn’t have been able to write it while my mother was still alive. But on the other hand, I’m very sorry that she won’t be able to read it. I know so much more about her life as a child than she ever knew. The only thing she remembered about the whole war was taking holy communion while she was hidden by nuns and that it was nice. It was nice because they got something to eat, something to drink. Being hated for merely the circumstances of being born Jewish is horrendous. This quote sums it all up. I found it extremely powerful and absolutely heart-breaking:Even before her mother’s death in 2010, Barnes had started trying to look into her story. It was known that Paulette was a hidden child, though the details were hazy, “We didn’t speak about it at home. It was obviously something that really was very painful for Mum. And it was just easier for her, for everyone, to just not discuss it. And that’s why we didn’t watch films about the Holocaust and I didn’t read books about it.” At university, in the mid 60s, I met the Jamaican politician Trevor Munro – a postgraduate at the time. He told me to read Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams. It laid out the inseparable connection between Britain and the empire and how the country’s wealth was underpinned by the transatlantic slave trade and the plantations of the Caribbean territories. A haunting account... a devastating story of twins separated, of grandparents, parents and cousins, entire families, disappeared – a story that had to be told.' Elizabeth Fremantle

The Young Survivors by Debra Barnes is a marvellous historical debut novel. It is completely absorbing and I could not put it down. The majority of Holocaust literature, both factual and fiction, focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, but in many cases the impact on Western Europe Jewry was just as dramatic. In all, approximately 77,000 Jews living on French territory perished in concentration camps and killing centres—the overwhelming majority of them at Auschwitz—or died in detention on French soil. The Young Survivors gives insight into their journeys and the experiences of those who survived. A poignant and gripping debut. Set against the darkest days of WWII, the novel reminds us that the bonds of family and the power of love can never be extinguished.' Alyson Richman, bestselling author of The Lost Wife

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Debra said, "I wanted to write this story to shed light on the fate of Jews in France during the war, something which is not often considered. The book is dedicated to my mother who managed to live a full and happy life despite the horrors of the Holocaust. I often wondered how she managed to live with the burden of having survived when her twin sister perished, something she never spoke about. This is one of those impossible to put down books. You know the ones where the pacing, the chapter breaks etc are all perfectly timed so you keep reading 'just one more bit', until you are late for making dinner, or have stayed up too late?' The post war reconnection of family after the war, would have been a mammoth effort on the part of multiple agencies. So many unbelievable stories, of survival, of loss, and of hope. Her day job for the Association of Jewish Refugees is to record for posterity the life stories of survivors and emigrés. But ever since she took up the position she’s known she had her own story to tell, one which had been weighing on her for some time. In July this year it resulted in the publication of her debut novel, based closely on the painful experiences of her mother Paulette as a little girl during the war. But Barnes grew up with a sense of guilt and also “that I needed to do everything in my power to make her happy”.

aѕ мore people reтυrned ғroм тнe caмpѕ or нιdιng placeѕ, тнe нoтel lυтeтιa waѕ a ғaѕcιnaтιng place тo вe. ғaмιlιeѕ ѕoввed joy aѕ тнey were reυnιтed ιn one oғ ιтѕ мany rooмѕ. ѕυrvιvorѕ were тreaтed lιĸe royalтy; ιdenιтιeѕ and opтιмιѕм ғor тнe ғυтυre were reтυrned тнroυgн newѕpaperѕ and paѕѕporтѕ. вυт ғor тнe ѕυrvιvorѕ wιтн ғaмιlιeѕ wнo dιd noт reтυrn, нope waѕ ѕмaѕнed тo pιeceѕ; ғaмιlιeѕ deѕтroyed ғorever and lιveѕ вroĸen вeyond repaιr." A haunting account... a devastating story of twins separated, of grandparents, parents and cousins, entire families, disappeared – a story that had to be told.' Elizabeth Fremantle When Germany invades France in the Second World War, the five Laskowski children lose everything: their home, their Jewish community and most devastatingly their parents who are abducted in the night. There is no safe place left for them to evade the Nazis, but they cling together, never certain when the authorities will come for what is left of them.

About this book

I especially liked the way the book describes events through the eyes of the different siblings, showing how different ages understand and experience things very differently according to their personal needs and interests. While the eldest son rises nobly to the responsibility conferred to him as the new head of the family, his younger brother finds intrigue and teenage camaraderie in the various new situations that he experiences. At kindergarten age their younger sister’s needs are still very primal and she instinctively trusts the adults around her. Debra is the debut author of The Young Survivors.The book was inspired by her mother, Paulette, who was born in France in 1938 and lost her parents and two siblings in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, including her twin sister at just six years old. I especially liked the way the book describes events through the eyes of the different siblings, showing how different ages understand and experience things very differently according to their personal needs and interests. While the eldest son rises nobly to the responsibility conferred to him as the new head of the family, his younger brother finds intrigue and teenage camaraderie in the various new situations that he experiences. At kindergarten age their younger sister’s needs are st I absolutely loved this book. So brilliantly told that I felt connected to all the characters and their experiences. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.'