Good morning!
This month we read Sarah's Key for the Traveling PhoBookClub and the February book will be The Book Thief. This is another World War II book and it takes place in Germany. I've heard a lot of really great things about it so I'm pretty excited for it!
So.
Sarah's Key took place primarily in Paris, France.
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This book was really emotional and heartbreaking, but it was so well-written that I still found myself excited to pick it back up again. It focused on Sarah and her Jewish family, who were rounded up in the Vel' d'Hiv' during World War II. I had never even heard of the the Vel' d'Hiv' so I looked it up while reading the book and was even more struck by how well the author painted such a vivid and upsetting picture.
This book certainly isn't light reading by any means, but it is a well-written, quick read that will definitely tear at your heart. I very much recommend it if you're able to take it!
And now, for the discussion! I'll ask a few questions below, and those of you who have read the book can answer any of them you'd like. Feel free to add your own questions as well!
Had you ever heard of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ before this book?
ReplyDeleteNever! I actually looked it up to be sure it was real and not also fiction. It's insane that we're taught all about Nazis and Germany but nothing about France. They are just as guilty!
DeleteNo I hadn't and I read alot of these books on the holocaust and had never read anything about what the french did too the jews living there. So upsetting...
DeleteNo! I thought it was fiction at first. When I found out it WAS in fact real, I was upset at my past history teachers for never mentioning it. UGH!
DeleteI also had to look it up. It was pretty surprising to me, how many things I found in which people claimed they'd never heard of it until reading the book/seeing the movie!
DeleteA few reviews I read felt the story was weakened by Julia’s perspective. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteIn a way, yes. I really wish there was more from Sarah's perspective, especially toward the end. The last few chapters were just Julia's chapters and I really wanted more from Sarah. Especially her life after!
DeleteI didn't think so. But I also think it would have been good if it had been written from Sarah's perspective especially as she grew up, got married and had a baby. It left it to our imagination how guilty and sad you was.
DeleteI did want to read more from Sarah's persepective, but I didn't necessarily think Julia's perspective weakened the story. I think her personal issues were what made the ending work.
DeleteRyan is taking a very interesting history/economics class right now in which the teacher has really enlightened the class to a lot of “shady” things our government has done but not made public via media. Do you know of any other books that discuss things our/another country has done but kept somewhat quiet about?
ReplyDeleteThe one I think about quickly is Pat Tillman. He was a Cardinals football player and was killed in the war. Initially the government told his family he was killed in an ambush, then they realized something fishy went on and they said it was actually by friendly fire. His family asked for the reports an everything on it because they way they explained it, there was no way it could have been accidental, meaning he was intentionally killed by one of his men. The book his mom wrote, The Pat Tillman story, goes into detail and has different reports. The whole story was insane and made me distrust the government even more!
DeleteOh that's right, I completely forgot about Pat Tillman! I am going to have to read more about him now. Do you remember specifically what book you read?
DeleteIt's called 'The Pat Tillman Story'. I didn't expect to finish it because it's pretty long, but I stayed up late into the night and finished it in two days...I couldn't put it down!
DeleteThx, I'll look for it soon!!
DeletePregnancy hormones might of course have something to do with it, but this book made me very emotional. I think the subject matter was so intense and upsetting on its own though, so I'm curious, did it effect you emotionally?
ReplyDeleteI cried a ton reading this book! it just reminded me so much of my own kids.
DeleteIt did. I think more than anything it's because the information was new to me. We've been hearing about the Nazis doing bad things since we were kids, but we weren't told about thousands of others who were subjected to their own torture. It makes them seem even more forgotten.
DeleteYes. It is so unimaginable what those people went through. Every step of it. Living in fear, leaving your loved ones behind thinking they would be safer and never seeing them again. Having you child taken away from you and on and on. And how could the police, nazis or whatever those guards were - do what they did and see what they saw and ever live with themselves. I've seen the movie too and it is very good also but you just cant imagine that that could've happened. And these weren't even the concentration camps which were even worse.
DeleteI had just given birth a few weeks before reading this book - and I would definitely say it made my hormones/emotions really wonky.
DeleteI've wondered about that too Renee. It is of course horrible for all of the Jewish people, as well as their non-Jewish friends and family members who witnessed awful things and lost them... but we often forget about some of the policemen involved. I have to wonder if there were any others like the main one in Sarah's story (forget his name, sorry!) who were doing what they were doing with fear and guilt in their hearts. It doesn't excuse the crimes, of course, but it is sad to think that people may have felt "forced" to do such horrible things to keep themselves/their families safe.
DeleteAnd actually, someone mentions that in the movie. Julia's character looks at them incredulously and says "How could you know what you would have done in that position?" or something similar. Very good point.
DeleteHad you been in Julia's position, would have gone to such great lengths to find Sarah's family?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I don't know how I would have gone about it, but I would feel like there is too much of a connection and I'd feel like I'd need to talk to her or her family.
DeleteI sure would have liked to have known what happened if I would have had the means as she did to look into it all. It would be alot of work and time though.
DeleteI do think I would have looked for Sarah. I'm not sure about finding her son, but the emotional connection Julia had makes it very understandable to me.
DeleteThe husband told me about the history of Vel' d'Hiv before I saw the film- Sarah's Key with Kristin Scott Thomas playing the journalist who discovers and finds Sarah's family. It was very emotional and I remember crying a lot watching this beautiful film.
ReplyDeleteI watched the movie after the book and yes, very emotional! I cried too.
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