Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon
Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon
Thanks to Rachel Tarlow Gul of Over the River Public Relations, I am giving away one print copy of Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon.
Description of Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon
Esfir Manevich is a young Jewish girl who lives in the Polish town of Kobrin in 1936. Facing anti-Semitism in public school, Esfir moves in with her charming aunt who runs a boardinghouse in the bustling city of Brest. Being younger than the other boarders, Esfir struggles to find a place in her new life, all the while worrying about her diminishing role in the family she left behind. As the years pass, Esfir experiences the bombing of her hometown during the German invasion of 1939.
When the Russians overtake the area, Esfir sees many of her socialist relatives and friends become disillusioned by the harsh restrictions. During the German occupation, Esfir and her family are enclosed in a ghetto where they develop heartbreaking methods of survival. In the summer of 1942, shortly before Esfir’s thirteenth birthday, the ghetto is liquidated and the inhabitants are forced onto cattle cars destined for the killing fields and Esfir must face unimaginable horror.
Praise for Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon
“Never didactic, Simon’s characters—the charismatic Aunt Perl, astute Ida, and unprejudiced Ania—are refreshingly complex, and the prose, whether depicting a beloved doll or coffinlike cattle cars, remains unflinching and precise. Though its scope is ambitious (a span of approximately 16 years), this story, like Esfir herself, is achingly alive. An appended Yiddish glossary and discussion questions further enhance the text.” — Briana Shemroske, Booklist
“[Readers] will stay rooted in the everyday triumphs and growing pains of the narrator’s development from little girl to young lady, all while becoming more familiar with the facets of pre-Holocaust existence not often taught in class.” — School Library Journal
“Based on the true story of the German and Russian occupation of Poland during WWII and the real life of Esfir Manevich, Andrea Simon’s Esfir is Alive is the haunting tale of one girl’s struggle ‘to make sense of senseless things.’” – Foreword Reviews
About Andrea Simon
Andrea Simon is the author of the memoir “Bashert: A Granddaughter’s Holocaust Quest,” as well as several published stories and essays. She is the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the winner of the Ernest Hemingway First Novel Contest, two Dortort Creative Writing Awards, the Stark Short Fiction Prize, the Short Story Society Award, and the Authors in the Park Short Story Writing Contest.
She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the City College of New York where she has taught writing. Also an accomplished photographer, Andrea lives in New York City.
Giveaway of Esfir Is Alive by Andrea Simon
This giveaway is open to worldwide and ends on November 25, 2016 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Sounds like a heartbreaking story but set in a time and place we all must try to remember. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
..and, Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great day!!
This book sounds memorable, unforgettable and meaningful. The era, the setting, the circumstances all interest me as I am Jewish and read many Holocaust novels. Thanks.
Sounds very intriguing. Thanks.
My Grandmother’s family lived in Poland throughout WWII and later in Communist Poland. I know the horrors, that they lived through. They were turned in for helping Jewish families and had to escape in the dead of the night during the middle of February.
They must have been very brave! I would be proud to have such ancestors. What a fascinating family history you have, Denise.
My mother’s cousin was 8 years old and remembers watching Jewish villagers being chased out of the village. There were Nazi snipers on the roofs of the only way out and they shot at the people as they tried to flee.
The raids always came in the middle of the night and there were often warnings. His mother hid him under birch branches, which were used for kindling. First she wrapped him in several layers of quilts, since it was winter. He developed a bad case of pneumonia.
and would you believe a wife of a relative turned them in? She wanted the quilts, that the Jewish people brought with them and she coveted the barn of my grandmother’s family!
I would believe it — what strange contrasts of heroism and cowardice this story (and this period in history generally) presents. One sees the best and worst of human nature! Thanks for sharing, Denise. Cheers, Kara S
Historical fiction about this time and place is bound to be compelling; if the author is as skilled as she’s said to be, I expect this will be a very rewarding read. Thanks for bringing this book to my attention, Teddy, and for the chance to win, of course. Cheers, Kara S
Thanks so much for all your encouraging comments, and to Teddy for selecting “Esfir” for this great honor.
Angela, we share a family name. Simon was the name of my grandmother’s family.
Sorry Andrea.
The setting the time in history sounds fascinating