Surviving The Forest (World War II Brave Women Fiction)

Surviving the Forest
This is a beautifully written story about one woman’s life during the horrific days of the German occupation of Poland. This book was written in a style that could be enjoyed by readers young and old. I would recommend this book for fans of “The Diary of Anne Frank”.Sarah “Shurka”Shidlovsky is a normal young woman, starting out her married life with her beloved husband, Avraham, when rumors of Adolf Hitler and his hatred of Jews start to be heard. Soon, Shurka and her family decide to hide in the Parczew Forest. All her life, Shurka has been told that the forest is not a safe place, but now she has to put aside her fears in order to save herself and her family.It is hard to imagine living in a forest without housing, having to dig bunkers in the ground in order to have shelter. Then, when you finally get settled into this home, you have to pick up and move again. Shurka and her family shuffle from bunker to bunker, venturing to stay in granaries during the winter months, surviving on meager rations and no safety. Those who are brave enough (or greedy enough) to help Jews are in danger of death from the Germans.This was an amazing story, well written and full of the dangers and horrors of the times. The author does a wonderful job in her descriptions of the areas, the people, their hopes and their fears. I have read many Holocaust stories and have always wondered why people living in those times didn’t heed the warnings to get away from Hitler’s occupation. In this book, the author relates several instances that make it easier to see that it wouldn’t have been an easy decision to make. In our modern times, we often forget that communication during the late 1930’s was mostly through word of mouth instead of our instant worldwide news.I am always amazed at the resiliency of the human spirit that shines through in stories of Holocaust survivors. Even though it was a horrific time, full of suffering and death, there is always a light at the end of it. The deaths of Shurka’s family during their attempt to stay safe were heartbreaking and the author writes it in such a way that the reader feels every tear. The addition of the immigration of Jews to the new homeland of Israel that was included in this book was very enlightening also.I was given a chance to read this book through a review group, but this review is entirely my own opinion.

Stunning educational real life story!
5 starts as I am not allowed to do 100! I have read a lot of Holocaust stories over the years. This one truly shows how and why hatred, suspicion and prejudices proliferate and how lack of knowledge can cause tragic harm. And it still lives today. Sadly, as a child, I was taught that Jews killed Jesus. As I aged and read more I found that it was a despicable lie. I was raised a Catholic! I had many friends in San Francisco of different races and religions. We all got along well until older people started spreading lies. I was in 2nd grade when I first learned African Americans were slaves, my second best friend, that my first best friend, Japanese, had family that lived in WW II internment camps. As a 2nd grader, I was shocked and appalled. Just an idea of me.I recommend that this book be required reading in junior high and high school and urge that Holocaust survivors be listened to, teach, be respected and be world class leaders, as are the Jews of Israel and the state/country of Israel.There are too many lies told and ignorance, fear, disrespect, suspicions and old tales!By all rights, in today’s world, Israel and then America are the leading opponents to such tragedies.So sad and may G-d bless all of the Jewish people and Israel. Meanwhile, currently, America needs to pull itself up by the bootstraps.After reading so many stories this 65 year old geezer has placed visiting Israel and learning Judaism at the top of the list in my Bucket list.

Disappointing narration but amazing story line
Mixed review. The storyline is good and the historical references are great. It is a heroic story, one not often discussed in WWII books. If you can hang on with the narrator then the voice will grow on you. It is not a typical “Audible” narrator and not overly professional. In Chapter 23 you hear the narrator clear their throat and repeat phrases. Also this narrator does not do different voices for the characters so in the beginning hard to follow. Overall the 3 is for the narration, but the storyline is heroic.

Good!
Excellent story! Good read!

Found this novel very moving. The Jewish ghettos in the cities tend to get highlighted more. However this novel opens with the story of a Jewish family in a village in the east of Poland in the years running up to World War 2. Their life seemed idyllic . An insight is given into a community where Jewish religious ritual and folklore flourished, even though some anti- Jewish feeling is evident , largely elsewhere, in the country.And of course the proverbial stormclouds gather, and they just hope and pray for the best. Obviously with hindsight ,the naivety and refusal to see the danger that so many displayed becomes painful to read. Without spoiling the plot, the family end up hiding in the forest in a bid to avoid being permanently confined in a ghetto then being deported. Reminds me of the film ‘Defiance’ . Faced with the threat of capture by the Germans, Polish informants, partisans who were not sympathetic to the Jews, the family survive. Beautifully written, parts of the tale remind me of late 20th century magical realism with historical notes interjected. I am trying to place where the novel it set…..seems to be in the further east of the section of Poland that the Germans took…..the Soviet Union took a large swathe of the east of country following the German invasion.The tone of the novel is very critical of the Polish antisemitism of the era and the prejudice that Jewish survivors faced when returning to their homes in Poland. Overall a fascinating read.

I wonder how anybody survived hiding in the forest in the cold, and having to move camp regularly to avoid detection. This is a good (true) story and well worth a read.