The Holocaust Lady

The sequel to The Cage and To Life continues Sender's account of her struggle to build a new life in America, her battle to cope with her horrific memories of the Holocaust, her decision to tell her story, and her career as a teacher of Jewish history.

Grade 6-8-- Holocaust survivor Riva Senderowicz writes emotionally about her adjustment to a new life in America, her permanent psychological scars, and the motivations that led to her write The Cage (1986) and To Life (1988, both Macmillan) . Both she and her husband suffer from nightmares; however, he rarely speaks of the past and his feelings. She is clearly tormented by her horrific loses and fears. She hears the voices of the dead calling her to remember them and tell others of the Holocaust so that all will learn from and therefore not repeat the past. Unfortunately, this autobiography lacks the impact of Sender's earlier books and others like it. The important messages come through loud and clear, but parts of the book are repetitive not only in and of themselves, but also with The Cage . That title can be easily read and is accessible to all but the most reluctant readers. This one will probably sit on the shelf.
- Susan Rosenkoetter, Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As in her previous memoirs, Sender affectingly and courageously bridges the vast abyss between adult knowledge of the Holocaust and youthful need and desire to learn about this crucial subject. Where The Cage and To Life described Sender's experiences in Nazi ghettos and death camps and, after liberation, in refugee camps, this volume focuses on the particular burdens borne by the survivor. Sender writes movingly of coming to America with her husband and young children in 1950, and she draws on specific moments to convey the impact of immigration. For example, not yet having been granted citizenship in 1952, Sender is unable to vote in the senatorial election but distributes campaign leaflets with her three small sons. ("You are free to choose your leaders," she tells an apathetic man. "Do not give up that freedom."). More painfully, she demonstrates how traumatic memories can be triggered by ordinary incidents: when she is made to show documents before crossing into Canada; when her children ask about their grandparents; when she sees a group of German tourists on the subway, some of whom are "the right age to have been my guards." Scenes from her own career as a writer and witness to the Holocaust provide a solid and unusual structure in this commendable book. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.