A Hidden Childhood: A Jewish Girl's Sanctuary in a French Convent, 1942-1945 - Softcover

Weinstein, Frida Scheps

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15 ratings by Goodreads

9780809054442: A Hidden Childhood: A Jewish Girl's Sanctuary in a French Convent, 1942-1945

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0809054442 ISBN 13: 9780809054442

Publisher: Hill & Wang, 1985

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Book by Weinstein, Frida Scheps

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Language Notes:

Text: English, French (translation)

From School Library Journal:

YA Young people will find gripping the intense feelings of the narrator in this true story. A young Jewish girl, ``F,'' has been living with her mother in Paris during World War II. As the Germans occupy Paris, she is sent to a distant convent school. She copes with this new situation by immersing herself in the religious environment, finding beauty and security in the daily ritual of convent life. The story is made more powerful by its first-person present tense narration. The church, the sisters, and the students are all described with the wonderment of a child's first encounter. Yet ``F'' never quite belongs. From time to time a hand-knitted garment or a few words will remind her of her family. She conjectures uneasily about her mother's fate. Weinstein's experience demonstrates the humanity and courage of those who harbored a few of the hunted youngsters; it also attests to the evils of a regime that required that a child deny her identity to save her life. Young adults will relate to the child's feelings of ambivalence toward her parents and her background, as she struggles for acceptance. The honest expression of feelings about herself and others make this a valuable addition to any collection for young adults. Rita G. Keeler, St. John's School, Houston

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