Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
8.3
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Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous...
Karley Sciortino recommended Iphigenia in Forest Hills: Anantomy of a Murder Trial in Books (curated)
Son Of Saul (2015)
10.0
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October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando,...
Rome and Jerusalem
Book
In Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations, Martin Goodman explores the history of a...
The Assistant
Book
Frank Alpine, a drifter fleeing from his past, runs straight into struggling Brooklyn grocer Morris...
Disobedience
Book
Ronit has left London and transformed her life. She has become a cigarette-smoking, wise-cracking,...
Europa Blues
Book
A Greek gangster arrives in Stockholm, only to be murdered in a macabre fashion at Skansen zoo, his...
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) in Movies
Nov 24, 2017 (Updated Nov 24, 2017)
Dr. Jan Zabinski was the director of the Warsaw Zoo in the 1930's, and along with his wife Antonina and young son, they ensured the safety and care of animals in the area. Their life came to an abrupt halt with the German invasion of Poland in 1939, when most of their animals and structures were destroyed in the bombings and siege of the city. The zoo was closed under German occupation, but the Zabinskis continued to occupy the villa, and the zoo itself was used first as a pig farm and subsequently as a fur farm. All the while, Dr Zabinski smuggled Jewish people out of the Warsaw Ghetto and aided their way out of city, not before allowing them to stay in their own house. He was injured while fighting in the Polish resistance, but the couple were given an honorary title by Yad Vashem (Israel's official memorial for Jewish victims of the Holocaust) for their brave efforts.
Similar in the vein of films such as @Schindler's List (1993), there is an element of a saviour complex in these films, but unlike Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winner, it is less extravagant and less well-made, as there was very little engagement with the Jewish characters - focusing more on Antonina, played by Jessica Chastain. It is definitely heart-wrenching watching films based on the holocaust, and there were scenes I had to turn away from, such as when an elderly woman and her mother were shot dead in the streets by soldiers. The script and cinematography weren't at a high standard, however, and as a result the film definitely fell short. I would suggest reading the book @The Zookeeper's Wife - it has far more detail than the film, in which there were glaringly obvious plot holes.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Overall, the book was informative and easy entertainment, but it lacked depth. For the most part the characters were either good or bad, with no shades of grey, which made them unrealistic and led to my feeling of detachment. Shira was a sympathetic and capable main character during the first third of the book and looked to be an interesting Medieval wife. Unfortunately, after she became married, she lost her personality. I realize that it was an accurate portrayal of Jewish wives back then, but Shira had been scholarly, while still seeing to her duties, up until this point and then turned into a boring protagonist. What set her apart and made me want to read about her was her attitude about learning the Talmud like the men. What interested Meir in the first place was Shira, who he thought unusual; not that I was shown their love, I was just told about it. The chemistry was lacking between them, but that may be in part that I didn't get a good sense of who Meir was as a person, other than he was brilliant, a revered scholar, et cetera. No one felt real in this book and that's a shame.
What was perhaps done best were the details and information about the Jewish people and their faith. Generally, it was written into the story quite well, even if Shira was conveniently placed right in the way of big events. I learned much and am grateful for the history of that time. My one problem with it was that although I felt the pain and suffering the Jewish endured, it was just a little too clean. More realism and grit would have added much to the book.
Perhaps the scope of the book did a disservice to the story as a whole, and it might have benefited a few scenes taken out. As a whole, it's a decent book and a good debut, but it still lacks that something that makes me what to say "read it".
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Hedy's Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust in Books
Jun 16, 2018
She and her family suffered through trials and tribulations on the unpredictable journey. Plans often changed, and she had no choice but to be brave. Follow along in the story to learn there destination and future.
The author, Michelle Bisson, is Hedy's daughter. She tells the story of Hedy's (Hungarian Jewish) journey to safety, from the Nazis to the US. The story is sort of passing of the baton. Someone has to continue to tell their stories, history in its worst manifestation, and I appreciated the effort of this daughter. The story is told with extreme delicacy and the designs convey this emotion. I truly appreciate that she has taken the story about her mother's experience and offered it to others so that they can retain this piece of history that is so essential to children's education. In addition, I appreciated the author mentioning that it wasn't just Jews who were persecuted.
The book also contains lots of photographs of Hedy and her family as well as a timeline of events. This book is one I believe should be integral to children's curriculums and should be in every library.