Blog Tour: Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: McBooks Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590131665
ISBN-13: 978-1590131664

In his debut novel set against the backdrop of World War II, Douglas W. Jacobson weaves a complex story of a young Polish couple, Jan and Anna Kopernik, seeking to be re-united amidst the ravages of war torn Europe. The story takes place in Poland and Belgium alternately following Jan and Anna as they try to cope with their separation in horrific war conditions.

When the Germans begin their relentless invasion into Poland in 1939, Anna has just come from Krakow to Warsaw to attend the funeral of her friend Irene's mother. Anna, Irene and Irene's son Justyn attempt to make their way from the ravaged city of Warsaw back to Krakow. A friend of a friend can manage to get them to Italy on a diplomatic visa but when Irene becomes ill, all plans and lives for that matter are dramatically changed.

Jan, an officer in the Polish Cavalry, and his division face some devasting battles. Although Jan manages to escape with non life- threatening injuries, he does not return to his cavalry position. With his ability to speak fluent German, Jan finds himself doing intelligence work for the British.When he is offered the chance to get back to Poland, he is determined not only to do his duty but to find Anna.Unfortunately this proves to be much more difficult than he thought it would be.

After much hardship, travail and heartbreaking losses, Anna ends up in Belgium and becomes involved with a resistance movement called the White Brigade. At one point she is captured by a Nazi officer, Dieter Koenig; a most vile, disgusting and thoroughly evil man. Even though he saves her from being sent to a concentration camp, he is determined to keep her for his own purposes. Jacobson paints such a chillingly vivid picture of this character, I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I was almost holding my breath to see how this would all pan out.

I truly enjoyed Anna's character as I felt she was a strong, intelligent and brave woman with a very caring nature. At risk to herself, she did not hesitate to help her Jewish friends Irene and Justyn. The character of Jan was not as thoroughly developed as Anna's but I still got the feeling that he was an extremely patriotic and conscientious man who would do whatever was necessary to find his beloved Anna. Would Jan and Anna find each other again in all the chaos? More importantly, would they even survive the war?

Jacobson has obviously done a tremendous amout of research for his plot driven novel and managed to seamlessly mingle fact and fiction into a wonderfully vivid story. The pages just came alive for me with all the historical detail and a myriad of characters. All the accounts of efforts made by the resistance enhanced the storyline. Jacobson has paid homage to these brave individuals who risked much and sometimes all to overcome the oppressors in their homeland. A compellingly told story of loyalty, betrayals and heroism of ordinary citizens in a time when the world seemed to have gone mad. Excellent read. I just loved it! Highly recommended. 4.5****

A big thank you to Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the tour and to McBooks Press for a review copy.

Review: It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina

The author, Elizabeth Bettina, tells the true story of her journey of discovery about how Jews were treated throughout parts of Italy, especially Campagna, during World War II. The catalyst for this search was a photo of the author's grandparents on the steps of a Catholic church in Campagna, Italy. Why was a rabbi standing on the steps with the bridal party? During the summer, Elizabeth and her grandmother generally went to Campagna to visit family. While there she learned an amazing story about a man named Giovanni Palatucci.

Palatucci, in his official capacity of Questore ( part police chief, part immigration and census officer), had access to lists of foreign residents in Italy. Even though Italy was allied with Germany at the early part of the war, Palatucci knew that if the Nazis got hold of these lists, the Jews would be deported to concentration camps. At risk to his own life, Palatucci not only hid these lists, but helped people leave the country with false documentation or if they stayed in Italy, he helped to hide them. In September of 1943, Italy changed sides, so to speak and now Germany was their enemy. Unfortunately, Palatucci was caught by the Nazis and sent to Dachau where he died just two months before the camp was liberated.

A lot of the Jewish people were sent to an official Italian government internment camp where they not only survived but they actually thrived. The words internment camp bring images to the mind of such horrible places like Dachau, Auschwitz or Buchenwald inhabited by skeletal thin people with almost lifeless eyes, dressed in rags. One does not imagine internees wearing their own clothes, being well fed, allowed to practice their own religion and being treated with respect. But this is what happened in Italy during WWII even though many people never heard such stories before.

Through connections in Italy and in New York, Elizabeth soon began to hear more stories of the courageous Italians who helped the Jews avoid being captured by the Nazis. She thought this is one story that the world should know. Between many trips to Italy and meeting many people in the U.S.A, Bettina began to document the stories of the survivors. The stories were almost identical: if it were not for the Italian people during the war, the survivors had no doubt they would not have made it out alive. Along with the survival stories is documented the extreme gratitude toward the many Italians who risked their own lives to save the lives of the Jews. In a way, this book is a celebration of a people, who in a time when the world seemed to have gone mad, had the heart to defy the Nazis and help out their fellow man no matter what their religion.

This book is a fascinating look into history and the lives of numerous people who managed to survive the holocaust. At least 80 per cent of the Jews in Italy survived whereas in other parts of occupied Europe it was the exact opposite, a heart -wrenching 80 per cent did not survive at the hands of the Nazis. Unfortunately, some families had been split up with some being in Italy and some who never made it to safety. I can't even begin to fathom the guilt the survivors must have felt. The world should never forget these events.

At the end of the book are some very comprehensive appendices of information, including the names of the internees and the survivors who were interviewed and documented. There is also a timeline for the events in the book. An extensive bibliography is included. Throughout the book are numerous interesting photos. I really liked this book as I think it almost renews one's faith in humanity. Bettina is correct in thinking that this is a story that needs to be told. 4****

A big thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for a copy of this wonderful book.

Review: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The present time is 1986 in Seattle when we are first introduced to Henry Lee, a recently widowed Chinese American. While he witnesses a press conference at the old Panama Hotel, the simple sight of a koi umbrella discovered in the basement by the new hotel owner, takes him back mentally and emotionally more than 40 years to the 1940’s. Told from his perspective as a man in his mid fifties and flashing back to when he was a boy of twelve, not only is this a coming of age story but it is also a story of the pangs and heartbreak of first love and the enduring essence of friendship. Easily combining a young love story with a war story, Ford weaves a magical tale.

Young Henry Lee was caught between two worlds, his American side and his Chinese side. At home from the age of 12 he was told to only "speak your American" and not the Cantonese that his parents spoke. His father, a proud Chinese Nationalist, wanted his son to become Americanized so he sent him to an all white prep school. Unfortunately, Henry found himself ostracized and taunted due to his Chinese heritage. It didn’t help that his father made him wear an “I am Chinese” button, thinking it would protect his son from the burgeoning anti Japanese feeling after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When a young Japanese girl, Keiko Okabe, began work in the school cafeteria with Henry, he found acceptance for who he was and it is this friendship that was at the heart of the story and what a wonderfully bittersweet story it became.

Right after President Roosevelt signed the executive order for all Japanese to be rounded up and placed in internment camps, a lot of families hurriedly placed belongings in the basement of the old hotel for storage. Keiko and her family were forced to leave their home taking only what they could carry. Henry was heartbroken as he and Keiko had become very attached to each other despite the anti Japanese sentiments belonging to Henry’s father and many others in the community of Chinatown.

Ford moves the story along seamlessly between the years bringing in the age old theme of father-son conflict. Henry and his father had a hard time communicating as has Henry and his son Marty. Another element of the story is Henry’s lifelong compassionate and caring friendship with Sheldon, a member of the Seattle jazz scene. The search for a treasured memory from the jazz era is a key component to help Henry open up communications with his son Marty.

Ford does an admirable job with his heartbreaking look at racial and cultural discrimination in a time of war, while conversely incorporating characters with giving hearts and compassionate natures. Ford writes with a simple clarity and his wonderful descriptions puts readers right into the location. It’s so easy to get into the heads of all the characters, I could feel the fear and sense of helplessness from them and almost hear Henry’s heart beat as he says goodbye to Keiko at the camp. So emotionally charged, it will pull at your heartstrings from beginning to end. I’m sure this short review does not do this book justice, but suffice it to say, I loved almost every character and the book as a whole.The characters I didn't like was solely because they were simply unlikeable in nature. Jamie Ford is a very talented author of whom I am sure we have not heard the last. If you only read one debut novel this year, it should definitely be this one.

A sincere thank you to Mr. Ford and his publicists Diana Franco and Lisa Barnes from Random house for an advance copy of this absolutely delightful book.

Author info here

For another opinon see Caite's review

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Random Wonder

Review: Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama

From the beginning of World war II to the beginning of the Vietnam war, this wonderful book is a coming-of-age story of two sisters, Joan and Emma Lew. The chapters in this book feature a different family member and time frame. While their father is away a lot for his import/export business, the girls are left with their mother Kum Ling, faithful cook Foon and their mother’s cousin whom they call Auntie Go. When the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong is imminent, Kum Ling takes her family to the neutral territory of Macao to try to avoid the miseries of war. After they return to Hong Kong, the socially conscious Kum Ling tries to play matchmaker for her older daughter, Joan.

Joan has ideas of her own proving that girls do not need to follow convention to find happiness. Even though Joan seems to flounder a lot, she eventually follows her dream. Emma, the younger sister is the scholar in the family who always wanted to experience new things and places. She travels half way around the globe to follow her heart. The sisters find their own way in life, sometimes much to the consternation of their mother but with the influence of their unmarried and very successful Auntie Go, the girls’ mother finally realizes each of them has to do what is right for them, not what seems right to society or tradition. Even through some family friction, it is obvious they all love and care about each other very much.

I found this book not as much of an instant grabber as some of Tsukiyama’s later books. It took a while to become engaged with some of the characters but the story itself is very good. It is more of a slower read to savor than to gobble up just to see what happens next. Night of Many Dreams was written in 1998 and it is easy to see how much Tsukiyama has grown as a writer. Her last book, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, was written in 2007. In comparing the two, her 2007 writing has much more detail and the characters seem more real with a lot more depth to them. Still and all, both books are very enjoyable. I would rate Night of Many Dreams 4 stars. If I were to review The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, it would be 5 stars.