Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Rarely does a book stay with me the way this book does. It is a story about the Holocaust, both past and present. The book starts off with a Jewish family living in Paris, France. The Jewish roundup of 1942 is one of the opening scenes of the book. This family is part of the roundup. The ten year old daughter, who is Sarah, does not understand that she will not be coming back. She decides that her four year old little brother would be better off loxked behind the bookcase in hiding until she does come back. she puts him in there with a flashlight, book and water. Unfortunately, she does not come back because she is locked in an arena before deportation.

Days go by and with the passing of each day, she is more and more guilt ridden about the fate of her little brother. In fact, this guilt is what gives her the determination to live and beat all odds of survival. And, this is just the beginning of the book.

We then get thrown into the present with a journalist who is researching that era in France. Through her research she discovers this family and goes on a mission to find out what happened to all of them, and, in particular to Sarah. The more she researches the more obsessed she gets. With passion she uncovers everything about this family.

I won't tell you what transpires because I believe that you should read this bookas there is something in there for everyone. I will warn you it will change something about you and each person will be changed differently.

For me, one of the things that has happenedwas I went to a mini-family reunion during the July 4th weekend. There I learned things about my grandmother that I never knew. When questioning my mother about this she added more information, then another cousin added even more. How is this related to the book? Well the journalist in the book honored that family by researching them and their story lived on. I think that I am going to research more about my grandmother and write her story, whatever it was. I also realize that my mother is 86 years old and her story should be written too, along with her 84 year old sister who is ailing. what a wonderful tribute it can be to honor the life of someone by writing their story. It certainly has opened my eyes and I am sorry that I didn't think about this when some other relatives were alive as I am sure that they had amazing stories too.

How do mothers do that?

I don't know about the rest of you but my mother has the uncanny ability to say just a few words, or a sentence, and bring me right back to childhood (not in a good way either).

Well the latest was just before we were getting ready to go to her house for the July 4th week. She calls me and asks when I am coming. We had just gotten off the phone two days prior talking about when I was coming and what I was bringing. So I told her we were coming Thursday night just like we had talked about. She says oh really? I am going out to dinner with your cousin on Friday night to a really nice place so you can go to a hamburger joint. I almost threw up! Back to childhood feelings of not feeling wanted. How does she do that so easily?

Well the upshot was, after phoning a friend, calming down, I called my mother. I explained my feelings and how hurt I was at not being wanted. (remember I am an only child, did you forget that?) Her take on the conversation was that she didn't want me to spend a lot of money and thought she was saving me. I patiently explained that I am in charge of my own money and will spend it the way I want to spend it.

Well it felt really good to get it out in the open and clear things up. The week went well after that and the dinner was great.

I still don't know how to not revert back to childhood pangs, but at least I am getting stronger in sticking up for myself and explaining my feelings. I have taken one more step in growing.

Woo Hoo I Won

simonschuster: You win! Twitter Big Rewind

Today was a good day as I just won a new book from Simon and Schuster! yeah! Can't Wait.