Kolbie bites on the tip of her pen and raises an eyebrow a little evilly. Just saying. You don’t like to take it at all is what I heard. Then again, some of the foreshadowing that would make the ending make more sense was … missing. I put the story together with clues that were never fully fleshed out. The how’s and when’s don’t completely add up. But then, the narrator is unreliable. The whole book was told from her perspective, which means what we read is diluted by her perception of how things occurred. Is this her explanation of events? Or what she really believes happened? Or … ? She seems to have a great group of friends, even if they constantly seem to be encouraging her to get a boyfriend. As if there aren't more important things in life. This aggravates me a little. Disclaimer: Many thanks to Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review. Please assured that my opinions are honest.

In reading the stories of three women who defied death by learning to be “such good girls,” R. D. Rosen examines a silent and silenced generation- the last living cohort of Holocaust survivors. He provides rich, memorable portraits of a handful of hunted children who, as adults, were determined to deny Hitler any more victories, and he re-creates the extraordinary event that lured so many hidden child survivors out of their grown-up “hiding places” and finally brought them together. I would put this book at around 3 or 3.5 stars for logic/plotting issues, but maybe 4 stars for Riley's interesting characterization, which I loved, despite its inconsistencies. She's intriguing as a person, and it was easy to breeze through the book in a few hours to find out what would happen next. He’s the type of man who could lead an entire army into a meaningless battle and they’d fight with fervor.It’s not like I’m stupid. It means he didn’t ask. It means he lied. It means nothing has changed and I’m just a fool who is wasting her time. And I am not a girl to be made a fool of.” p.197 See you, Sydnee.” I smile big at her, trying to communicate that we’re cool, and she’s cool, and maybe she doesn’t have to be so scared next time. Such Good Girls: The Journey of the Holocaust's Hidden Child Survivors by R. D. Rosen is a very highly recommended nonfiction account of several hidden child survivors of the holocaust.

It can mean he likes the idea of you following his lead and obeying him, but ultimately it all depends on what kind of dynamic you prefer in your relationships. If this type of thing appeals to you, then responding positively may encourage him to continue. The most famous "hidden child" of the Shoah is, undoubtedly, Anne Frank. Unfortunately, Anne was captured and died of disease merely weeks before the liberation of Bergen Belsen where she and her sister, Margot, were imprisoned. I am of the opinion that parents should always put the needs and well-being of their children first. That said, though I don't understand why Laura (and so many other Jewish parents) tried to force their by-then-Christian children to accept their “inherent Jewishness” (perhaps to deny Hitler any more victories?), I cannot fault them considering the trauma they had been through. I am, however, critical of the way Rosen writes about it, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. If you're born Jewish, he seems to think, then you simply are Jewish. That bothers me in particular—as I see it, everyone ought to choose their faith and their path unburdened by a sense of obligation to parents, family, or “race.” He’s likely trying to flatter you and make you feel good, while also trying to establish himself as an authority figure in the relationship. It’s his way of showing affectionProbably not. Her dad’s on a business trip,” Ethan says. “Dunno about her mom and sisters.” He gives me a little smile. I think he feels bad. He’s always stealing my thunder a little bit, without even meaning to. He’s just that sort of person. Magnetic. Even when he’s doing something utterly without merit. Oh.” I smile at the reporter, a little impressed. She’s done her homework. Well, she’s tried, at least. “I wasn’t exactly the homecoming queen, Syd.” The story of the generation of hidden child survivors told through the true experiences of three Jewish girls--from Poland, Holland, and France--who transcended their traumatic childhoods to lead remarkable lives in America. I loved that the whole point of the book is that Riley is a psychopath (a narcissist?). She makes everyone dance to her tune because she has such a draw and facade that everyone thinks she's an angel. Even after you read the book, you have to sit there and wonder if the story is even true because she's revealed to be such an unreliable narrator. The only things you can know for certain are the lists in between chapters that tell about what she's done in her life.

It was so much more than that. Alex is married, so that throws a complication into the story, and his comments start off as flirtatious, but slowly turn to looking like he's grooming Riley, such as when he praises her when she does what he wants by calling her "good girl," like a pet. Although I have read many books fiction and non about the holocaust I never really thought about those that had survived because they were hidden, raised by other families or just sheltered by those who did not agree with the Nazi solution. The author does a good job presenting these cases and goes on to examine the guilt many of them have for surviving when so many of their family members did not. The theme. When you start out, there isn’t too much of a theme happening. The story follows Riley, a perfect, high school senior, as she navigates the last year of high school and the pressures of romance. That’s when things start to take an unpleasant turn. I found Riley’s love interest to be rather creepy to be honest. If I were her, I would have run in the other direction as soon as possible. But in any case, it seems like there’s the whole ‘love will prevail’ theme happening which was fine and dandy. And then the author brings in the whole ‘why do women even need to be dating someone to warrant attentions?’ debate which was slightly unexpected but not at all unwelcome. But the ending! The ending just threw everything through a loop. It usurps the themes and changes everything you thought you knew which was completely wonderful! I just wish the author had done it in a slightly more obvious way. I read this book through twice and I only got the subtle references to the change in message and ending the second time around. It was completely worth the reread, though. I was horrified but unsurprised to learn that anti-Semitism continued to be prevalent in Poland even after the Nazis left. Over 2,000 Jews were murdered after the end of the war. 42 of those 2,000 were murdered by a Polish mob who accused Jews of kidnapping a Christian boy. It turned out that the “kidnapped” boy in question wasn’t kidnapped at all, he had just gone over to a friend’s house without telling his parents. Yikes doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Well, in June, when I just started the book I read only the first chapter, then I found out the place I am renting is getting sold and my life got complicated. Alas, yesterday I finally made time for this book and I read it in two days.

This quote is so timely. I don’t think it will ever cease to be relevant. This quote is for the people who turn away from history (particularly America’s slavery and attempted genocide of Indigenous peoples) because they feel like they’re expected to feel guilty about it. This quote invites everyone to learn from history without the burden of guilt.This was a very interesting read. The story kept me engaged and wanting to continue reading the entire time. In fact, I read it in only one sitting. It started out feeling like other YA contemporary stories, about a girl and her friends in high school. But as I kept reading I could feel there was more to the story that was brewing beneath the surface. There were lots of twists and the ending left me with my jaw on the floor. I sit down at the kitchen table across from my brother while Dad takes the sauce off the stove and pours it into a white serving bowl. I stuff the garlic bread in my mouth all at once—Sydnee and everyone at school would so disapprove—and open my Princeton letter.