Download Four Perfect Pebbles A True Story of the Holocaust Lila Perl Marion Blumenthal Lazan Books
Download As PDF : Four Perfect Pebbles A True Story of the Holocaust Lila Perl Marion Blumenthal Lazan Books
The twentieth-anniversary edition of Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s acclaimed Holocaust memoir features new material by the author, a reading group guide, a map, and additional photographs. “The writing is direct, devastating, with no rhetoric or exploitation. The truth is in what’s said and in what is left out.”—ALA Booklist (starred review)
Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s unforgettable and acclaimed memoir recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood. Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family—father, mother, Marion, and her brother, Albert—were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps, including Westerbork in Holland and Bergen-Belsen in Germany, before finally making it to the United States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage, hope, and the will to survive.
Four Perfect Pebbles features forty archival photographs, including several new to this edition, an epilogue, a bibliography, a map, a reading group guide, an index, and a new afterword by the author. First published in 1996, the book was an ALA Notable Book, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and IRA Young Adults’ Choice, and a Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and the recipient of many other honors. “A harrowing and often moving account.”—School Library Journal
Download Four Perfect Pebbles A True Story of the Holocaust Lila Perl Marion Blumenthal Lazan Books
"Always find it interesting to learn of the holocaust and hear personal stories. Find it heartbreaking and courageous of how people survive the horrors. Send prayers to all who passed and survived."
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Four Perfect Pebbles A True Story of the Holocaust Lila Perl Marion Blumenthal Lazan Books Reviews :
Four Perfect Pebbles A True Story of the Holocaust Lila Perl Marion Blumenthal Lazan Books Reviews
- This book was told from a child's perspective and is very well written. Blunt and straight to the truth, I am a voracious reader and finished this in two days. The book was full of information that was new to me, and anyone who is interested in the Holocaust would not be disappointed in any way in reading this. I was saddened, horrified, and encouraged by this book. This book is also one of the few that I've read that includes pictures.
- This is the inspiring story of a Jewish family of four, including two young children, who were able to remain together throughout the worst horrors of the Holocaust, including a year-long stay in the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen where they endured starvation, rampant disease, and intense brutality. Although finally liberated by the Russians, the father died of camp-related typhus, leaving the mother and two children to struggle to find a new life for themselves in America. Their perseverance and determination led to eventual success. This family was able to triumph over the most brutal conditions encountered in human history and to establish new, productive, stable, and happy lives in the aftermath of catastrophe.
- This book is very thoughtfully written. It reveals some of the horrors experienced by the author and her mother in a respectful way. I have read many survivor stories and this book was truthful without being terribly difficult to read because of the detailed horrors of other books. Marion truly has lived a wonderful life, replete with struggles, but full of hope.
- A short story and an easy read. Not near as graphic as some of the Holocaust books I've read. It is amazing though to read the strength that people have in desperate life-threatening situations.
- I purchased 25 copies of this book for my 8th Grade English classroom because the reading level is around 6th grade, but the subject matter is more intense than that. I feel this makes it a perfect Holocaust Memoir for an 8th grade classroom where many students are reading a little below grade level, but do have the emotional maturity to read this book. This is not required reading in my classroom, but it is very popular for our Informational Reading Unit which focuses on The Holocaust.
- For many years now, I have had an indescribable draw to the Holocaust, particularly to reading survivors' stories. It will be a reoccurring theme you see in my reviews. I love to read survivor stories in all forms, which is why I am choosing to review a Young Adult book.
The story is about the Blumenthal family, and the six and a half years they struggled during the Holocaust, as well as their struggle for a normal post war life. We learn about the early events of the Holocaust, such as Kristallnacht, in a very personal, emotional way, easy for a child to understand, but with enough impact to affect an adult as well. We learn about the family's attempts to flee Germany, and various plans they made, only to be thwarted by the advancement of the German Army's invasions. We learn of the motivation to stay alive while the family was imprisoned in the concentration camps, the promise of liberation, and the disappointments that met after liberation occurred.
When dealing with a topic as sensitive in nature as the Holocaust, writing for young adults can be difficult. The author does not want to gloss over the details, or insult the intelligence of the young reader, but also a line must be drawn to make sure the content is not for purely sensational or shock value. I think this book was extremely well written for its intended audience, but also still had impact on me as an adult. I have read many books on Holocaust survivors, but this one definitely stood out to me. I would like to see more books on this topic, written in this manner, for this audience. I know I would have devoured them if they had been available when I was younger.
One of the most beautiful things about this book is the metaphor from which the title is derived. While in Bergen-Belsen, Marion convinces herself that if she can find four perfect pebbles, identical in nature, it means that her family will survive their ordeal. This symbol is one of the only things from which she can draw strength, and the impression is indelible.
While preparing to write this blog, I discovered that Marion Blumenthal Lazan has a website, focusing on this book. I strongly encourage all readers of this blog, particularly parents and/or educators who are interested in using this book to impart knowledge to their children or students to visit her website, Four Perfect Pebbles. There is a wealth of additional information there, on lessons our children desperately need to learn. - Always find it interesting to learn of the holocaust and hear personal stories. Find it heartbreaking and courageous of how people survive the horrors. Send prayers to all who passed and survived.
- A very personal family history of one of the millions of people who the Nazi tried to kill during world war II. These stories should be recommended reading in all schools. To believe that this could not happen again is to have to much faith in humans. It happens in the name of religion today. We should all teach this to our children.
