Sunday Favourites: Continuing with Memoirs

 Book: Stolen Years

Author: Sara (Plager) Zyskind
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1981

One of my favourite time periods to read about is World War II and the Holocaust. The Holocaust in particular has always interested me. In grade seven, my teacher brought in a Holocaust survivor to speak to the class and her vivid account of the horrifying events always stuck with me. I guess even as a 12-year-old, I couldn’t imagine such atrocities occurring to people whose only crime was being born a Jew. Listening to her tell her story and noting that she wasn’t much older than my own grandmother, made me realize that it really wasn’t that long ago. By high school, our religion class ventured to Detroit to visit the Holocaust museum. Again the speaker left the class speechless and said his main goal was to tell his story so these acts of violence would never happened again.

As a result, I began to read classic Holocaust memoirs such as Night by Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl. Both well written and well known, but nothing seem to impact me as much as Stolen Years by Sara Zyskind. A local used bookstore was closing down in my town and they were having a huge clearance sale. Most paperbacks were 50 cents each. I came across one with a cover of a sullen-looking girl with long braids. The cover was extremely tattered and taped. I added it to my mountainous pile without out much thought.

This virtually unknown book and author became one of my favourite books of all time. It is the story of Sara Plager living in Lodz, Poland in 1939. As an eleven-year-old Jewish girl, her life is turned upside down when the Nazis invade her city. She is forced into the ghetto, narrowly escapes Auschwitz, and finishes up the war at seventeen in a labour camp. How she manages to survive when so many around her are dying is beyond reason. The description of her struggle is unforgettable and like nothing I have ever read before. And I think that is what separated her story from the rest for me. Seven years after reading it, I still remember how much she made me appreciate something as simple as a piece of bread. It is also one of the few books my mom has ever read twice.

This book is extremely rare. I haven’t been able to track down a copy at any bookstore and I have only found a few copies online. Therefore I have only given it out to a few trustworthy people over the years. I remember it also being difficult to find any information about the author. If you want a story to make you appreciate your own life, I suggest tracking down a copy of the Stolen Years.





*Note: Sunday Favourites is an idea I have to force myself to sit down and write a short blog post every weekend no matter how busy I get with school! I might do similar topics for a month. Examples: Book genres, music, desserts, sports, etc. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!


Sincerely, Mag

Book Club Book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrow
Publisher: Dial Press Trade
Year: 2008


Loved! Loved! Loved this book! Don’t let the confusing title frighten you away from this book. I am still unsure how to properly pronounce Guernsey or what constitutes a potato peel pie, however Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows will have you wanting to visit and taste both.

 This novel is entirely composed of letters. After her copy of Charles Lamb’s Selected Essays of Elia lands in the hands of Guernsey native Dawsey Adams, Juliet Ashton finds herself being drawn to the small Channel Island. It is January 1946 when Juliet receives the letter from Dawsey thanking her for reselling her copy of the book. He further explains that this book saved him during the German Occupation on the island.

 Juliet, from London, is currently riding the high from her success of her book of collected newspaper columns during the war. When receiving Dawsey’s letter, she not only trying to recover from the effects of the war on the city, but she is also trying to move on and find a new topic to write about. She is intrigued by Dawsey’s mention of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and writes back to discover more.

What begins as a fake society to avoid punishment at the hands of the Germans, bands together this group of misfits and acquaintances into a hodgepodge family. Each society member writes to Juliet telling her of their struggles and reads during the war. Juliet begins to fall in love with each person she corresponds with.

One member she feels a particular connection is Elizabeth. Elizabeth is feisty, spirited, and the creator of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. She is also the only society member who hasn't contacted Juliet since she was taken by the Germans after trying to save a worker. Left behind is Elizabeth's young daughter who is passed through the homes of members until Elizabeth's hopeful return.

The relationships she develops with the people of Guernsey leads Juliet to the decision to go visit the island herself. What begins as a visit ultimately changes her life through the love of friends, a community, and a small child.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick and easy read. You will not be able to put this book down and you will develop a new appreciation for hand-written letters (especially in our current era of poorly written text messages).

I should also note that this book was started by Mary Ann Shaffer who got sick while writing it and had to rely upon her niece Annie Barrows to finish it. Mary Ann Shaffer died in February 2008 (shortly before the book was published).

Current Read: Trinity by Leon Uris - An Irish epic that has already made me prouder of my Irish roots.