Hotel Cuba: A Novel
by Aaron Hamburger
Hotel Cuba and my Grandparents (4/3/2023)
My grandfather left Russia to escape serving in the Russian army because he did not want to eat non-Kosher food. He emigrated to Canada where he supported himself by shoveling snow until he could enter America. He entered America through Ellis Island and settled in Indianapolis, Indiana where he opened a small grocery store. My grandmother followed several years later when they could afford the costs. Pearl's story could be my grandfather's story as well as the story of many immigrants from Eastern Europe at the time of this story. I gained greater insight and empathy for my grandparents and all the other immigrants from reading Hotel Cuba.
Once We Were Home
by Jennifer Rosner
When We Were Home (11/10/2022)
This is a story about love: the power of love and how love makes a home. It is a story about: the love of a natural parent who loves their child enough to give that child away to save the child; the love of an adopting parent for the child placed in their care; the love a child returns to an adult who loves them; the love between siblings; and the love adults find for one another. It is the story of how love bridges distance, overcomes evil, conquers hate and endures in the face of horrific circumstances. It is a story how love is a font for hope and loyalty. It is a story of how love can give the power to forgive. This is also a story of children: their resilience; their adaptability, their trust for the adults who love them and their bravery. It is a story about home: how a home is anywhere there is love, trust and loyalty.
The writing is sensitive: you feel the danger, love, trust and bravery through the writing. You fear, cheer, endure, and laugh – all the emotions felt by the characters. The writing places you in the story.
After reading this book, I have a greater compassion for the unaccompanied children crossing the Southern Border into the United States. I feel the pain of the parents who gave up their children so the children can be free of fear and have a chance at a better life, the fear of those children, the generosity and kindness of the adults who care for these children and the loyalty of siblings during and after the journey from "home" to America. This book could be about those children.
If you liked "Before We Were Yours," "Suddenly Jewish" (by Barbara Kessel) or "Sarah's Key," you will love this book.
