Book Review: Those Who Save Us

Though a German, Anna is good of heart and can not understand why the Jews of her town are being persecuted.  She does, however, understand the need to protect her daughter, Trudy, by whatever means necessary, even if it means becoming a Nazi officer's mistress.  In present day Minnesota, Trudy struggles with the guilt that stems from being a German and not knowing how her mother behaved during the war.

I was actually reading this book while in Israel where I toured Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial.  Seeing the atrocities of the war up close made reading this novel that much more intense.  As a Jewish woman, it is hard for me to read a book that paints [some] Germans in such a good light, particularly when it is a work of fiction.  However, I had to accept the fact that although untrue, the novel represents an actual portion of the German community, as small as it may have been.  Once I got past that, I found Jenna Blum's novel to be a beautifully written story that examines the shame that buried so many who experienced the Holocaust firsthand.

4 out of 5 stars.