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    My Real Name is Hanna
    My Real Name is Hanna
    My Real Name is Hanna
    Ebook207 pages3 hours

    My Real Name is Hanna

    By Tara Lynn Masih

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    1941, Hitler's army crosses into Soviet-ruled Ukraine in a secret mission titled "Operation Barbarossa. A young Jewish girl, Hanna Slivka is fourteen when German soldiers arrive in her small village of Kwasova. Until their arrival, Hanna has split her time between playing with her younger siblings, sharing drawings with the sweet shy Leon Stadnick, and assisting her neighbor, Mrs. Petrovich, with her annual dyeing and selling of psyanky, decorative eggs.  But now, she, Leon and their families are forced into hiding, first in the woods outside of their town and then into caverns beneath it. They battle sickness and starvation, and the local peasants who join the Nazis in hunting Jews through the ravaged countryside, but at no time are they more tested than when Hanna's father – briefly above ground to scavenge for food – goes missing, and suddenly, it's on Hanna to find him, and to find a way to keep her mother, brother and sister alive. This novel is inspired by the true story of Esther Stermer and her family, who survived underground for 511 days. Less than 5% of the Jewish population in Ukraine survived these Holocaust "Actions." 
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMandel Vilar Press
    Release dateSep 18, 2018
    ISBN9781942134497
    My Real Name is Hanna

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    Reviews for My Real Name is Hanna

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      ‘’As good as life looks now to us young children, there is still a sense of always looking over your shoulder for something to hit you.’’ This is one of the most beautiful books of the year. Based on the true story of a Jewish family living in Ukraine during the darkest period in History, the Second World War, it is a story of fear and struggle for survival, a fight for dignity and hope that refuse to be persecuted and die. Through the eyes of Hanna, a 14-year-old girl, we find ourselves in the beautiful, haunting Ukrainian forests in a time, when the dark clouds of fascism have covered the world.Hanna’s land becomes a trapped, helpless animal in the hands of the worst powers in European History, the Nazis and the Soviets. Under Stalin, every religion is forbidden. A good, useful member of the ‘’community’’ is made to show obedience to the State. Exclusively. Nothing else is sacred. There is no way out for the people and strife leads them to believe that the Nazis will be able to make things better. So, on the one side, Hitler is waiting. On the other, Stalin is in power. The country is trapped between two insane tyrants.The dark atmosphere is interrupted by the beautiful descriptions of a nature that is both mesmerizing and unsettling. It will soon be destroyed by the black boots of demons. It was a relief and a joy to read about the traditions, the customs, the prayers of the Jewish community. The folktales shared by grandmothers and mothers to the new generations, tales of courage that help them stand as bravely as they can. There are also extensive references to the pagan traditions of the land, before the coming of Christianity, particularly reflected in the Easter customs. Even the nightly forest, dark and full of dangers, holds a certain appeal. Tara Lynn Masih painted a background that is menacing and fascinating.‘’Someday, someone will betray us. For money, for food, for their own lives spared.’’ The worst consequence of war is the way in which communities are torn apart. People who used to live together in peace and understanding become enemies prepared to jump at their neighbour’s throat. There is a particularly striking scene in which an old poster of Stalin is covered by a brand new poster of Hitler. For me, it was the saddest moment in the story, showing the lack of any kind of escape for the citizens. Another memorable moment -out of many- is the sequence of atrocities carried out as the immortal creations of Bach and Beethoven are echoing like a soundtrack from Hell. I don’t know whether this is historically accurate but it definitely makes you wonder how war destroys every sense of beauty and dignity and kindness in enemies and victims alike.‘’Home is where you are safe.’’ Masih does a wonderful job in creating a claustrophobic, threatening atmosphere throughout the story. The nightmare of living in constant fear, waiting for that knock on the door that will lead you to Hell. The prejudice, the deliberate spreading of hostility against innocent people, how Populism always finds the soil to grow when the economic situation is shaky and no country is immune to this vile disease.In my opinion, this novel is on par with Between Shades of Gray. Perhaps, even better. The characters are extremely well-written and the writer didn’t resort to overtly violent descriptions for shock value. There is violence and cruelty but in a way that isn’t gory. There is no need for over-the-top descriptions. We all know what happened. We all know what war brings, even the fortunate generations that had no first-hand experience of what war really means. Still, there is hope. Every war eventually ends and nations that once were enemies now work together for peace and prosperity. This is how it should be. History should help us remember so as not to repeat the wrongs of the past. It isn’t there to prolong enmities between countries for all eternity. This is the only way to create some kind of sense in this tortured world….Many thanks to Mandel Vilar Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      STRUGGLE AND SURVIVAL in the Ukraine. Due to shifting borders, Hanna and her family, have been considered, Poles, Austrisns and Ukrainians. Changing tides once again threaten as the Germans are heading their way. As a Jewish family they are close, and close to many of their non Jewish neighbors. It is time though for them to go into hiding, as their village is to become Jewish free, as news reaches them of what is happening to the Jews who are taken. Meant for. YA audience, the violence is there but tampered down a bit, not all horrors written. Enjoyed the format of this, as a grown woman and mother, Hanna tells her story of the time, the years, her family and others had to hide. Based on an actual family and their experiences makes this even more poignant. The author did a wonderful job staying true to the thoughts and feelings of a fourteen years old girl. I loved the characters Alla, a non Jewish woman who comes to their aid in many ways, as do a few other at great risk to themselves. Of course more turned away or reported than tried to help. The closeness and love, faith shown by this family was beautiful admidst horrific times.The authors note makes clear how well researched this book was, and explained more of the historic events in this region. It also tells what is fact, what it was based on, and what was fiction. All very well done. A good book for young adults to read as an important introduction to the Holocaust.ARC from Netgalley.
    • 4/5
      This book is filled with adventure. It is really interesting and I highly recommend reading it.
    • 4/5
      4.5 starsI found this story harrowing from close to the start, even though some of the descriptions of the worst atrocities were left out, as this is primarily a book for young adults. I see no reasons why the vast majority of adults interested in this type of story wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy it as much as teens will. It’s for both adults and young adults.Characters came vividly to life and I loved them, Hanna in particular. But others too. Alla was also particularly wonderful. It surprised me by how little I was annoyed by the characters’ superstitions and how much religion held a place in their lives. Jewish and Christian. Superstitions usually drive me nuts, particularly when they are unthinkingly accepted as they are here, but in this particular story they fit the characters in this time and place and cultures and backgrounds and I could enjoy the narrative without it bothering me at all, and I even found the details interesting. Fascinating actually and I learned a lot. I loved how so attuned to nature/the natural world Hanna and Alla and some others are. And the descriptions of the natural world are marvelous.The chapters are incredibly long and there are only a few. There were some good stopping points within chapters though and I did often stop at them. There is a personal note from the author at the end: “A Historical Note” that is wonderful, and informative. I’ve already reserved the DVD of the documentary No Place on Earth which was a main inspiration for this book and plan to read some books to read from the ones mentioned in this note. I see that at least four of the books from the notes & the acknowledgments section are already on my to read shelf. Anyway, this author’s historical note and also her acknowledgments section made me really like the author and appreciate even more how she brought this story to light.
    • 4/5
      Many thanks to Netgalley, Mandel Vilar Press and Tara Lynn Masih for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.First and foremost, I want to say that for the subject matter alone, this should get 5 stars. This is an account of a fictional character’s experience during the Holocaust. It is loosely based on the story of a real person, Esther Stermer, her extended family and four other families. If interested, there is a documentary film called “No Place on Earth” that relates the true story of what happened. I believe reading, hearing, listening to Holocaust stories are of the utmost importance. Documenting these first hand accounts are crucial as these survivors will soon no longer be with us to tell their stories. Masih relates this story in a way that is an appropriate entry point for children, or young adults, because it doesn’t get into the horrific details of what happened during that time. There are no concentration camps in this story. You do, however, get to know Hanna as a child, see how her life was like before the war contrasted against what she had to endure over years.It was difficult to read this copy of the book because of the state I received it in. That can sometimes happen with ARC’s, there can be grammatical errors, certain parts may be rewritten, it is in an unfinished state. I had not yet received one in the condition this book was in, so it affected the reading for me. There were sentences that were dropped, left unfinished, paragraphs weren’t split where they should have been and extra text was inserted in each paragraph that didn’t belong there. Regardless, I believe it will be outstanding, once the completed version is released.The story is told from 14 yr. old. Hanna’s perspective, from what I can tell it has an almost testimonial feel, an admission of what happened to her as a child. You can feel the raw emotion underneath her words and how difficult it is for her to talk about her experience. This is a matter of fact telling from a little girl who had to be so brave, with no drama. But because of the stark way the story is told, it juxtaposes how horrible it must have been. There is no way you can not be moved by what happened. You can feel her hunger pangs. You will wonder how people could do this to each other? You can appreciate how much the smallest kindness can mean to people who are fighting for their lives. As a teacher, this story is rich in lessons for students to learn from, many entry points for the child in to this story. This is something I will use and I strongly recommend.Hanna lives in a rural town in the Ukraine, on a farm with her family. She is the eldest of three, with a brother and a sister, both of whom she loves dearly. Her family are observant Jews and she learns the traditions and the meaning behind them from both her father and her mother. She has friends and goes to school. They are not rich, but they do not want for anything. Birthdays are special and Hanna feels loved, safe and secure. Things change slowly, but they don’t fear because they have been taken over by the Russians, so now it is the Germans, it happens. They live in a remote village, so sometimes war doesn’t reach them, but of course this time it does. They don’t always hear the latest news, or realize where the trains are taking people, or what the smoke means, until they do. Food becomes scarce, they can no longer go to school, but it is not the first time their parents have had to scrimp and go hungry. Until this time it is different. Until it is too late to leave the country, until they are forced out of their homes. Hiding in the forest, it seems like things couldn’t possible get worse. Until they have to live in a cave. Of course, there is much more to the story. But it is important to hear it in Hanna’s words.The most important thing is that they did survive the unthinkable. In the face of evil, they triumphed. They eventually left their home, but they continued to live and prospered. The human spirit is truly remarkable.

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    My Real Name is Hanna - Tara Lynn Masih

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