Book Review: The Boy on the Wooden Box - Leon Leyson

Leon's parents adopted a saying that he used to repeat often when the German's started to take over Poland - "If this is the worst that happens," taking each day one day at a time, dealing with each issue as it came along.  Quietly uttered when faced with losing their freedoms, their jobs, their homes, being forced into the Ghetto, then a work camp.  I chose to read The Boy on the Wooden box with James to give him a look at what life was like for the Polish Jews whose lives were turned upside down by the war.   How they had to scrape and scrounge for food, sharing even the tiniest bit with each other. How they managed to hold onto their humanity in the face of evil.  Leon, his brother, and his father worked for Schindler in his factory so he got to know them and was nice to them when the other Germans treated them badly.  When they were taken away and put into the labor camp, Schindler worked to build his munitions factory as quickly as possible and put them on his list of the workers needed who were necessary because they were already trained. He  managed to save the majority of Leon's family.  The memoir is heart wrenching as well as a tribute to perseverance, life and love during the most horrendous of experiences.    

Synopsis:  Even in the darkest of times—especially in the darkest of times—there is room for strength and bravery. A remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list.

Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s List.

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson’s telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read. (less)

January Reading Wrap Up

I've had a great start to my reading year and still working on January's Blossomology challenge spelling out Chrysanthemum and have H A E U and M to complete.  I decided to spell out using author names and have been successful so far.  Thank goodness February's challenge is to spell out Rose.  My reading goals this year are to read more physical books from my shelves, not spend any money on books for the first four months of the year and to read more non fiction. 

I finished twelve books this month including five nonfiction books, three of which were started last year.  James and I read Netanyahu's Fighting Terrorism and Leon Leyson's Boy in the Wooden Box together which took a bit of time. Reviews will be forth coming.   One of my goals is to read at least two non fiction books a month.  I completed Writing Down the Bones and Thoughts in Solitude, plus sailed from Peru to Polynesia with Thor Heyerdahl in Kon-Tiki.  

Started out my 52 books Open Roads adventure in Japan with Haruki Murakami and the first two books in his Rat Trilogy - Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball. I visited 12th century England through The Anchoress and 15th Century England through The Sunne in Splendour.   Explored the fantasy world of Venice with Cogman's The Masked City and the United States during an apocalyptic alien invasion in The Infinite Sea.   I traveled through history with Doucette's The Immortal from the beginning of man to the Roman Empire to the United States.  Then finished off my month with His Road Home, a romantic novella about a soldier disabled in war discovering how to walk, talk and love.  Quite an eclectic mix of stories.  


C: Genevieve Cogman - The Masked City (#2 Invisible Library)
H: Thor Heyerdahl - Kon Tiki  
R: Robyn Cadwallader - The Anchoress (e)
Y: Rick Yancey -  The Infinite Sea 
S: Sharon Kay Penman - The Sunne in Splendor
A: 
N: Natalie Goldberg - Writing Down the Bones
T: Thomas Merton - Thoughts in Solitude  (e)
H
E
M: Haruki Murakami - Hear the Wind Sing/Pinball 
U
M - 

The Boy in the Wooden Box -Leon Leyson 
Fighting Terrorism - Benjamin Netanyahu 
Immortal - Gene Doucette (#1 Immortal)(e)
Anna Richland - His Road Home (e)

Another goal is to read more slowly and do a review for each book completed.  I'm slightly behind with reviews on the four books that didn't match up with the flower spelling challenge.  

I'm currently reading Mark Helprin's A Soldier of the Great War (chunky and dusty book) as well as Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase (ebook) which is the 3rd book in the Rat Trilogy.    I'm trying to decide whether to read Leon Uris or Umberto Eco for my U book.  I'm thinking Achebe for the A book. 

I also have ROSE to spell for February and won't be constraining myself to just author names and mixing it up with Author Name or Title of the book.  I received J.D. Robb's newest in her In Death series - Dark in Death which I pre-ordered in December so doesn't go against my buying ban.  So I may be mixing up things a bit because her book is calling my name loudly.  *grin* 

Meanwhile our 52 Books group will be traveling through England for February so I'm pulling a very dusty Sherlockian by Graham Moore off the shelves to read.