Title of the Book: All But My Life
Author: Gerda Weissmann Klein
# of Pages: 246
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:

"'Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler!' and the watch says 9:10... It was september 3, 1939, Sunday morning." This is when Gerda's Life Changed forever. All But My Life is a tragic novel about a young girl as she lives through hell on earth. As Gerda shares her memories she shows the reader the true horrors of Nazi Germany. As she walks thousands of Kilometers through Europe, she makes the reader aware of true suffering. In every chapter Gerda finds a way to make the reader grateful for the bountiful amounts of things they have to be grateful for. As you read Gerda's hardships through her life she shows the story of those around her who could not make it for themselves. Her heart wrenching story will make you feel every
emotion to it's entirety and leave you rethinking how you look at your own hardships.

This book was unique because it doesn't tell only one story. Gerda tells the story of everyone she meets in her fullest knowledge. People are forever living through her memory in this book and I think that is the most important thing to do. Gerda uses her tone to really make the reader feel the pain, hunger and hope that she went through roughly 70 years ago.
The most memorable part of this book was a letter Gerda receives from one of her old school mates. This passage describes how a whole town was massacred and rid of all Jewish people. She describes watching her baby brother being taken by the SS with such brutal imagery that the reader feels as if he/she were sitting in the room. As Gerda's friend writes she slowly shows that she has been driven mad by the sorrow. That is the last Gerda ever heard from her.
This book would best suit someone who enjoys reading the horrible truth about the past, also the reader must be okay with tears on almost a constant basis. DO NOT READ IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE SAD AND CONTEMPLATE LIFE.