Member Reviews

• 
  • Rated 4 stars

  “We Are On Our Own is not a completely chronological story. We see Miriam as an adult occasionally, with seemingly unimportant tasks and events reminding her about experiences in her past. The bulk of the story, however, takes place in Budapest during the last two years of World War II. She is Jewish, the single child of a deployed soldier father and a mother (Ester) at home. As the situation worsens for the Jews, Miriam flees with her mother and lives a frightful existence as her mother tries to keep her safe and keep them fed. Some people help willingly, others grudgingly - and their lives depend on their generosity.
  
  The pencil drawings are so classy, truly artistic. The "evil" characters seem to be a bit non-distinct - just scary personages, the way a child would remember them. Certain frames are disturbing, as Miriam's mother lives through the unthinkable to protect them - and it's particularly frightening because you know Miriam is nearby, not understanding at all what is happening. My heart aches for Miriam, of course - a child whose faith slowly fades as God seems to have disappeared from the scene. But, also, as a mother - I ached for Ester. To run, terrified, from unimaginable horror and to have to put on a brave face for your small one. To let yourself be taken by the enemy, in order to buy time, and to have to pretend like everything is going to be just fine. I can't imagine the emotional burden, but Katin's drawings certainly help.
  
  An excellent addition to the canon of Holocaust survivor stories, told with care and emotion. Highly recommended.”

  sheelysmom wrote this review Wednesday, June 18 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 3 stars

  “A memoir, in graphic form, about the survival of a Hungarian mother and her illegitimate daughter during WW II. The drawings make this a touching portrayal.”

  TheLibrarian wrote this review Monday, March 24 2008. ( reply | permalink )
• 
  • Rated 5 stars

  “We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin is the story of a young Hungarian Jewish woman and her small daughter struggling to survive through the Holocaust. Esther Levy is during her best to raise Lisa (really author Katin) while her husband Karoly is off fighting the Nazis during WWII. But one by one their freedoms are taken from them, including their right to own a dog or live in their apartment. Rather than go to a concentration camp, Esther fakes their deaths and flees into the countryside. She is forced to become the mistress of a Nazi commandant, raped by Russian soldiers, fights through a blizzard, and has an abortion. All in the quest to save her daughter's life. The scenes from the war are drawn in black and white with a charcoal feel to them. They are alternated with scenes from Lisa's life as a mother which are brightly colored, almost harshly so. The pictures are haunting and with a few simple strokes, Katin is able to bring remarkable depth and emotion to each frame. Several pages with the reunion of Karoly and Esther brought tears to my eyes and are examples of masterful storytelling. Another review here says that the book is pointless and doesn't have enough interest to merit publishing. I beg to differ. The Holocaust is such a huge tragedy that thinking about the death of 9 million is impossible to comprehend. But seeing the fight and heroics of a simple woman in the midst of the war brings home the destruction and devastation it brought. Not just to the landscape, but to the human spirit as well. It's a powerful story told about love and courage with the same.”

  clockstein wrote this review Saturday, November 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )