Jakobs Plight

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The horror of how he ended up where he is, only truly unfolds in the last chapter or two. The colours in the book are quite powerful in the storytelling too, It is at a dangerous time in European history where the black spider of Nazi Germany is crawling into every space and extinguishing love, hope and families that do not fit into their Aryan ideal.

We have heard and seen many accounts of the suffering of the Jews in WW2, but the Gypsies have definitely been ignored. Some of the incidents in the story were based on things that actually happened to them, like the testing of Zyklon B, on gypsy children. Although Jakob is an eight-year-old boy, he is much older inside. However, he remembers the words to run, and for him to run is to live. He is seen as a beacon of hope by others he comes across who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for him to ensure his continued existence.

The words, the ideas are beautifully written. I actually rather liked the different time frames in the book, they were clearly titled so you knew who was where and what. It made the final truth of what Jakob had to do as a horrific kindness of sorts all the more emotional.

De jongen die ontsnapte - Lindsay Hawdon Ik heb zoveel boeken over de tweede wereldoorlog gelezen. Dit boek vind ik echt een aanrader. Niet omdat het alleen een ontroerend boek is wat mooi en goed is geschreven, maar juist omdat iets word verteld wat veel eerder verteld had mogen worden. I was given this book through a goodreads giveaway but have had it on my to read list since I saw the hardback on Amazon's new release list, so I was looking forward to reading it.

Usually I feel not much shame in giving low or middling ratings for books but I do for this one. Jakob's Colours is beautifully written, so beautifully that I found myself reading it out loud when I was alone. Hawdon's words are chosen so well she almost paints Jakob's story as it meanders back and forth through the g I was given this book through a goodreads giveaway but have had it on my to read list since I saw the hardback on Amazon's new release list, so I was looking forward to reading it.

Hawdon's words are chosen so well she almost paints Jakob's story as it meanders back and forth through the generations of his family and to his present day on the run from Nazis. However beautiful it is though, I did find it difficult to read. I'm not sure if it was the harshness of the subject matter, how some things in Lor's life cut a bit too close to my own or if it was just the pacing of the story but I seemed to wade through this book like it was treacle so I can't rate it as highly as I'd have liked to.

That being said I did enjoy the experience for the most part and I can honestly say I've never read a book concerning the gypsy holocaust or the treatment of the Yennish in Switzerland before so I'm glad of that even if it's a fictional account. I'm pretty sure less picky, more cultured readers than myself would love this book. Apr 21, Andy Weston rated it really liked it. The Porrajmos, Or Gypsy Holocaust, was not recognised at the Nuremberg trials and not a single gypsy was called to witness.

Jakobs Fodder (mission)

To this day only one guard has received any sentence for crimes against them. The latest figure of the number of Romani that lost their lives by is staggeringly inaccurate, 'between a half and one and a half million'. Hawdon's brave writing and extensive research is a testament to those living and dead and in important work.

For much of it, the novel itself becomes too The Porrajmos, Or Gypsy Holocaust, was not recognised at the Nuremberg trials and not a single gypsy was called to witness.

For much of it, the novel itself becomes too entwined in the romance of Yavy and Lor. Alternate chapters flash back to at least 4 periods in Jakob's young life and their relationship - too much I think. A beautiful, lyrical novel of the gypsies and their persecution during WWII. How do you survive life, a life that is never easy, one others seek to take from you?

Colors, stories, and love are what bind, but always remember love is connected with pain, there is not one without the other. Jun 24, Adri rated it it was amazing. A book that touched me deeply. Beatifully written, every word exactly where it needs to be. Mooi verhaal, maar had korter gemogen, iets te langdradig.

Probably the best book I've ever read! Mar 22, Alisa rated it it was amazing. Jakob is an 8-year-old half-Roma gypsy boy who is alone on the run somewhere in Austria in the year These facts are enough for the reader to know that Jakob is running from something terrible and that the danger is far from over. I am emotionally drained after having read this. Right from the very first page, my heart went out to Jakob, I was afraid for him and wished I could protect him.

Yes, this is fiction, Jakob is a fictional character but the writing is so powerful, I was drawn into t Jakob is an 8-year-old half-Roma gypsy boy who is alone on the run somewhere in Austria in the year Yes, this is fiction, Jakob is a fictional character but the writing is so powerful, I was drawn into the novel and felt as if I was running alongside Jakob.

The novel tells the story of not only Jakob, but of his parents, too - of the hardships they faced in life, how they met and finally found love and happiness. While this may be irritating or confusing in some novels, I didn't find it to be the case in this one and it worked really well. The threads all come together in the end. This book is beautifully written, but it is truly heartbreaking. I was frequently overcome by a sense of dread while reading. On the one hand, you want to know what has happened to Jakob and his family, on the other hand, you don't want to know either.

This is the kind of book where you just wish the author had a vivid imagination, that the horrors they describe are imaginary. It may be a fictional story, but these things did - and sadly do still - happen in reality. While I was aware that Roma and Sinti were also persecuted and murdered during the Second World War, I didn't know that this was not recognized at the Nuremberg Trials and nobody was convicted for them.

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Not one gypsy was called to witness either. This Holocaust was "ignored" for the most part and Hawdon has done a highly commendable job of portraying the cultures and traditions of the gypsies, how they were treated in Europe not just during the war but before. Jakob's Colours deserves no less than 5 stars in my opinion. It is a book that will stay with me always. Jun 13, Cori Greer-Banks rated it liked it.

This book was beautifully written; Hawdon does a wonderful job painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind, "The cupboard doors are open, and there, hunched in the splintered darkness, are his companions, raw and slight, with hollowed jowls, and hair that is barely distinguishable from the jaundiced pallor of their skin.

The stories of Jakob son , Yavy d This book was beautifully written; Hawdon does a wonderful job painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind, "The cupboard doors are open, and there, hunched in the splintered darkness, are his companions, raw and slight, with hollowed jowls, and hair that is barely distinguishable from the jaundiced pallor of their skin. The stories of Jakob son , Yavy dad , and Lor mom are supposed to be interwoven and connected, but it feels stunted, and I put the book down many times in fatigue.

Stories about the Roma Porrajmos the Devouring need to be told to fully flesh out a full narrative of the Holocaust, but this one, while it paints beautiful pictures in my mind, bored me much of the time. The chapters would have been easier to follow if they would have just been titled: However, this novel does make me want to seek out more books about the Roma community.

May 14, Cora rated it it was ok. This could have been a very good historical fiction novel. Its subject matter has been written very little about. But I feel like the author overly described everything in the book. She droned on and on I sometimes found myself forgetting where we were in the story line because she was spending so many words making me understand exactly what the air smelled like and every little thing every single character in the book was thinking and feeling. I also This could have been a very good historical fiction novel.

I also felt like there were too many time lines and characters. It became confusing at times. This book was a disappointment for me. In my opinion, had she focused more on the story and less on painting a vibrant picture, it would have been outstanding. Jul 22, Lisa A. Sturm rated it it was amazing.

This was by far the most deeply moving depiction of the Holocaust I've ever read. Told through the eyes of a young boy who faces horrific challenges, mostly on his own. He clings to what he's learned from his parents to keep his spirit alive, and fights to survive. The writing is beautiful, at moments--stunning. It left me in a puddle of tears. Het verhaal over de zigeunerjongen Jacob en zijn familie.

Het wordt geschreven van uit Jacob, zijn moeder Lore en zijn vader Yavi en steeds verspringend vanuit een andere tijd. In het begin een beetje verwarrend, die verschillende verhaallijnen en tijden, tot ik in de gaten had hoe het zat. Vrij vlug Aangrijpend van begin tot einde en zeker de moeite waard om te lezen. Jul 04, Cagil rated it it was amazing.

Jacob Schiff

What a magnificent book! Feb 26, DC Vairavel rated it really liked it. Dec 28, Salve58 rated it liked it. Get out your tissues! I want to give this four stars but the writing was a bit clunky and it lacked enough history for me. But don't be fooled, this is a twisty story that made me cry. Over the last year or so I have been privileged and at the same time trusted in reviewing books on the Holocaust a subject that is close to my heart.

One aspect of the Holocaust that is less often spoken about is the gypsy Holocaust it is estimated that over a million European gypsies were murdered in death camps as a result of the Nazi persecution of the gypsy and Romany populations, as the laws passed in Berlin that applied to all Jews at the same time they also applied to others groups includi Over the last year or so I have been privileged and at the same time trusted in reviewing books on the Holocaust a subject that is close to my heart.

The story centres around an eight-year-old half-blood gypsy boy called Jakob who is fleeing the Nazi tyranny. Claflin , Marcellus Hartley , Robert L.

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The couple were the parents of a son, Mortimer L. Schiff and a daughter, Frieda. Less fortunate was his share in the reorganization in of the Metropolitan Street Railway of New York. He became associated with E. Harriman in notable contests with James J. He was elected a director of Wells Fargo in September to succeed his brother-in-law, Paul Warburg , who had resigned to accept appointment to the original Federal Reserve Board. What was perhaps Schiff's most famous financial action was during the Russo-Japanese War , in and It is quite likely Schiff also saw this loan as a means of answering, on behalf of the Jewish people, the anti-Semitic actions of the Russian Empire , specifically the then-recent Kishinev pogrom.

This loan attracted worldwide attention, and had major consequences. Japan won the war, thanks in large part to the purchase of munitions made possible by Schiff's loan. Some of the Japanese leadership saw this as evidence of the power of Jews all around the world, raised the issue of Jewish loyalties in the Diaspora and as proof of the truth of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In addition to his famous loan to Japan, Schiff financed loans to many other nations, including those that would come to comprise the Central Powers.

President Woodrow Wilson and other Allied statesmen to end the war as quickly as possible, even without an Allied victory. He feared for the lives of his family, back in Germany, but also for the future of his adopted land. He arranged loans to France and other nations for humanitarian purposes, and spoke out against submarine warfare. Schiff made sure none of the funds from his loans ever went to the Russian Empire, which he felt oppressed Jewish people.

When the Russian Empire fell in , Schiff believed that the oppression of Jews would end. He formally repealed the impediments within his firm against lending to Russia. At home Schiff had never shown any sympathy for socialism, not even the milder Morris Hillquit variety. Schiff had declared victory for his purposes in Russia after the tsar was toppled in March and Alexander Kerensky, representing the new provisional government, had declared Jews to be equal citizens.

Schiff also joined a British-backed effort to appeal to fellow Jews in Russia to continue the fight against Germany. Schiff always felt strongly about his connection to the Jewish people , and demonstrated this through his philanthropy. Schiff grew to be one of American Jewry's top philanthropists and leaders, donating to nearly every major Jewish cause, New York examples being the Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids, of which he was president, [16] the Young Men's Hebrew Association building and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

He was a vice president of the New York Chamber of Commerce , and a member of the Committee of 70 which resulted in the overthrow of the Tweed Ring. Maurras went so far as to suggest that a telegram from Schiff and other prominent American Jewish leaders convinced President Wilson to give in to certain German arguments at the post-war peace negotiations — including allowing Upper Silesia to have a plebiscite rather than being ceded to Poland. Moreover, it has been argued that Schiff stopped financing transactions for Germany or the Central Powers as of , stopped speaking German in public and was eager to demonstrate his moral and financial commitment to the Allied cause.

A practitioner of Reform Judaism , [22] Schiff supported political, secular Zionism. Despite not agreeing fully with the ideas of Theodore Herzl , and in fact believing that Zionism would cause Americans to question his loyalty, he donated to many Jewish projects in Palestine , including the Technical Institute of Haifa.

Jakobs Fodder

As the situation for Eastern European Jews grew more dire, with the Russian Revolution , and pogroms in Ukraine , Schiff made more considerable contributions to the Zionist effort; he even offered to join the Zionist organization, provided he could publish a statement he'd prepared. This offer was denied, and so he never formally joined the Zionist camp. Kennan noted that Schiff helped finance revolutionary propaganda during the Russo-Japanese war and revolution of , [23] through the Society of Friends of Russian Freedom. Schiff has always used his wealth and his influence in the best interests of his people.

He financed the enemies of autocratic Russia and used his financial influence to keep Russia from the money markets of the United States.

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