∎ Read Free The Other Half of Life A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St Louis Kim Ablon Whitney 9780375852190 Books

The Other Half of Life A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St Louis Kim Ablon Whitney 9780375852190 Books

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The Other Half of Life A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St Louis Kim Ablon Whitney 9780375852190 Books

Kim Ablon Whitney has written a riveting fictional account of the doomed voyage of the M.S. St. Louis, a luxury ocean liner which sailed from Germany to Cuba in 1939 with 937 passengers, nearly all German Jews desperate to escape Nazi Germany. Refused safe haven by Cuba and the U.S., the St. Louis was forced to return to Europe; this journey has become symbolic of the indifference of the United States and the rest of the world to the plight of European Jewry on the eve of World War II. Whitney tells the story of 15-year old Thomas, a fictional character who is representative of the young people who travelled alone on the ship. His Christian mother is able to afford passage only for one, and with his Jewish father already arrested and in a concentration camp in Germany, she takes the opportunity to send him off to safety in Cuba. Once on board, Thomas is befriended by the beautiful teenage Priska and her family, who are sailing in first class. Priska and Thomas are attracted to each other, and soon there is romantic tension to our story. However, the irony of sailing on a luxury ocean liner, with caviar, swimming, and dancing, is not lost on Thomas or the largely Nazi crew, who are ordered by the Captain to treat the Jewish passengers with the same respect as they would treat the passengers on any other luxury ocean crossing. From the outset, Thomas has a feeling that, despite their landing permits for Cuba, arriving safely is not guaranteed. When he overhears the crew whispering about Cuban quotas possibly already being full, he resolves to keep his ears and eyes open.

When the ship drops anchor outside the Havana harbor, Thomas and the other passengers realize there is a problem. While negotiations with the Cubans proceed, Thomas and his friends organize a chess tournament to distract the passengers. Thomas is a skilled chess player, and chess serves as a metaphor for the passengers of the St. Louis, who are being used by the Nazis as pawns in an elaborate propaganda game. Was the whole trip a ruse on the part of the Nazi government--to show that no one in other countries wants the Jews either? When Cuba refuses the passengers entry, the Captain sails to Miami, in the hope that the United States will take in the refugees, but the U.S. government, too, refuses to allow the ship to dock. Forced to turn around, the St. Louis returned to Europe, where the passengers were taken in by England, France, Belgium, and Holland. Sent to different countries, Thomas and Priska vow to meet in five years in Miami, never dreaming how the war would change their lives. Will they reunite? The author concludes the novel with a moving account of Thomas and his family, 70 years later, visiting an exhibit on the St. Louis at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, where he sees life-size photographs of himself and others he befriended on the voyage. In this final chapter, he tries to explain to his children why the United States didn't let them in, especially since over 700 of the passengers already had quota numbers for the U.S. This is a question with no good answer.

Highly recommended for readers 12 and up.


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The Other Half of Life A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St Louis Kim Ablon Whitney 9780375852190 Books Reviews

THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE
KIM ABLON WHITNEY
Historical YA
Knopf
ISBN# 978-0-375-85219-0
234 Pages
$[...]
Hardcover--Available May 12, 2009

Rating 4.5 Enchantments

THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE is based on the true story of a World War II voyage. Its May 1939 and the SS St. Francis is setting sail for Cuba and eventually the U.S. filled with Jewish refugees desperate for a new life in a new land. However, none of them could be prepared for the events that are about to take place that will change everyone's lives forever.

Fifteen year old Thomas is traveling alone. His Jewish father has been imprisoned and his Christian mother has scraped together enough money for his passage. Alone and frightened, he finds himself befriended by a family on an upper deck and slowly a relationship begins to form between Thomas and fourteen year old Priska. Its obvious as you read the story that the author did a great job of researching the events on the SS St.

Francis as its very detailed oriented and the reader can fully picture what life must have been like for those on board. Thomas is a very sympathetic character, as is the family he becomes close to onboard. One of my favorite scenes takes place fairly early in the book when Thomas is invited to dine up in first class with Professor Affeldt and his family. All ready ill at ease, Thomas poses as a `cousin' in order to join the family and is forced to deal with overhearing the waiter's remarks about the passengers, witness the attention paid to the pretty Priska by the same waiter and share his story with the family that will soon become his friends. A very engrossing read, readers looking for a great historical read based on a real life event should definitely pick up THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE.

Kim Ablon Whitney has published two previous novels with Knopf. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To learn more about THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE, including an excerpt, visit the author's website at [...]

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
May 2009
It sounds like an interesting book and and is very cool and unique but you will never fall asleep when you read the other half of life.
An easy read. Would be great for middle school students. An enjoyable read.
It wAs a required book for school. Kids enjoy it.
I knew of the plight of the passengers on the St. Louis, so I chose this novel for its subject. The author is true to history and creates fictional characters to wind the story around. The last chapter is 70 years later and concludes in the Holicost museum. May we never forget and as Americans, feel shame for shutting our eyes to the plight of the Jews that were slaughtered.
Kim Ablon Whitney has written a riveting fictional account of the doomed voyage of the M.S. St. Louis, a luxury ocean liner which sailed from Germany to Cuba in 1939 with 937 passengers, nearly all German Jews desperate to escape Nazi Germany. Refused safe haven by Cuba and the U.S., the St. Louis was forced to return to Europe; this journey has become symbolic of the indifference of the United States and the rest of the world to the plight of European Jewry on the eve of World War II. Whitney tells the story of 15-year old Thomas, a fictional character who is representative of the young people who travelled alone on the ship. His Christian mother is able to afford passage only for one, and with his Jewish father already arrested and in a concentration camp in Germany, she takes the opportunity to send him off to safety in Cuba. Once on board, Thomas is befriended by the beautiful teenage Priska and her family, who are sailing in first class. Priska and Thomas are attracted to each other, and soon there is romantic tension to our story. However, the irony of sailing on a luxury ocean liner, with caviar, swimming, and dancing, is not lost on Thomas or the largely Nazi crew, who are ordered by the Captain to treat the Jewish passengers with the same respect as they would treat the passengers on any other luxury ocean crossing. From the outset, Thomas has a feeling that, despite their landing permits for Cuba, arriving safely is not guaranteed. When he overhears the crew whispering about Cuban quotas possibly already being full, he resolves to keep his ears and eyes open.

When the ship drops anchor outside the Havana harbor, Thomas and the other passengers realize there is a problem. While negotiations with the Cubans proceed, Thomas and his friends organize a chess tournament to distract the passengers. Thomas is a skilled chess player, and chess serves as a metaphor for the passengers of the St. Louis, who are being used by the Nazis as pawns in an elaborate propaganda game. Was the whole trip a ruse on the part of the Nazi government--to show that no one in other countries wants the Jews either? When Cuba refuses the passengers entry, the Captain sails to Miami, in the hope that the United States will take in the refugees, but the U.S. government, too, refuses to allow the ship to dock. Forced to turn around, the St. Louis returned to Europe, where the passengers were taken in by England, France, Belgium, and Holland. Sent to different countries, Thomas and Priska vow to meet in five years in Miami, never dreaming how the war would change their lives. Will they reunite? The author concludes the novel with a moving account of Thomas and his family, 70 years later, visiting an exhibit on the St. Louis at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, where he sees life-size photographs of himself and others he befriended on the voyage. In this final chapter, he tries to explain to his children why the United States didn't let them in, especially since over 700 of the passengers already had quota numbers for the U.S. This is a question with no good answer.

Highly recommended for readers 12 and up.