THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

Thomas Buergenthal, born in Lubochna, Czechoslavakia, on May 11, 1934, is five years old when the Germans invade Poland, on September 1, 1939.  Thomas’s father, Mundek Buergenthal, born in Poland in 1901, owns a hotel in Lubochna, Czechoslovakia.  Thomas’s mother, Gerda Silberglait, is born in Gottingen, Germany, in 1912.

Gerda and Mundek marry in 1933, the time of Hitler’s rise to power.  The Buergenthals feel a sense of safety in Czechoslovakia which ends in 1939, when the family is forced to leave their home, their hotel, confiscated by fascist authorities.  The family has no idea of the troubles, difficulties and misery that awaits them.  At five years old, Thomas finds his most difficult parting is with his favorite toy.

Buergenthal relates his experiences during the war years and his long and difficult road to recovery.