I loved how the artist wrote down the words his mother must have actually said in her recorded Holocaust survival narrative; her dialect was exactly like my Polish grandfather's and therefore she sounded like family and very real to me. What an experience reading this book; the illustrations enhanced the experience even more; I highly recommend this to anyone 13 to adult. ( )

Both the story and the presentation are breathtaking! I love the mixed media with both the real pictures and the author's illustrations. I read the whole book in one sitting. What a fabulous keepsake for the author's family, and what a wonderful gift that he would share it with us. ( )

Martin Lemelman videotaped his mother's rememberances of life before and during the Holocaust, then didn't look at it for years. After his mother's death, he used the videotapes to as the basis for this memoir, told in his mother's voice and illustrated in a graphic style reminiscent of Art Spiegelman's Maus, but without the frames. Occasionally his uncle's voice takes over the story, and I felt as though I were sitting around the kitchen table listening to my elders talk. It is a very accessible and appropriate for young adult readers as well as adults. ( )