I closed the book and just sat still for a bit. How could all of this be true? How is this humanly possible? Some books stay with me long after reading. I’d say that’s the sign of a book that gives more than an escape or entertainment. We Were The Lucky Ones will stay with me for a while.
Historical Novels
I hesitate to even write this, but I hesitate to consider not writing. History can be difficult. I know some would rather not hear, read, or discuss terrible events that fellow humans lived through. I get that. I’m not sure why this time in history has gripped me so tightly, but it continues to draw me close. Recently, I have read several historical novels that focused on WWII, the holocaust, hope and survival, love and loss, but this one is a compelling, powerhouse of a story.
We Were The Lucky Ones
I stumbled upon We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter at my favorite thrift shop. They have a back room dedicated to used books. I could probably enter with my eyes closed; the room smells of novels, lost time, and dreams on paper. It is the quietest spot in the store. Like-minded people gather but do not say a word. Each genre has its designated shelf. The alphabet is used to direct you to the author you seek. Whoever set this room in motion cherishes and respects the written word.
A True Story
I’ve learned to go prepared to avoid my inevitable spontaneity. I slide my glasses out of their case and open the Reading List App on my phone. I have outgrown my random sticky notes with book titles and author names. I’ll admit to becoming lost in stories. This app keeps me focused and organized while my hands are eager to race from one shelf to the next, flipping to back covers to decide if that is the one. Today was my day. I found a story of courage, devastation, and love. I found a true story that left me different than I was when I added the title to my “to read” list.
The Unsettling
The Kurc family lived in Radom, Poland. Like ours, their life was family, marriages, new careers, meals around a crowded table, and living each day with the ones they love. In 1939 subtle changes began to press hard on their spirit. Friends were closing their businesses, vandalism was becoming more prevalent, and families were moving away during the night. For the first time, every chair around the table was not occupied during Passover. The war was simmering and beginning to flow into the fiber of life. Sol and Nechuma Kurc were my current age when the unsettling began in 1939. Not long after they celebrated the Festival of Matzah, Nechuma, the family matriarch, came to realize no amount of savings and no connection would shield them forever. In a blink, survival was life.
The Human Spirit
We read, study, and even research the events of these horrific days, but until we connect with families such as this, do we grasp the magnitude? Their home was taken. Their careers stopped. They walked away with what they could wear and what could be hidden in their pockets and hems of their coats. They went from living a life they built together to living in ghettos and fleeing alone to many corners of the world for safety. We Were The Lucky Ones opened my eyes to what is possible and how powerful the human spirit is when it is loved and desperate to survive.
Breathless
During a Kurc family gathering in 2000, Felicia, a cousin to the author’s mother, said to Georgia Hunter “Our family, we shouldn’t have survived. Not so many of us, at least.” Just as I was when I read the last word of this book, the Kurc family was silent, breathless. This book revealed the horrors of WWII but also empowers us through the story of survival. I quietly lower the book to my lap, close my eyes, and thank God for the Kurc family, their survival, and the gift of enlightenment we all receive from them. It has taken me several days to stop considering their loss, their story. The book is still on the arm of my chair. I think it will be there for a while. A quote from Paula McLain warned me on the front cover “Will leave you breathless”. I should have listened, but I opened the pages anyway.
The Lucky Ones
Some books entertain. Some give an escape. We Were The Lucky Ones is truth and yes, left me breathless. I keep it in sight so as not to forget that we have so much to be thankful for and we too are the lucky ones.
Stay Curious,
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