2007. 317 pp.

Reviewed by Pnina Kass

Photos yellow and memorabilia gather dust but memories salvaged are, in essence, historical documents. The proverbial wandering Jew carries with him, in his recollections, events and dates from each of the places he has lived, albeit a brief span of time. A personal history becomes over the years a national heritage, a memorial to the survival and struggles of a people.

Victor Geller’s memoir encompasses so many of the critical moments of the 20th century that it goes beyond the privacy of one man’s memories and becomes a diary of our age. The singularity of one Jewish boy’s experiences becomes the tale of all those who experienced anti-Semitism, all those who were raised in the shadow of one war and then went to fight in another one. This is an enthralling read, written with lucidity and emotional restraint. Recommended.  

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