Book Review: We Were the Lucky Ones
Book Review: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
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Favorite Quote: “The exercise of deciding where to go next is difficult. Because next most likely means a new forever.”
Seeing the endurance of the human spirit is always a marvelous thing to witness. All novels I have read that take place during WWII show this endurance, but none quite like We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. This is the story of the Kurc family from Radom, Poland, a Jewish family who, through all challenges, show their resilience in the face of the countless atrocities encountered during this time. Each member of the family shows how witty, ingenious, perseverant, and determined they are to survive, as they are flung to all corners of the world in hopes of returning to their family again.
I enjoyed this book. I loved the multiple perspectives of each character and how the author has chosen to construct this narrative. Having a family tree at the beginning of the book, as well as historical information and dates with each chapter, helps you to understand what is happening to the characters and how the environment around them is acting upon them. It is an easy way to set the scene while being able to bounce around between 6 or 7 different characters at a time. This book is a WALLOP if you are doing the #popsugarreadingchallenge , since it’s a book with a black and white cover, a book with a family tree, and a book with 3 generations of a family. Obviously now, it is safe to say **SPOILER ALERT**.
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Following the plot of this story is not necessarily easy. You understand that the Kurcs are a big family, having 5 children who all have partners, and that they are Jewish upper-middle class in Poland in 1938. As the story unfolds and WWII starts, each character, which could be any of the 12 listed above, gets to talk about a moment in time from there own perspective. I found myself flipping back and forth to the family tree multiple times and was grateful for the historical briefs given before some of the chapters.
The family gets separated quickly due to military enrolment and the desire for the children to be with their partners in different parts of Poland. As history progresses, characters are sent farther and farther from Poland. Some end up in Palestine, in Siberia, in Dakar, Casablanca, Rio, or just another part of Poland. The characters who move the most are probably the oldest son Genek and his wife Herta, who go from Siberia, to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Palestine, Italy, and eventually Brazil. Whenever a character is moving, no matter where they are based, their focus is survival.
I don’t want to go through all the challenges met by the characters, as they are difficulties, we have all learned in school or through our own reading. What is refreshing to read is the resistance that the characters display to survive despite their environment. Their involvement in the underground network of Poland keeps most of the characters employed throughout the story, their false papers giving them a pass that would not have been possible with their original identities. Sometimes it seems almost impossibly lucky that all these fortunate events would happen to one family, but sometimes extraordinary things can unfold to positive outcomes. The family is lucky and privileged because of their connections and life before the war, but they also never give up. Their determination keeps them all going and helps them avoid falling into more dire circumstances.
At the end of it all, the whole Kurc family has survived. All 5 children, the parents, the partners of the children and their grandchildren have all lived through the war. Most did this all within Poland, not able to escape from their native country, or not willing to leave their family for an undetermined fate. Their son Addy, who was outside of Poland in France at the beginning of the war and who managed to immigrate to Brazil, invites them all to join him in Rio de Janeiro to find their ‘new forever’. The only member who doesn’t join them is the youngest son Jakob and his wife Bella, who choose to immigrate to America to be closer to Bella’s family. It all works out for the Kurcs in the end, who have grown by a few members because in the middle of all this war everyone was able to have children. It is a happy ending, an ending that, from a probability standpoint, didn’t happen for a lot of families who suffered through WWII.
In Summary: I recommend that you read this book because it reminds us that with family by our side, we can be resilient to anything around us. The Kurc family does not shy away from helping each other throughout the story, and their selfless sacrifices lead to the survival of the whole family. Though the story is improbable, I’m not saying it’s impossible. It is nice to see such positivity and ingenuity among a group of people, people who were told that they would be exterminated for their faith. Any thoughts that you have on the book you can put down in the comments. Tomorrow I will be announcing which book I will read for this week’s #readwithme. You can check out my Instagram to see what that will be. Thanks again and I’ll talk to you soon X.
