Hiding in Plain Sight
I’d bet any European who lived through WWII in places that saw the worst of it could write a compelling memoir. There will be fewer and fewer, as most of the survivors will soon be gone. Salomon Perel wrote one, Ich war Hitlerjunge Salomon, which translates to I Was Hitler Youth Salomon. Although he was German, he wasn’t a Nazi. In fact, he was Jewish. His book was adapted to the screen in 1990 as Europa, Europa. Salomon, a teenager, is separated from his family and begins an odyssey that would have captivated Homer. He is captured by the Nazis but survives through guile, his jovial personality and good looks, and the fact that he speaks Russian fluently. He goes to great pains to conceal that he has not been circumcised. Through dumb luck, he is credited with heroics and receives a sponsorship from an officer who wishes to adopt him post war. He is sent to one of Hitler’s elite schools. There he falls in love with a girl who has bought in to the final solution. Since he cannot chance making love, he loses her. Eventually, he is on the front line of Berlin’s last stand. He deserts and later, as he’s about to be executed by a concentration camp survivor, is again saved by dumb luck. Poland’s Agnieska Holland directed and adapted the screenplay. One account I read claims it was loosely based on the source material. Although it often seems fictitious, it’s a good story. Holland received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay, and the film won the Golden Globe as Best Foreign Film. This was Marco Hofschneider’s debut, and he seems perfectly cast. He has added 50 titles to his resume since then. France’s Julie Delpy, as the girl, shows why she’s gone on to major stardom. 14,000+ users at IMDb have rated Europa, Europa, forging to a consensus of 7.6 on a scale of ten. It runs a bit less than two hours. Although there is much despair, the violence is toned down. Holland has directed 44 films and written 28 screenplays. The flick will appeal to those who haven’t been worn out by the plethora of Holocaust fare. Here are the leads:
From an article at foxnews.com: “A copy of Trump: The Art of the Deal, signed by the “Future President” in 1987, went for $1500 at auction this week, more than books by former presidents, including FDR and Harry Truman. Imagine the despair of any leftist who’s heard this.
How ‘bout this from Yahoo Sports? The Mariners have signed first base prospect Evan White, who has yet to play a game above AA, to a six-year, $24 million contract. Here are his numbers from last season: .293, 18 home runs, 92 k’s, 29 walks in 92 games. Do such minor league stats — not even AAA level — justify such a contract? Is this a great country or what?
My thanks to the two women who bought four books in Russian between them, and to the gentleman who insisted on paying for six despite having donated eight; and to the young mom who purchased two kids’ books for her beautiful little girl; and to the sisters who went the young adult route, selecting Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee and an entry in The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. The elder, who was about 13, returned a half hour later with a gift of about 15 books. I offered one in return, and she chose Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. She said: “Books are my life.” What a sweetheart.
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