First of all, I loved the title "One More Moon" as it was the author's grandmother's wish to see one more moon before she passed away. Such a simple desire and sadly unmet, but one gets the distinct impression through Elsa's story that she would have accepted that with grace.
Elsa's story traipses....or perhaps meanders.....from growing up as a Jewish German, to becoming a Jew in Naples, Italy with some gently nudges (connecting the dots) that bring her together with her husband, Paul. Through Elsa's eyes we get a glimpse of what it was like to be shunned simply because of her culture and by people she had grown to consider as family. She raises her children to adulthood and as WWII comes ever closer, sends them off to America with a desire to join them when able. The paper trail alone would make one dizzy and little by little their rights as citizens of Italy are slowly stripped away, leaving them with almost nothing when they finally are able to cross the ocean to Cuba and then to America.
There was a great deal of repetition in the writing, but knowing that her story was being given over days and in her 90's, you can forgive that. An eye-opening tale of what it was like to be Jewish just prior and at the beginning of WWII. Elsa is stoic, and hard-working, uncomplaining, and places her love of family above all else.
Elsa's story traipses....or perhaps meanders.....from growing up as a Jewish German, to becoming a Jew in Naples, Italy with some gently nudges (connecting the dots) that bring her together with her husband, Paul. Through Elsa's eyes we get a glimpse of what it was like to be shunned simply because of her culture and by people she had grown to consider as family. She raises her children to adulthood and as WWII comes ever closer, sends them off to America with a desire to join them when able. The paper trail alone would make one dizzy and little by little their rights as citizens of Italy are slowly stripped away, leaving them with almost nothing when they finally are able to cross the ocean to Cuba and then to America.
There was a great deal of repetition in the writing, but knowing that her story was being given over days and in her 90's, you can forgive that. An eye-opening tale of what it was like to be Jewish just prior and at the beginning of WWII. Elsa is stoic, and hard-working, uncomplaining, and places her love of family above all else.