Description
Other People's Houses
Book Summary
A moving and lucid testimony of a childhood stolen by war. Lore Segal, through the eyes of the child she once was, reconstructs her journey on one of the Kindertransports that saved thousands of Jewish children from Nazi Europe. From the moment of departure in Vienna to her adaptation in England, the author narrates the experience of growing up in foster homes, learning to survive between displacement and hope. A fundamental work for understanding childhood resilience in the face of historical tragedy.
What is it about?
Following the annexation of Austria by the Nazi regime, little Lore, barely ten years old, boards a train in Vienna with six hundred other Jewish children. It is the beginning of the Kindertransport, the British operation that would rescue some ten thousand minors. The book follows her journey from the initial reception camp to the various homes in which she would live in England. Each new home represents a fresh start: changing cities, meeting new foster parents and siblings, adapting to a new school, and learning different customs and rules. Through her eyes, the reader witnesses a process of silent mourning for the lost family and the construction of a new identity in a strange land, where childhood unfolds in a constant state of provisionality.
Main themes
- The experience of the Kindertransport and childhood exile during the Holocaust.
- Displacement and the loss of home and family during childhood.
- Resilience and the adaptability of children in the face of adversity.
- The construction of identity in a foster environment and constant state of flux.
- Memory as a tool to reconstruct and give meaning to a fragmented childhood.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in 20th-century history, especially the Holocaust and its human consequences. It is also an essential read for those seeking first-hand accounts of childhood during wartime, as well as for those who appreciate memoirs written with literary sensitivity and an honest, unsensationalized gaze.
What this book offers
- A direct and rare historical testimony from the perspective of a child survivor of the Kindertransport.
- A narrative that shows the emotional complexity of living in foster homes without falling into sentimentality.
- A profound reflection on memory, identity, and the human capacity to rebuild life after loss.
- A work that humanizes one of the most significant rescue operations of the Second World War.
Technical specifications
- Author: Segal, Lore
- Publisher: Xordica
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION
- Collection: ENVISTAS
- Publication date: November 2020
- Number of pages: 264
- Weight: 470 g
Editorial review
A work of unquestionable testimonial and literary value. Lore Segal manages to convey the experience of childhood displacement with precise and restrained prose, avoiding bathos without sacrificing emotion. The book offers a unique perspective on a well-documented historical episode, told here through the fragility and strength of a girl who learns to live in other people's houses. Recommended for those seeking a read that combines historical rigor with deep human sensitivity.