It's 1939 in Kraków, Poland. Seventeen-year-old Reuven Berkovitz assists his father Lev in his shop, where they craft personalized, high-end umbrellas adorned with carvings and jewels. Reuven is in love with Zelda Abramovitch. His life takes a dramatic turn when the Germans invade Poland, leading to Jewish families losing their businesses and possessions. Reuven and Zelda are separated as each family decides what to do and where to go to survive. Determined to find Zelda, Reuven travels to Russian-occupied eastern Poland, where he believes the Abramovitch family has gone, and he hides out working on a farm. He eventually returns to Kraków to discover that all Jewish families are confined behind the walls of a newly created ghetto, which is destined to be emptied.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Tod Lending makes his debut as a novelist with The Umbrella Maker's Son. Lending takes readers on a harrowing journey through the eyes of a young man facing the unimaginable. Drawing inspiration from family history and firsthand accounts from the Holocaust, this poignant book is about love and resilience. It offers a raw and realistic depiction of the darkest times. While not an easy read, it is a worthwhile one.
Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Historical Fiction.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025.
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