Claiming My Place by Planaria Price and Helen Reichmann - ADVISABLE

Claiming My Place by Planaria Price and Helen Reichmann West, 250 pages.  Farrar Straus Giroux, 2018. $18.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

When World War II began, Barbara and her family lived in the Jewish community of Piotrkow in Poland.  As the war developed, more and more restrictions were placed on her family and it became evident that the Jews were being removed from their homes.  Barbara, formerly known as Gucia, was in her early twenties in 1942 when she left her family and the Jewish ghetto to hide in plain sight.  She had blonde hair and was able to find forged papers which made her able to  work throughout World War II in Germany as a servant.  This book follows her experiences throughout her childhood and time in the war. 

I am always interested in reading the different accounts from the Holocaust and Barbara’s account was a unique perspective.  I admire her bravery and enjoyed reading about the Jewish beliefs and practices which are covered in detail.  There are some photos included and the content is rated PG-13 for war violence.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson