When The World Was Ours: A book about finding hope in the darkest of times

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Liz Kessler is een Engelse schrijfster uit Southport. Ze schrijft voornamelijk kinder en young-adult boeken. Met Toen de wereld nog van ons was schrijft ze haar eerste verhaal over de Holocaust. Die unterschiedlichen Perspektiven werden von unterschiedlichen Sprecher:innen gesprochen, die ihre Sache allesamt ausserordentlich gut machen. Ausserdem hat dieser Wechsel der Erzähler:innen bei der Orientierung geholfen, aus wessen Sicht die Handlung gerade erzählt wird. The Second World War has inspired many stories, and told the stories of many people over the years. These books for teenagers take a variety of different approaches to representing the events of World War II. Liz Kessler’s writing is excellent and her depiction of the slow, steady descent in the behaviour of those in society who discriminate and ill-treat others is chilling. These changes as seen through the children’s eyes are subtle at first, their parents whispering and worried, Max’s father no longer allowing him to play with his friends, the gradual introduction of restrictions for the Jewish community, the harsh separation in school and the humiliation and horror that will eventually follow this. Throughout the entire story, we know that this is true to the facts and that we must learn from history to ensure that the worst events in our past are never repeated. The parallels and relevance in our world today make this an even more important read. Our story opens in Vienna, Austria in 1936 and it is Leo's 9th birthday and he and his 2 best friends, Max and Elsa, are riding the Ferris wheel in the town's center and then headed home to enjoy Leo's mom's famous Sachertorte. While riding the Riesenrad, Leo's father takes a photo of the 3 children, and it's a moment burned into each of their collective memories through the horrors of the next several years to come and the harrowing twists and turns their stories, lives, and friendship takes.

And the ending, the ending!!! I had to re-read it several times because my vision was being too blurred with all the tears. Kessler schrijft het verhaal zodanig dat de emoties van het blad spatten. Een voorbeeld hiervan is: Hij hield zichzelf voor wat hij ook maar wilde horen, ook al wist hij diep in zijn hart dat het allemaal gelogen was. Ze slaagt erin met één zin de emotionele toestand van het personage te schetsen. De achtergrond waarop alles gebeurt wordt ook mooi omschreven . Bv Een bruine sjaal die zo harig is dat ik eerst dacht dat hij leefde. Zonder al teveel in detail te treden over de gruwelen in een concentratiekamp slaagt ze er toch in om de ernst van de situatie te laten doordringen. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -Billy Joel’s father, a German Jew, escaped the Nazis and reached America, via Switzerland and Cuba. Despite the heartbreak and the horror, we witness moments of kindness, friendship and hope, chief of which is the act of generosity by the couple who provide an escape for Leo and his family. However, even in the darkest times, there is light in the form of a helping hand, the bond of friendship and a loving family and the memories of a former happiness and the hope that this will return. There is much humanity in this story to offer a balance to the cruelty. It is a book that prompts questions and discussion as we witness the change in the characters, especially the character of Max. How much is he a product of his upbringing, his need to fit in and be liked and his desire to please his father? Liz Kessler never excuses the behaviour but provides a way in which the reader can explore the importance of personal conscience and individual choices. De insteek van dit verhaal werd gevormd door de herinneringen van haar eigen vader en andere familieleden aan de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De waargebeurde feiten werden aangevuld met eigen ideeën. Waar de scheiding ligt tussen fictie en Non-fictie verteld de auteur zelf in een kort voorwoord, alsook wat ze wil bereiken met het schrijven van dit boek. Inspired by the true story of author Liz Kessler`s father’s escape from Nazi-occupied Europe, When The World Was Ours is an extraordinary novel which shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.

As the holocaust goes on, Max and Elsa find themselves brought to the same concentration camp, yet on opposing sides. As the story leads to its terrible conclusion, will friendship ever be enough to bridge the gap that has widened between them?I take a deep breath as I write this, and try to make sense of my thoughts after finishing this book. That’s the thing that really gets me. When one is a child, history seems like long ago. But from my current vantage point, ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago is just not that long ago. The story reaches a breathtaking crescendo when we witness an interweaving of the three family stories years after the Ferris wheel ride: Elsa’s family is sent to Auschwitz on a death camp train. Leo’s now-emaciated dad is there, too, forced into slave labor in exchange for staying alive. And Max and his dad are working there. De manier waarop ze de drie vrienden en hun familie neerzet is zeer goed. Hun keuzes en manier van denken voelen verstaanbaar aan voor de lezer. Je leeft echt mee met de drie. Een thema dat ook wel naar boven komt in het verhaal is dat je omgeving toch wel bepaalt wie je wordt of dat ze willen dat je wordt. Dit komt het meeste naar boven in het verhaal van Max. Die neemt de zwaarste rol op zich in dit verhaal. Kessler heeft ervoor gekozen om elke keer te veranderen van perspectief over het verhaal. Ze wisselt continue tussen Elsa, Leo en max. Bij Leo en Elsa beleef je alles mee vanop hun schouder, terwijl er voor het verhaal van Max gekozen werd om vanaf de zijlijn toe te kijken. Dit werkt enorm goed voor dit verhaal. De lijdensweg van Elsa en Leo komt door die ik-vorm extra binnen bij de lezer. Bij Max bekijk je als lezer hoe hij verandert tijdens de oorlogsjaren.

But the part that made me cry the hardest was the final chapter, the one that took place in our day. It just hurts so badly to know that there are still people dying and losing everything they love and care about all over again. It hurts to know that we still need to talk about this, that we still need reminders to try and make it never happen again. It hurts that everything is still broken.

Each of the children has a very different war-time experience. Leo manages to flee to England with his mother, desperate for news of his father who was sent to Dachau. Elsa remains with her family through many of the indignities bestowed on her simply because of her faith, but she is separated from them when they are taken to Auschwitz. Max has always been desperate for his father’s approval, and his need to belong and gain admiration makes him susceptible to the indoctrination of the Nazi party. As his father rises in power, Max follows. He too ends up in Auschwitz.

By gaining access to each character’s perspective, this novel allows young readers to understand this period of history in a comprehendible way, while making sense of the motives behind people’s actions. Max, in particular, is a character who explores how so many ordinary people could have become a part of such a brutal regime. This book was amazing, I loved everything about it. The characters, the plot, the historical accuracy-it was perfection! You could tell that a lot of effort and research was put into the making of such a wonderful book. MAX. As his father rises up the Nazi ranks, he suddenly finds that he is the danger his friends are trying so desperately to escape. This striking Holocaust story was a real passion project for Liz Kessler and it shows. Begins in Vienna in the 1930s, following the fortunes of three friends over the following years. Inevitable ugly crying at the end When The World Was Ours is an exceptionally powerful book based on Liz's family's extraordinary escape from Nazi occupied countries . . . a book I hope will be read and discussed by children everywhere -- Francesca SimonThis stunning book is going to make you rage, and cry, and yelp with joy, then cry and rage again. A genuine tour de force from Liz Kessler. I couldn’t put it down except to wipe away tears Inspired by a true story, When the World Was Ours is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times. Three friends. Two sides. One memory. About This Edition ISBN: Our story focuses on three children - Max, Leo and Elsa. Best friends, their story begins with a memory of a wonderful birthday celebration where they rode on a fairground ride, shared cake with one another, smiled and laughed. They each have a picture of that day. That picture becomes significant.