
We Are On Our Own
A Memoir
Miriam Katin(Author)
Drawn and Quarterly (Publisher)
Published on 4. April 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
136 pages
978-1-77046-635-7 (ISBN)
Description
A crisis of faith follows mother and daughter in this beautifully rendered, harrowing WWII memoir. With the heartrending We Are on Our Own, Miriam Katin recounts the story of her escape from German-occupied Hungary as a child, led by her determined mother. The two fled Budapest near the end of WWII and at the age of sixty-three Katin enshrined her memory in these extraordinary pages, originally published in hardcover more than fifteen years ago. In 1944, Miriam is a toddler beloved by her dog Rexy, but when her mother is forced to give up their Jewish dog to the German authorities, Miriam s world begins to unravel. The two flee to the countryside after faking their deaths and traversing lands blanketed with snow. Miriam s fragmented childhood memories of forests, chocolate, strange men, and the noise of war are reconstituted in this beautifully told epic journey where the innocence of a child is set against unthinkable violence. Another crisis, one of faith, haunts the severed family on their path. Struggling to reunite with Miriam s father who has been conscripted to the Hungarian army, mother and daughter contemplate God, wondering how He could allow such destruction. Poetic words of the Torah combine with images of war as Miriam examines the theological dilemma both victims as well as survivors of the Shoah. When Miriam and her mother hide with a winemaker, they soothe their nerves with the tonic, reciting God is red. God is in the glass. God, they understand, is in the very human will to survive, and in that pursuit of survival, we are truly on our own.
Reviews / Votes
Richly illustrated in pencil, this book should not be missed by anyone with an interest in history, love or faith so anyone, really. TimeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
Black-and-white with partial color
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 7 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77046-635-7 (9781770466357)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Miriam Katin was born in Hungary during World War II. She later immigrated to Israel and then the United States, where she worked in background design for animation studios such as MTV and Disney. She is also the author of the award-winning memoir Letting It Go. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and a giant Ficus benjamina tree.