I appreciated Janet Singer Applefield sharing their story with us in this book. It was written well and thought it was a great concept for showing the Holocaust and how many did what they had to do to survive.

"Becoming Janet: Finding Myself in the Holocaust" is one of the most breathtaking books I've read in years.

It follows Gustawa, who is a small child in Poland at the outbreak of WWII. She manages to survive with her Jewish family until her parents have to do the unthinkable- send her away while they are forced into Jewish ghettos and worse. Gustawa the goes through many changes- and identities- through the duration and aftermath of WWII.

I've read many Holocaust memorial books, but none like this. Janet's story is unlike any I have ever heard and chronicles her time hiding under a new identity from the powers that want her dead. I really wasn't aware of the specific challenges Janet faced, but the way in which she tells her story is captivating. I couldn't put her story down and it has stayed with me even after reading. Images as simple as the importance of a torn up teddy bear and an old handkerchief mean the world to a little girl, and to see the journey of those items amongst the backdrop of pure hate is a mesmerizing lesson on life. It is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand the Holocaust from a different perspective.

The atrocities that happened before, during, and after WWII are the most devastating events humans have ever seen and done. Janet's story is essential to understanding how that happened and to ensure that none of it will ever happen again. Janet's story is powerful, relatable, and will absolutely make a lasting impact on your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #BECOMINGJANET #NetGalley

What a wonderful book…
True story of a Holocaust survivor from Poland. The woman who would become Janet was born into a loving, doting family. Everything changed for her and her family when Adolph Hitler invaded Poland and unleashed his plans to eliminate Jews. This child was bumped around to different people from the age of seven in an attempt to save her, but not everyone had her best interests at heart. Her own adult cousin was downright evil, in fact. Through everything, “Janet” survived, mainly by keeping her head down and being a good girl, as her mother had taught her. Now in her eighties, this brave , resilient lady visits schools to deliver her message about the terrible damage that hate can cause, to young people. She has assembled her story into book form now, and I think it needs to be in all classrooms, everywhere.
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

I am a big reader of WWII history and was excited to get this one.
I found it just ok, though, because it felt very rushed and not fleshed out story-wise.
I think it would have been better if there were more details. It kind of felt like a bullet point timeline, if I am honest. The opportunity is there for such a rich storytelling experience!!!!!
Also I don't know if this is just because it was an ARC but my Kindle only showed captions of pictures and not the pictures themselves which was kind of a bummer.

We must never forget the Holocaust, and how it came to happen. This memoir will stay with me. And on behalf of all those who perished, and those who are left to carry the memories of their loved ones, may all their memories be a blessing.

A deeply moving, yet uplifting story of the little girl who was hidden from the Nazis during the war and how she moved to America with her father, who fortunately survived the concentration camps. She decided to change her name when she arrived in the US, so she fitted in better. Her choice of Jeanette became Janet.

gripping and eye-opening account of the holocaust. i find it so special that she keeps her dads name alive and recalls his accounts of this time so perfectly.

Becoming Janet

Gustawa Singer survived the Jewish Holocaust in Poland during WWII because she had green eyes and blonde hair. She had “a good look”’ a non-Jewish look. She was attached to other families under different names, and managed to slip undetected from one location to another until the war was over. How she survived the war, came to the U.S. and started a new life makes interesting reading.

Okay, this book was amazing. I loved hearing the author's story, which had so much emotion and was so enthralling. I loved seeing how everything played out in the end. I'm so glad the author decided to share her history, because I think everyone who hears or reads it will be better for it.

Janet Singer Applefield's story is a tale of resilience against adversities: growing up Jewish in pre-WWII Poland, she didn't know that her life and the life of her family would be upended by the events to come. Janet's parents leave her to the care of their relatives, having the reassurance that her looks will protect her in plain sight. She is in fact blond with fair skin, physical traits prised by the Nazi regime. By a mix of favourable odds and the bravery and generosity of neighbours and strangers, Janet will survive the horrible tragedy that rocked Europe.

Written with such an empathetic and gentle voice, which doesn't diminish the brutality of the events, it is no surprise that Janet Singer Applefield is an educator who shares her Holocaust testimony in schools. This is how we find her at the very beginning of Becoming Janet: ready to speak to the next generation. Because to prevent history from repeating itself, we must never forget.

Spanning from her earliest memories with her family just before the outbreak of war in Europe to the aftermath of WWII and her new future, Applefield shades light on a topic that is not often discussed: the loved ones left behind.

Moving from the care of different relatives and strangers, Janet will forget what stability and safety felt like. Once her ordeal will be over and she is reunited with her dad, she will need time to heal from the trauma of the war.

Even when the traumatic events seem to be over, life is far from returning to normal. Just because the occupation of her country has ended, hatred has not disappeared. She will be constantly faced with a sense of insecurity and alienation in a country that stripped her of everything she had.

My Thoughts

Even though the story of this young and brave survivor may seem purely traumatic, there are uplifting moments that give us a sense of hope and faith in humankind. The entire book revolves around brave people who made courageous choices: no matter how dangerous and life-threatening choosing the right thing to do might be, it can make all the difference. It did for Janet, and many others. Applefield brings her experience to young people not just to give voice to those who don't have one, but also to let the next generation know that they have a choice: stand up to discrimination and injustice, or be complicit.

Something else that I found particularly interesting in this book is the description of life for Jewish people after WWII: just because the war is over, hatred will not stop overnight. This sad reality is apparent, but it's also rarely discussed. Of the few testimony that I read, not many delve into the details of how life changed, especially for those who continued to be persecuted just for their "diversity", and the remnants of the Nazi agenda.

In line with the book's goals and origins, at the end of it, readers will find questions designed to stimulate reflection and discussion, whether individually or in a classroom setting.

I started reading this book in the evening and could not put it down until I reached the last page. It's that kind of book. Janet has storytelling down to a tee and it very artfully flows. So high points for readability and story.

But what a story this is. I've read books about the Holocaust and books from Holocaust survivors. This is a crucial genre because their stories simply can't be forgotten and are relevant to our current world. Janet practically casts a spell on her audience with this one and her story is so unusual. It gives us an entirely different point of view and even for those of us who are well read on the Holocaust, it brings up some new and different perspectives--that of a child who was hidden and passed around for her own safety, but not necessarily in a caring way. The reader can imagine the fear and the puzzlement she must have had. This is a story that children could potentially relate to in different ways and it is a story that should find its way into many many classrooms much as Janet herself has. One has to greatly admire what she has achieved in her life. It could have been so very different.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I want to see it on on the shelf in every school library.

I rarely read biographies, and I’m usually hesitant about Holocaust stories, but this one attracted me on the Netgalley pages because of the cover, and also because it was in the Teens and YA category. Janet Singer Applefield is an Holocaust survivor who made it her mission to tell her childhood story to kids in Massachussetts schools, in order to let them understand the realities behind what is taught to them in history textbooks. She arrived in the US in 1947 at age 12, but her story is nothing short of a miracle.

She was born Gustawa Singer in a well-to-do Jewish family in a small town of Poland. The invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany destroyed the happiness of her childhood. The life of the family became more and more difficult until her parents took in 1942 the most heart-wrenching decision: they decided to split ways to get more chances at survival and to give their daughter away to strangers so that she would hide under a new identity. A pretty blond girl, she took the Christian name of Krystyna and was passed from stranger to stranger. She suffered loss after loss, and nearly lost herself in the years of hardships. Janet Applefield does not conceal how her experience showed the best and worst in people she met in those years. Relatives were not the ones who were the most humane, and at times random strangers saved her life.

I devoured the book in two days. Janet’s memories are told in a very straightforward way. The most shocking parts were perhaps the renewed hatred and antisemitism and attacks she faced after the end of the war from the hands of Polish people. Even if the Holocaust was over, her hardships were not. No wonder that she emigrated as soon as she could. Even as she has very clear messages to give to the newer generations in terms of choosing courage and tolerance and human decency, I felt that it was not heavy-handed because she shows in concrete terms what those values meant in a terrible context. I hope that the book will find its way into the hands of many teens and young adults.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

Jane's story was beautiful, sad, overwhelming but important. Everyone should learn first hand accounts to the holocaust and spread their stories far and wide. I wish her healing and love the rest of her life. Thank you for sharing, Janet.

An incredible account of a terrible part of our history and one which will no doubt be powerfully useful in ensuring the events of the Shoah are not forgotten. The author’s experiences were fascinating to read about, especially her experience in Poland after the war was over. She is so right in encouraging us to speak up against prejudice. I was interested in some of her observations which make such complete sense but which had not occurred to me -such as that female child survivors were more common than male, as males could be instantly identified as a Jewish due to circumcision. I was so glad to read of the author’s life after the war and that she had positive life experiences. She certainly deserves every happiness. An inspiring woman. .