FAKE PAPERS

Fake Papers is a really terrific memoir written by the grandson of a Jewish woman who escaped from Antwerp Belgium during WWII. It tells the story of how Letty and her two sisters Suzy and Annie, and her mother Blima, traveled throughout Vichy France avoiding razzias - the capturing of foreign Jews in France. They moved by train, hitching rides with strangers, and by foot from Lourdes, Montauban, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Aix-les-Baines in their attempt to find a way out to safety.

What I thought made this memoir so special is that it is told from the viewpoint of a 17 year old young girl. Being the youngest of the three sisters, and dealing with a very neurotic mother, her perspective includes many innocent and naive ideas about war, men, sibling rivalry. Just plain simple excitement of youth and adventure. Each chapter involves a life lesson, some very painful, that she learned throughout her journeys.

Mixed within the fears and exhaustion of avoiding Nazi horrors and navigating the Resistance maze were beautiful youthful moments, including sneaking away in the French countryside with a young man, kind unexpected help from strangers, and using their brains and beauty to distract and divert the gendarmes. Many very difficult decisions had to be made by these young ladies and the complexity of feelings was conveyed so genuinely in this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Aaron Rockett for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This isn’t my usual type of book. But it was good and I enjoyed it all the same. It was good to read and well written. It flowed well and was easy to read

seems there are quite a bit of books lately that take place during this time. The more true accounts that are shared, the more certain we can be to never let something like this ever ever happen again!

This is a true story that begins in WWII. Aaron Lettie's grandson tells the tale of his grandmother's escape from Germany. Lettie's mother, her two sisters, and her.. Her father had left them years earlier. He had visited right before the Jewish people were rounded up. He went to visit his mother. Aaron simultaneously also tells the tale of his mother in the story. His mother died from cancer when he was a small child. His grandmother then took him in, and raised him. I read the book straight through in one setting. I couldn't put it down. It's very sad and happy at the same time.

This book was amazing! The author is a war zone documentary film maker whose grandmother tells him about her experiences during the Holocaust. The lessons that she passes down to him are interesting and kept me invested in this book.

Thanks to Aaron Rockett and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book.

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I don’t award many books with 5 stars; even 4 stars must be well above average. I consider 3 stars “average”: not terrible, but not rave-worthy. I think 3.5 stars is fair for a new author’s first book. I awarded an extra half-star for his clever organization: each chapter title is a lesson Letty learned in survival. The family photos of Letty and her family put a face to the story and are a welcome addition. I wish Rockett had included one of his mother as well, however, since she was Letty’s daughter, thus the link between grandmother and grandson. But he does offer notes at the end about where the sisters are now. (He just does not say what happened during the decades between Luchon and later life.)

It is no doubt a challenge to switch from writing documentaries to writing a book, and it does unfortunately show at times. There are jumps in time, gaps in the narrative, and not enough detail (in my opinion) about Letty’s experiences. I would have liked to know more about her sister Annie, too. It would have been nice to be told something about Aaron’s mother as well, Letty’s daughter Karin. There is no mention at all about his father, which is too bad. An Author’s note or end note would have sufficed. But perhaps the author felt he should limit each chapter to only one example pertinent to the particular “survival lesson”.

This is a true story about—and a tribute to—the author’s Jewish grandmother Letty (Schmidt) Bird, a see survivor who grew up in Antwerp, Belgium. It is her story, but partly the author’s as well because he was clearly influenced by his grandmother, and they are forever linked, after all, by his mother, her daughter Karin.

Aaron was only eight when he lost his mother to cancer, and was then sent to California to spend time with his grandparents. (His grandfather, Letty’s husband, sounds like he was quite a character.) Letty was the first to tell Aaron that he was Jewish, which understandably a shock to the boy after being told he was Irish Catholic. I find it curious, though, that he never thought to ask his mother or grandmother—who both called him bubele (spelled “bubala” here) as a young boy—what he foreign word meant. It’s a common Yiddish term of affection for a little boy, typically used by a Jewish grandmother for her grandson, though Aaron’s mother called him that, too. Bubele literally means ‘little boy’ (‘bub=“boy” plus the -(e)le diminutive ending meaning ‘little’). Yiddish is spoken by Jews. So why didn’t he get the connection before? (Did his mother want to hide her being Jewish?)

Letty told her grandson something else after his mother died that also deeply affected him. He asked her where she thought his mother was “now”, assuming Grandma would say “in heaven”, but she didn’t. She told him she didn’t believe in God. He must have questioned her further, because she backtracked and said it was fine to believe in God, and fine to believe his mother was in heaven. (Not exactly a vote of confidence, or ringing endorsement!)

Even before 17-year-old Letty and her family were transported into Vichy France, she had already had a hard life. Their father abandoned them, which her mother never forgave, taking out her anger on her two youngest daughters, Annie (nickname for Hanna) and Letty (nickname for Zlata). From what Letty related about her mother, it’s clear that Blima was verbally abusive. Growing up in that environment, then being abandoned by her father, would scar any child. I can imagine it would be hard to believe in a loving God if raised by a mother who favored one daughter and abused the others. I imagine it would be equally hard to believe in a just God after living through World War II.

Both parents, Aron and Blima, were Hasidic Jews born in Poland, who met for the first time at their wedding. Blima apparently berated Aron often about the other man she could have married who became wealthy (unlike Aron). They moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where they raised their three daughters. Aron was not a cruel man, but he clearly neglected his wife and children. Abandoning them one day without a word was unconscionable. Once he reached London, he sent them a letter to let them know where he was—but sent no money, leaving Blima to cover his debts. The girls had to help. It’s not surprising that Blima was bitter.

When word came that the Germans had reached Antwerp, the family caught the last train heading south, but they had no idea that the supposed one-day trip south would turn into eight days of thirst and starvation. Everyone had to beg strangers outside the rail cars for food. The sun beating on the cars made the interior stifling. The numerous delays were a result of destroyed rail lines, targeted by German bombers, and by frequent stops by the Vichy French police to search for spies and saboteurs. Their train was literally shunted from one track to another to avoid destroyed sections, and if met by another train, one had to back up. Roads were targeted too, to prevent French troops from getting through. The troops were mainly stymied however by the 4 million refugees clogging roadways throughout France, all fleeing for their lives. It’s hard to imagine—to envision—such a staggering number of people all on the move at the same time.

Their train eventually stopped at Luchon (Bagnères-de-Luchon), a ski resort in the Pyrenees, just north of the border with Spain. The mayor of Luchon lied and told the passengers he would stamp their passports authorizing entry into Spain, but it was a trick: He had no authority to issue visas; he just wanted as many people as possible to leave, probably because they were using up limited resources. Those who had trusted his word and walked 12 miles to the border were turned away and had to walk back. The escape route over the Pyrenees into Spain is one I’d never read about before, so it was fascinating and I’d like to learn more about the area.

Letty was outspoken even as a girl, and clearly felt strongly about justice. She was the only passenger in the train car who spoke up for the elderly rabbi when a French policeman boarded the car and—upon hearing the rabbi speaking Yiddish—seized him because he thought the rabbi was conveying secrets in German. He shouted at the bewildered rabbi who did not understand French, and had only been praying with the other passengers. Letty yelled “Stop!”—but then she too was pulled off the train.

The most harrowing event, in my opinion, at least the most demanding physically and mentally, was Annie’s trek—alone—to Marseilles. Why she had to go alone is unclear. At any rate, Blima appointed Annie to deliver the documents required by the US just to apply for asylum. The papers were proof that Blima’s American relatives were willing to sponsor her, and financially able to support her. (It was unclear to me whether the application was for Blima alone or the whole family, but I would assume the whole family.) Her American relatives were the Hassenfeld Brothers of Providence, Rhode Island, wealthy toy manufacturers. (Whose company name was later shortened to “Hasbro”.)

After walking and hitchhiking from Luchon to Marseilles—a staggering 540 km, or 392 miles—Annie had to wait with thousands of other refugees crowding outside the Embassy, seeking asylum. She had the requisite six copies, but when it was her turn to be interviewed, the US official rejected her application because there was only one brother’s signature, not both. It was ridiculous and petty because the Hassenfelds clearly had more than adequate joint resources; the official could see their bank balance. It was criminal that that a single petty bureaucrat could destroy a family’s chance to escape.

I was crying — tears rolling down my cheeks at the end.

I’m in a trance at the moment. My brain went on a get-a-way. I’m speechless!!!!!
Yet my heart is bathed with love.
I’ve fallen in love with Aaron and his family. I’m grateful to him for writing this book.
It’s PAGE TURNING!!!!!

Letty was a force to reckon with...even as a young child. Oh... how I loved her - wish I had met her in person.
You’ll feel as if you know the major and minor characters.

Letty still enjoyed her chocolate at 90 years of age - a woman after my own heart. 🍫

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!

This Holocaust story is VERY SPECIAL!!!
Go in blind... trust me!!!
Anybody who loves anybody will love this book!!!

Thank you Aaron!!!
Your book is sooo wonderful - I’m hoping that it’s available on Amazon...and or Goodreads....so my friends can buy it and read it.
I’d like to buy a physical copy myself.

Thank to netgalley and the author/publisher for the Arc for my honest review.

Very interesting read about from a holocaust survivor. I enjoyed the book, and would definitely read another by the author.

Lessons learned from a Holocaust survivor's escape story are imparted to a war zone documentary filmmaker. It is a story of survival, against all odds, and despite tangled family dynamics. Aaron Rockett visited his ninety year old grandmother, Letty and asked that she allow her story to be told. How difficult it must have been for seventeen year old Letty at the start of WW II. Letty, the youngest child, lived with her mother Blima and sisters Suzy and Annie. According to Blima, Suzy could do no wrong while Letty could do no right. Blima dished out guilt and blame to Letty in equal measure.

Survival Lessons Learned included the following:

Question Wants
"I was young and stupid,...I wanted the war to come".

Mind Your Signature
Aaron Schmidt and partners had a sweater business in Antwerp, Belgium. Aaron was the only one to sign documentation requesting a business loan. He would bear the burden of responsibility for the debt amassed after his partners embezzled money from the company account.

Some Know Better Than Others, Listen To Them
"If they [the Germans] invade Belgium, leave. Leave fast. Don't wait"

The Best Option Isn't Always The Best
The Schmidt family was planning to travel with the Weiner family to catch a refugee boat to England. The Weiners hurriedly left without them. As it turned out, the evacuation boat was intercepted by a cruising German Schnellboot.

Letty Schmidt and family spent a significant amount of time sequestered in France while trying to formulate an escape plan. Every step of the way, Letty had to contend with Blima's berating and unpleasantness toward her. Additionally, fear of roundups and the trustworthiness of others weighed heavy on her mind. "Not everyone plays by the same rules".

"Fake Papers:Survival Lessons from Grandma's Escape" by Aaron Rockett was a captivating piece of Holocaust literature. This reader felt like a "fly on the wall" experiencing Letty's attempts to satisfy an impossible mother while searching for a path to safety. Author Rockett has written an excellent, thought-provoking work of non-fiction that I highly recommend.

Thank you Aaron Rockett, XpressoReads and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Fake Papers".