I received this book through Netgalley for my honest review.

I loved the book. Great story, wonderful characters. The description of the book is much different that what the book is about. Yes, there is a dancer, but that wasn't really the focus. Very good at describing living in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The ONLY thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars is all the sex. It just was awkward in the over descriptions and placement. I'm sure people did have sex in the Ghetto, but did nothing for the story. It just seemed oddly place. Every time I got to one it was just like "why is this in here and so much detail." Not even killing was done in as much detail.

I judge a book on who I can recommend it to - friends/family/strangers. I would tell my friends. I would not tell my family without a "yeah, lots of sex". Strangers - maybe.

I would love to give it a 5 stars, but the weirdness just makes it fall short. If you skip over that - it's great.

In the Warsaw Ghetto
by Glenn Haybittle

Cheyne Walk

Historical Fiction , Literary Fiction

Pub Date 30 Jul 2019

I am reviewing a copy of In the Warsaw Ghetto through Cheyenne Walk and Netgalley:

Ala Silberman was training to be a dancer when the Germans invaded Warsaw, they were forced into the Ghetto with almost a half a million Jews. Ala struggles with the feelings of guilt at her more privileged circumstances. But Ala’s enigmatic teacher puts together a dance company with the intention of putting on a performance for the residence of the Ghetto.

Ala’s Uncle, Max Silberman is a bachelor who carries a flame for a girl he went to university with, the problem was she married someone else, and they hadn’t seen each other in a decade, but he discovers age and her two children were abandoned by her Catholic husband all his dormant hopes are incongruously revived amidst the squalor and destitution surrounding him.

In the Warsaw Ghetto is the powerful story of Ala and Max trying to preserve their aspirations, even amidst the most horrible circumstances.

I give In the Warsaw Ghetto five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

This post is going to focus on In the Warsaw Ghetto by Glenn Haybittle. I received an eARC through NetGalley. It was published on July 30, 2019. This book took me quite a while to get through–much longer than I expected.

When I read the summary and saw the beautiful cover of a ballerina in a rundown building I thought this would be a story that tried to take an uplifting route through World War II. I assumed Ala Silberman would be a dancer, impacted by the move to the ghetto, but somehow overcoming the atrocities performed against the Jewish people. Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong!

I found the first half to two-thirds of the book incredibly difficult to get through. It was much slower paced than the last bit of the book, and did a lot of the building of scene, when life was still as “normal” as it could have been for the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. The book is told in alternating chapters between Ala Silberman, and her uncle Max.

Ala has been training to be a ballet dancer when she and her family is forced to live in the ghetto. In the beginning she leads a privileged life compared to many of the others in the ghetto because her family has ties to the Judenrat.

Max is still in love with the ghost of a girl he was close with while at university. They have been apart for a decade, and she has married and had two daughters. Once times become a bit harder, he finds Sabina once more, now separated from her husband. Max cares for her and her daughters to give them a better life within the ghetto.

As the story continues and years pass, living conditions within the ghetto get much worse. The reader is able to see what life is like through various characters that were previously built up. More and more are deported to Treblinka, or killed within the ghetto. Finally, there is a Jewish uprising against the Germans in the ghetto, which really sped up the reading.

This was a really heavy book to read thematically, but it was also somewhat enlightening to read. I feel like it brought you more into the world that the Jews lived in, instead of only learning about the atrocities committed against them by the Nazis. In school, students learn that Nazis are bad, and what they did was bad, but the deeper lessons are often glossed over, and I think this book did a good job of bringing some of those to light for the reader.

Happy reading 🙂

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Ala Silberman is a young girl living in Warsaw with dreams of becoming a ballerina. When her family is forced from their home into the ghetto, she thought her dream was over. But her teacher organizes a dance class to perform for the ghetto residents. Ala's uncle Max reconnects with his old girlfriend Sabina, and after discovering that she and her two daughters were abandoned by her husband, he offers them shelter and himself a chance for the love he always dreamed of. As tensions between the Jews escalates over increasing overcrowding and lack of food, it's a struggle to survive. It's every person for themselves when helping a neighbor might get them killed in the increasing violence of the Nazi soldiers.
This book is shocking and heartbreaking. Told from the perspectives of both a young girl and a grown man, it captures the harsh reality of life in the ghetto. The struggle Max has with his conscience when the risk to himself is too great to help others he sees suffering made me wonder what i would do in that situation. Although the book covers more on the sexual insecurities of both Max and Ala than I thought was necessary, overall it was a wonderful book.

This book struck me, as many WWII books do. I was consumed by the characters and the horrible situations they were presented with. Ala is a dancer who has dreams of performing as a ballerina. As her life becomes more and more confined by circumstances, she is forced to rethink her goals.

I became involved in the plot from the beginning. Ala is an amazingly strong young woman facing hideous odds. I couldn't put this book down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cheyne Walk. I will not soon forget this book.

3.5 Stars

In The Warsaw ghetto follows the story of two Jewish family members in Nazi occupied Poland, at the beginning of the formation of the ghetto in Warsaw, and during the exportation of the Jews to Treblinka.

The readers are able to follow Ala, who is a teenager and aspiring dancer; and her uncle Max, who is in his thirties, as they struggle for survival. As in most historical fiction about the holocaust, the story is startling and dramatic.

I really enjoyed following the dual storylines, and once I had a handle on the many secondary characters and their relationships to the main characters, I became invested in the story. I was at first shocked at the amount of sexual content in this book, though I think it ultimately served as a reminder that even during horrific events and tragedy, the people affected are human and not solely victims.

I was surprised, given the cover art, that the subject of dancing did not play a very integral role in the book, but I probably shouldn’t have expected it to, given that I knew this was a story of people simply trying to survive.

I have read a lot of fantastic historical fiction about the holocaust this year, and while this may not have been my favorite, I think what sets it apart from other books about the topic is that the reader gets to experience an entire book set in the ghetto, which I think is rare. Many books I’ve read have detailed life in the concentration or prison camps, so this offered an entirely new setting, and I found it fascinating to read about the characters’ experiences in this setting.

This book was heartbreaking yet inspiring, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and stories about the holocaust.

Thanks to NetGalley, Glenn Haybittle, and the publisher for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Received this fantastic story from Net Gallery,thank you so much! What a extremely well written story about the horrors of that terrible WWII and the Jews and how not only them but all the way b the Nazis made them live. I love reading about these kind of stories because It's real life and everyone has a story to tell and books like this one their story should not be forgotten! The characters,the well written makes you feel like you were right there with them. I know that It's life but I was ok for a bit,but the sex stuff it was a little over the edge but I'm sure that it happened that way and probably worse It's I have a hard time with it,but that's just me but as I said,it has to be written so people don't forget! Very emotional things take place! I don't not write about so much what happens in the book,I am writing a review not a book report as we did in school! I try to give my best response to the book so I can make it interesting for whoever reads the reviews that it will peek that interest that they will want to read and for the author who wrote this book on what kind of writing they did with it. To me this is for the author first,they are the one who not only writes this book but the research that went into the book and how believable they have made their story and this one no doubt did it for me!!!🙈🙉🙊

How does one survive within an environment with no grass, no trees and no birds? Isolated from familiarity? Each day a struggle. Such were the daily lives of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. Seen through the eyes of characters Ala and Max, the daily grind is effectively shared with the reader. Drawn ever deeper into their plight, struggling to survive against the Nazi cruelty, poor living conditions and abject fear, life seemed hopeless. The Warsaw ghetto, however, was home to people with strength and determination who made hard choices to protect their beliefs and their dignity. The residents offered their greatest resistance to the enemies, real and unseen. Ala longs for a future with someone she can love and will love her in return, Max wrestles with his faith.. A story of tormented souls living tormented lives that could and did end in death for many. As readers we walk the Ghetto streets, hear the cries of the mistreated and long for an end to the atrocities. When at last the war has ended, we see through the eyes of Ala’s eyes a city without its character, it’s buildings, it’s very life. Author Haybittle has crafted an impressive, chilling, heart warming tale that spotlights all that was suffered by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.

I was so glad to read this book, until I started to read it. Chapter after chapter I was hoping for more. It ended as a slow reading so so book. I had more hopes for it. It was just good.

Can I catch my breath? Can I stop crying? After finishing this book, not tonight!

Told through the eyes of aspiring dancer, Ala and her uncle Max, a Jewish man that converted to Catholicism, In the Warsaw Ghetto is an unflinching WWII story. Living conditions are horrendous as the Nazis cram more and more Jewish people into the ghetto resulting in overcrowding, malnutrition and disease.

I really enjoyed that Glenn Haybittle uses a teenager and an adult in the telling of the experiences in the Warsaw Ghetto. I can honestly say that I did really enjoy the two storylines. I think that sometimes we really do forget that the Jewish teenagers lived lives that were interrupted. Yet like Ala, they had crushes, aspirations, and were longing for that intimacy that comes with getting older. So I was okay with the blunt dialogue regarding sex.


Goodreads Review 11-12/09/19
Publication Date 30/07/19

This is very similar to other books of this time in Poland, The hunger and humiliation brought out the worse and the best of the people, In the end, all their struggles were in vain, Like Jews all over Europe the end was annihilation..

I wanted to live this book. I enjoy reading holocaust books even though that's morbid to say.

This book was too slow. Too long winded about nothing. I didn't make it past the first 2 chapters.

It just didn't engage me.

#NetGalley
Wow. I just finished reading this book but I feel that these characters will continue to live in my head. I read many books about the holocaust but have not read one like this with the focus on the Warsaw ghetto. It gave me yet another perspective on those terrible times. This will probably be one of the most memorable of holocaust novels I have read, though, due to the depth of the characters, the incredibly great writing, and the ghetto perspective. I really loved this book. It went way beyond my expectations.

Do please note that I received an advanced copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about the Warsaw ghetto and the about a family who was obliterated there by Hitler but also shows the resilience of the human spirit.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I tend to read a lot of Holocaust book and have read several about the Warsaw Ghetto and the uprising. That’s why I was looking forward to reading this novel. Unfortunately, this book didn’t grab me, didn’t hold my attention and I couldn’t identify with any of the characters. As others have mentioned, I was totally abhorred with the sexual fantasies of Alla and Max, it had nothing to do with the topic of the book and not only it didn’t add anything, it certainly took a lot away.
I can not recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about the Holocaust and the Warsaw ghetto.

“In the Warsaw Ghetto” is a heartbreaking, horrific, and truly unsettling story of Jewish people’s lives in the Warsaw ghetto during WW2. I have read several fiction and non-fiction books, describing the life and death situations in the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazis regime, and every time I am equally heartbroken and emotionally drained after finishing each of these books. This novel was no different when it comes to my feelings of sadness and disgust at the atrocities that the Jewish people experienced during WW2.
So why only 3 star rating? Well, the first thing that really bothered me is that I could not connect with the two main characters, Max and Ala. I found them very superficial, narcissistic, and clueless most of the time. It almost felt like they were living in a different world than the one that was surrounding them. The first 45% of the book was really dragging for me, and I had a hard time getting into the story. However at the half mark, something finally clicked for me, and the rest of the book captivated me and left me quite breathless at the end.
I also have to mention here that the author decided to include many sexual scenes in this story, which left me a little confused and distracted at times. I just cannot understand why these scenes were so important for the author. I found them distracting and unnecessary and quite frankly I think the book fell short from being an excellent piece of historical fiction literature due to these overwritten and redundant sexual scenes.
Thank you NetGalley, Cheyne Walk Publisher, and the author for giving me an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

In the Warsaw Ghetto os a hauntingly devastating historical fiction novel. It takes place in Warsaw during World War 2 and follows a young dancer, Ala, and her young at heart (arguably irresponsible) uncle, Max. They are voth Jewish and when Germany attacks they ate forced into the ghetto. The novel highlights the disparity in class, even in the devastation of the ghetto, but also is a coming of age novel with both Ala and Max trying to "grow up" and believe in love in the most horrific of situations.

While I enjoyed the book, I need to note that it was far from what I expected. The description seemed to highlight the dancing aspect of Ala's life and made it seem that it was going to be an integral part of the story, but it has little to do with dancing, and more mentions the influences of her dancing teacher.

I would definitely recommend this book, but not for those who are faint of heart.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This is a historical fiction written about the Warsaw Ghetto during the war. It tells of the lives that intermingled. The friends, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters all of the families. Families divided by war. It tells of the brave and fearless actions taken by so many. Lives sacrificed. Lives saved. We read about how one may be your friend one day then turn you over to the Germans the next.
Life can seem that it is not destined but can be decided by the flip of a coin.
In this story a whole family was erased. All that is left to remember them is a child, now grown that was snuck out of the Warsaw Ghetto and rescued by Catholic nuns. Their story will be told through her. As long as there is a story, there is a memory of people gone too soon.
Excellent read!!!

A haunting and beautifully tragic look at the Warsaw Ghetto, and the courage of the confined Jews to rise up in the face of their oppression.

In the Warsaw Ghetto begins in Poland pre-German invasion, with Ala and her uncle, Max. Ala is a dancer, hails from the wealthier class, and is Jewish. She is also extremely naive to the workings of the world. In the Warsaw Ghetto is told in three books, over the course of several years of Ala’s time in the Warsaw ghetto. She details the abuse and fear of the ghetto inhabitants at the hands of the Germans, the Polish, and even their own people who have been given jobs as police. Ala’s boyfriend (this term is used loosely), Marcel, is one of the Jews appointed to be a policeman. He takes pride in his status, using it to rob other ghetto inhabitants of their jewelry and personal belongings.

As tensions increase around her, and Ala becomes more aware of the cruelty of humanity that she had previously been shielded from, the rage grows within her. Her rage at the Germans, who torment those waiting to cross the street from the little ghetto into the bigger ghetto; who show up tearing down the streets of what is now their home mowing down the elderly, women and children with both their vehicles and bullets; who stole her uncle from her for several months to be interned at a work camp. She begins to abhor Marcel for his cruelty to his own people, challenging his attitude that the Jews are deserving of this treatment because of their own shortcomings as people, and submissiveness as a whole.

In a world that has quickly turned dark, Ala turns to her dance. She strives only for the approval of her dance instructor, Madame, carrying a heavy weight when she disappoints her. Ala and her best friend Lily dance together, with a small group, in a theater that her grandfather, a member of the Judenrat, was able to procure for them. Madame has written and choreographed Cassandra, a composition highlighting the way their people are now forced to live, and Ala has been cast as the lead dancer.

The only way she’s known to express herself, and be free, dance is quickly ripped away from Ala when Madame is rounded up to be taken to Treblinka. As her world is further shattered, Ala must decide whether to lay down and allow herself to become a victim, or to fight back and join the underground fighters in an attempt to stop the Germans.

In the Warsaw Ghetto is beautifully told, alternating between the perspectives of Ala and Max. As the Jews are increasingly pushed into tight quarters, and roundups begin, the reader is faced with the harsh reality that families were separated at the drop of a hat; that the Germans, the Poles, the Lithuanians, and the Ukrainians truly felt that Jews were beneath them; took pleasure in their humiliation. It is a stark reminder that millions of Jews were exterminated, murdered at the hands of people who believed themselves superior. Shot in cold blood as they tried to flee for their lives, or turned in by traitors trying to save themselves.

Haybittle has written an incredibly overwhelming, while truly beautiful story of survival in the worst of conditions. His characters are real in a way that you can’t fathom how humans could be so awful to each other. The pain of not knowing whether your own flesh and blood is still alive, of whether you will survive. But these characters give us hope, as they spit in the face of authority. Their ingenuity and bravery are sparks of courage. While some may deny that the Holocaust happened, authors like Haybittle remind us that this did happen. In the Warsaw Ghetto may be a piece of fiction, but it hits firmly on the fact that these people were just normal people. They did not ask for anything but to survive. And to pretend that this world altering event didn’t happen is a slap in the face to those who fought, those who survived, and those who vow to never allow it to happen again.

Pick it up, read it, remember it.

An extremely moving work of historical fiction set in a WWII Polish Ghetto. Having read many books about WWII I knew some of the atrocities that Jewish people experienced at the hands of the Natzis, Germans and even fellow Jews. However this book’s slightly different angle allowed me to understand life for people inside the Ghettos. The author writes as both Max and Ala beautifully, letting us know their innermost thoughts and feelings and feel the fear along with them. I can’t say I really enjoyed reading this book as it was a difficult and harrowing read, but I can say that it’s a definite 5 star read and one which everyone should read in order to further understand the plight and extermination of millions of innocent Jewish people.
Thank you to netgalley for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.