When We Were Shadows

This memoir of a young Jewish lad's existence in the hidden corners of Holland in WW2 gains from the immediacy of being styled as one long letter – which quotes in full from letters to his auntie written in exile. The family (grandmother, parents, sister and he) all fled Germany but didn't go far enough, and when two of them get separated through inability to flee and seek shelter, it's down to just the boy and his parents to stay as the family unit, hiding out in caravans, woodsman's huts and so much more, forever trying to disguise their Jewish origin and their very existence in Nazi-occupied Holland, and forever reliant on charitable people with some smidgen of food to spare, and the Underground resistance workers who provided the chain of safe houses. It may in the end be too fictionalised, but it certainly serves as a great testimony to what many had to go through – everyone of whatever stripe were starved and cold in those winters. The book also serves as proof that not everyone had to suffer the Holocaust as we think of it, cattle trains and camps et al – but it was horrific enough for those staying in their home country. The helpers and the sufferers all must be remembered, and this very good young read goes far towards that. Four and a half stars.

Walter knows that changes are coming, but for a six year old boy - he is not really sure what is going on. All he knows is that his family is quiet, and they must be prepared to run at any time. The reason? His family is Jewish, and the German Army is moving closer to their location. Hearing what is happening to other Jewish families, they prepare to move as many times as they need to, leaving everything behind.
Walter's father owns a shop, and as they get ready to leave, the butcher who works close to them comes with a proposition. He will work the shop and keep it open while they are gone, and send the money as he can until they can get back. Walter father's hesitates briefly, before signing over his shop to the kindly butcher.
As they move from place to place, learning to live in quiet and in secret, Walter shares his story through letters he writes to his grandmother. These letters are very vague, but they show the terror and fear that each person felt as they waited.
The war drags on, and the family is separated for a time. While they wait to be reunited, Walter keeps writing, recording his thoughts and daily activities in his notebooks and letters.

This book was an amazing read. Told from the perspective of a young boy growing up amid the terror or WWII, the struggles, fears and survival are plain to see as we move through this book. This is one that I am looking forward to reading with my boys. The ingenuity and those who risked their own lives to help many of the European Jews hide from the incoming German soldiers was astounding. These brave people risked everything, sharing their food, supplies and any information they could glean from listening to those around them. Some were captured and executed, but many survived.

This book is a must read!

This is the account of Walter, a Jewish boy whose family escaped to the Netherlands from Germany when Hitler rose to power. Although they were safe for awhile, when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands the family was forced to go into hiding. Because of an illness, Walter's sister Hannah was sent to a different location. Walter and his family had several close calls and hide in various locations during the war but all managed to survive.
What I found the most interesting part of the story was the hidden village in the woods built by the Underground where over 100 refugees lived in underground homes and well camouflaged houses. The site of this village and reconstructed homes can be visited.
This is a solid addition to World War II and Holocaust literature.

If I could give this 10 stars, I would. I don't how to put in to words how much I loved When We Were Shadows. Historically well done. This story will not only keep you absolutely riveted but leave your heart changed. I have read a lot about this subject/time period and never knew about this. I wish I had enough copies to get into the hands of every high school student and teacher I could reach.~ My almost 16 year old son is reading it on my kindle now.~

This book tells the true story of Walter and his Jewish family. In the early years of Hitler's rise, Walter's family fled to the Netherlands, only to be forced into hiding when the Nazis invaded years later.

This story was so fascinating and harrowing. Walter and his parents are separated from Walter's sister and grandmother who are too physically infirm to weather the harsh living conditions of life on the run. Walter and his parents are moved from place to place with a number of narrow escapes. I was very interested to learn about the make-shift camp set up by the Resistance in a state park.

Walter's story is one of a childhood spent in fear and with extreme limitations, but steadied by the constancy of his parents and the bravery of the Resistance fighters who put their lives on the line to help so many people. I'm so glad that Walter was willing to share his story.

Just when you start thinking that all the stories that will be told from the Holocaust have been told, along comes a new one with a completely different experience than the others you have read! When We Were Shadows is one of those. This book is told from the point of view of a boy who was only 5 ½ years old when his Jewish family fled Germany during Hitler's rise to power.
Walter and his father and mother, older sister and grandmother, fled from Germany to Holland in 1937 when they could see trouble coming. They rebuilt their lives—but in 1940 Germany invaded Holland and their nightmare began. The family divided up and hid; Walter stayed with his parents as the Underground hid them in one place after another. He made sense of his life by writing letters to Oma (his grandmother) when he could.
The series of hiding places Walter and his family found themselves in was quite varied—a camper in the forest and a village the refugees built for themselves deep in another. There was always the fear of being discovered by the Nazis, wondering where Oma and Walter's older sister were, and learning how to survive in a new place when the Underground moved the family for their safety. The way this story is told makes it really come to life.
This is a true story, told by Walter to the author. It is illustrated with photographs of Walter's life. This is an incredible account of survival during the Holocaust, quite different from others I have read in a lot of ways. This is one I would like to own a physical copy of!
Though When We Were Shadows takes place during a war, and there is violence mentioned a lot of times, it is not very graphic. The main focus of this story is the day-to-day struggle to survive and remain sane. I would not hesitate to read this one aloud to children eight and older, with some guidance, of course.
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley, and chose to write a review.
WARNING: As I mentioned, there are references to violence, as the Nazis tried to exterminate the Jews.