Milton Mendel Kleinberg

First thanks very much to either the author or the publishing house for selecting me to be a winner of the giveaway and sending me this book for free.

I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, as connection and emotion are important to me in books, films and music. I felt no emotional connection to the author, his parents and not very much over his experiences despite the fact that they were horrific and no child or adult should have to endure such dehumanization, hungry, brutality and fear, most especially as they were ordinary citizens ripped from their homes and lives over their religion.

Still and all, my heart did not bleed over the story and rather than not wanting it to end, I could not wait to get it done with and move on.

I can see by the other reviews that I am most definitely in the minority, but that is ok , I am an empathy and a highly sensitive person, so I can cry and react at the drop of a hat, this just did not evoke those feelings in me.… (mer)

Bread or Death was not what I was expecting it to be. I think I had prepared myself for something more along the lines of the horrors of the concentration camps so I was expecting something completely different.

There are some awful events that took place during this time and although the author's experience was something that you wouldn't wish anyone to have to go through, his experience was a lot different than that of many others. His family took a chance and were among those fortunate enough to escape and thus avoided the worst of the Nazi horrors that took place but it doesn't make their story any less important.

The hardship and loss experienced by his family is heartbreaking and at times hard to read. I can't imagine having lived through such awful conditions and treatment. His is an important story, one that more should be aware of and one that we should learn from in order to avoid such atrocities occurring in the future.… (mer)

This was a tough and eye-opening read for me. I remember reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" when I was around 10 years old so I jumped at the chance to read another personal account of the Holocaust. I was struck by how much Mr. Kleinberg and his family's survival depended on sheer chance and luck. He really has a gift with writing and the book reads as if he is sitting across from you talking and not through the written word.
There were quite a few times where I just had to stop reading and just cried. Other times, I was so full of grief that I was beyond tears. I really think that this book should be recommended reading to go along with "The Diary of Anne Frank" although considering some of the situations that happened I would recommend slightly older children or "tweens" to be the intended audience for this book.
This is a book that will stay with me and has affected me. The Holocaust is something we should never ever forget. I am also amazed at the courage of Mr. Kleinberg and his family especially his mother. I fully intend to purchase a copy of this book for my older daughter to read and it is one I want on my bookshelf to read again and again.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers (thank you) for free in exchange for an honest review. I want to thank Mr. Kleinberg for having the courage to put down on paper a part of his life that must be very difficult to think about.… (mer)