This is a stupendous book.
We're watching this Apple TV series "Women in Blue," not that anybody's e-mailed me about it, not that there's a buzz, but it has great RottenTomatoes ratings, 100/86. It's a Mexican series inspired by real events about a killer and the government's decision to hire women on the police force to improve the administration's image. And in one scene, one candidate, one cadet, accuses another, her sister, of always coloring inside the lines, always doing what she's told to do. Would you?
That's the essence of education. Regimentation. By following the rules you get to ascend to the top of the ladder, get into a good college and then a good graduate school, even though those who change the world oftentimes drop out.
So...
So, Germany took over France in 1940, and Jews had to report their identity, wear clothing that reflected this, and then had to report to the government of their town to be sent away. Myriam's parents did what they were told, to earn brownie points, favor with the administration, believing dividends would be paid when the war was over. And...they were sent straight to the ovens. And this was after two of their children were taken previously.
But through a quirk of registration, Myriam escaped. Truly. Her father told her to run away.
And this is the story of her survival.
But even more it's the story of how her past haunts her daughter Lélia, and Lélia's daughter Anne, the author of this book, and Anne's daughter Clara, they can't escape their Jewish heritage, even though they don't practice the religion, Anne has no idea what goes on at a seder.
Sounds like a book only for Jews.
But that is not the case whatsoever. I recommend "The Postcard" to everybody who is able to read. For the first sixty percent it is unputdownable. It's a bit confusing for the subsequent twenty or thirty percent, when Myriam is in hiding, on the run during World War II, and then there's a strong finish, just when you don't expect it.
The reason I'm not just raving about the book from start to finish is to preserve my credibility. Too many people tell you stuff is great that is not. I want you to trust me. It's not that the second half of the book is bad, indecipherable, not whatsoever. And it's a necessary part of the story. And I couldn't put the book down during this section either, it's just that what comes before...
You're drawn into someone's world, a whole family's world, you're taken away to another place and another time...
That has too many parallels to today.
So, we've got the family. They have to leave Latvia. Are you willing to leave everything behind, sacrifice all you've built, to survive? This is a question that is asked in this book again and again. Myriam's grandparents decamp to Palestine and despite their hosannas when Myriam's family gets there they find out it's hot and desolate and you need to work hard and you can't really make any money so after a few years they decamp to Paris.
And then comes the war.
But in the twenty first century a postcard arrives listing the names of the deceased, those sent to the camps. This is a mystery. WHO SENT IT!
That's the underlying story. And you'd be surprised how many people don't want to talk about the past. You'll also be surprised how artifacts of the past, looted from the houses of those deported to their death, are now residing in the houses of their neighbors, who pilfered said items.
It's living history. And it never ends.
I mean I'm reading the book and I'm not thinking it can't happen here. On some level, it already is. Did you read the "Wall Street Journal" article?
"Jewish Students at UCLA Were Harassed, Threatened and Assaulted on Campus, Report Finds - UCLA antisemitism task force says the university prioritized free speech over stopping protests, which were among the most violent of the pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations"
Free link: t.ly/M5_EE
That's only a couple of miles from where I live. I go to the hospital on campus and my doctor tells me the latest. He feels the oppression.
And this is where Elon Musk's absolute free speech leads you. Not that I want to get deep into a discussion of that, but I will say that if students can't attend classes because they're Jewish... Isn't that a problem?
Appears not.
If you're Black or Palestinian or of some foreign ethnicity the institutions will protect you, but if you're a Jew...
My point here is how I feel. And if you're not Jewish, you may not feel it. But if you read "The Postcard" you will.
You'll also read about those who joined the Resistance, fighting for what was right as opposed to being sheep herded by the Germans and their French proxies. And you'll also learn about the clergyman who was a double agent who told on them and then these people who were working against the Germans were killed. This was not America, there was no trial. Cross the Germans, hide those against the regime, and you're gonna die if you're found out, and it ain't gonna be pretty.
So reading "The Postcard" you're taken completely away from everyday life. Talk about a respite from the election and obligations. Then again, in some ways it's just like life today.
Clara asks her grandmother if she's a Jew. Not in the forties, but in this century. And when Clara finds out she is she responds:
"They don't like Jews very much at at school."
She won't get picked for a team because she's Jewish.
Now "The Postcard" is translated from the French. And occasionally you can tell, the words, the passages...they don't flow, but this is very occasionally.
I guess what I'm saying is "The Postcard" is very readable. You'll start and you'll keep reading, you won't want to put it down.
You'll be pinching yourself, is this really a true story?
It is.
Get back to me when you've finished it.
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