About the Book
In this double memoir, two men become close friends in California years after they shared a past which neither one wants to talk about. In 1944, Fritz was a thirteen-year-old boy in the German village of Kleinheubach on the verge of becoming one of Hitler’s Youths. Bernat, twelve, in that same year was loaded onto a train in his village of Tab, Hungary, on its way to Auschwitz where his entire family was murdered.
Meet the Authors
Bernat Rosen is a retired corporate lawyer of the Safeway Corporation of Oakland, CA. Frederic Tubach is Professor Emeritus of German at the University of California, Berkeley. An interview with the authors is online at http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9063/9063.interview.html.
Articles and Reviews
All articles cited are available in full-text magazines at http://siouxlandlib.org. Select Research, click login, type in your barcode and pin number and click login. Chose Infotrac Onefile, General Reference Center Gold or eLibraryPlus or choose the Literature Tab and click on Contemporary Authors.
Margaret Brown. “An Uncommon Friendship: From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust (Review).” School Library Journal. Sept 2001 v47 i9 p261.
George Cohen. “An Uncommon Friendship: From Opposite Sides of the Holocaust (book review).” Booklist. March 15, 2001 v97 i14 p1351.
Kathleen L. Housley. “An Uncommon Friendship (book review).” The Christian Century. July 4, 2001 v118 i20 p34.
Discussion Questions
The Reading Group guide is available at the Ronning Branch desk to review or copy.
Some things to think about for discussion:
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How do you think Fritz would have faired if he did not have his stepfamily’s strong convictions to fall back on? Would he have become more involved in Hitler’s Youth?
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What about Fritz’s father and his former life in the United States? How did that affect Fritz and his father’s association with the Nazis?
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When comparing the villages in Germany and Hungary there are many similarities. When they returned to their homes, Bernat had an awful experience, but Fritz’s was different. How do you think that made Bernat and Fritz feel after being in each village?
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After the war was over and Bernat’s family was all gone, he was taken under the wing of an American. Do you suppose he would have been able to handle the conflict in Israe for independence or would he have regretted going with the Zionist instead of coming to the United States? Do you think he regrets his decision?
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Bernat is very reluctant to talk about his experiences. How did Fritz and Sally help him come to terms with his past through this memoir?
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For a long time, neither Bernat nor Fritz talked about their experiences in Europe during World War II. Fritz thought about bringing it up. What kept him back for so long?
(Questions by Jane Taylor, Siouxland Libraries)
