A haunting novel that is coming of age, historical, and will pull at your heartstrings. Satisfying read.

I'm not sure what to say other than I loved this! This was beautiful, I honestly don't know what I was fully expecting from this novel, but it exceeded my expectations.

This was a beautifully written novel about the Holocaust Events. It had strength, determination, loyalty and love that each character showed during such a horrible time. This is a story that needs to be told!

Amazing book, I loved the writing style. It's such a timeless touching story. Quick to read and really moving, I even drop a few tears while reading it.

Three and a half stars!
This is a very interesting book set in Soviet-occupied Ukraine following the survival of a complete Jewish family while the Germans attempt to wipe out all Jews who live there. The story is fictional but apparently is based on actual experiences by surviving Jewish people. The tale is well-told and the descriptions of the area and the hiding places of cabins deep in the woods and then caves is beautifully told. The terrifying occasions when the characters are at risk of being discovered are told in the same calm format. I cannot decide whether that detracts from the tension or adds to the horror - that being hunted down or given up by your neighbours was just something these families had to endure and try and survive. This book certainly gives food for thought. It is well-pitched for YA, but informative for all adults too.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Tara Lynn Masih/Mandel Vilar Press for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

3 stars, an interesting story inspired by true events. This definitely had its gut wrenching moments but with its subject matter, it was inevitable. Unfortunately, for me this book just read a little too ‘young’ then what I had initially thought.

The family sticking together.
The devastating conditions they endured for survival.
Humans do indeed adapt to the most harrowing conditions.
The methodical strategies were amazing.
Survival by any means kept them going and strong.
Family and friend love and strong bond.

3.5 rating
The writing was good
The story was great
Characters enduring and inspirational
I was cheering throughout entire story and holding my breath

eArc provided by Milar Vilar Press via Netgalley

Edit: Since reading the physical book, without the faulty ebook copy, I have since been able to get the most out of this book and was able to feel the story much more closely. I was able to see the parts that were missing, which were truly important to the story. FIVE STARS.

This book is so poignant.

I can’t say lovely because the subject matter is far too horrific, but it is really important and should be recognised along with other great works of trauma fiction (Maus, The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas etc). I think that the fact that this story is told from the perspective of a child gives it that much credibility too as it brings a whole new outlook on to the horrors of The Holocaust.

There were a few presentation issues with my ebook copy that prevents me from giving this story 5 stars. They are: The words COPYRIGHT and MATERIAL being randomly placed in the middle of sentences and paragraphs. This was a bit distracting for me, and they sometimes replaced the words that were coming next. The other issue I had was that there were many words missing at the end of sentences, and this left me guessing what was coming next and making up the rest of the sentence so I can continue.

But alas, I would love to thank NetGalley for giving me this fantastic book to read. It made me cry, especially the scene when they had to choose what to take with them and what they had to leave behind. So glad Symon and Ovid were reunited in the end.

First of all I have to say this was a little difficult to read at first, literally, the format of the ebook I was sent was a little off, nonetheless I continued. This book was amazingly written based on a real family who survived the nightmare that is the holocaust by hiding inside a cave. My favorite aspect of the book was that some characters served as a reminder of that despite this dark era, there were some good, brave souls who helped save or aid Jewish refugees despite religious differences. It is an amazing story that should serve as a reminder that the holocaust was a horrific nightmare that should not be repeated again. I would highly recommend this to everyone.

Man was this was a tough read. I knew going in it would be difficult but one can never fully prepare themselves for something like this. While this wasn't as graphic as other books I have read about the Holocaust, it still will leave a lasting ache in your heart. I liked how the narration begins childlike and matures as we follow Hanna through her survival and life in hiding. It's a tough topic, but it needs to be read about and talked about as there are still similar lessons that need to be learned today. "I dream of a day when we will no longer need Holocaust stories to remind us to be kind to each other, and to be watchful of those who aren't."

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a horrifying and yet hopeful book. This is a story of WWII I had not heard in such a way before and so, while it is difficult and sad to read I'm glad to have read it. Unlike most WWII stories of Jews on the run this one doesn't end in a concentration camp, gas chamber or in any Nazi's actually having direct control over this Jewish family. Instead this family 'escapes' in a terrifying way.

Disturbing
As with most stories of WWII, My Real Name is Hanna, is based on true facts. Tara Lynn Masih makes it clear at the end of the book what was changed and what was real. The most important thing however to realize is that a Jewish family did hide-out in the way that is described in the book. This in and of itself is fairly awful but the conditions these women, men and children endured are truly horrific. Do not be surprised to find yourself feeling unsettled (at the least) or even sick to your stomach at points (assuming you are immersed in the novel and characters like I was).

Compelling Characters
The hardest thing to do in WWII books is usually not set-up a plot or story. There are thousands to be told based on true fact, or even rumour, of what happened during that time. The hardest thing is to create interesting characters that the reader wants to live (and possibly die) by. Masih does a superb job of making you feel like you are the teenage girl from whom's eyes we experience the entire novel. Not only do we experience her awkward love situation, her progression into womanhood, but also her fears, desire to help, and despair when it all goes wrong.
There is one thing that is definitely true of our group of stowaways and that is that it required a lot of strength and courage to do what they did.

Overall
I don't want to say much more about this book for fear of giving away too many plot points. Masih does such a good job of creating tension; especially given we know the outcome of the war. As someone who has read a lot of WWII fiction I can say with absolute certainty that this story is one of the most readable novels in a long time. It doesn't drag, stall-out or seem to take it's foot off the break. It helps that each day is a new day to try and survive perhaps; but I also credit Masih for writing the potentially 'boring' parts in such a way that we know time has passed; without feeling like we lived through every minute of it and got bored ourselves.
If you are at all interested in the story in My Real Name is Hanna or have a bit of an affinity for WWII fiction, like I do, then I would definitely recommend this one join your repertoire.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I very much enjoyed reading My Real Name is Hannah. The book highlights just how far people will go and what they will life through just to survive and hold on to each other.
A truly wonderful book.

4.5★
“My family told stories. We swallowed them in place of food and water. Stories kept us alive in our underground sanctuary. The world continued to carry out its crimes above us, while we fought just to remain whole below.

Yesterday, daughter, you found my copy of Joan of Arc, hidden under dark rafters for many years.”
. . .
I close my eyes, and it’s as if I am there again, in the dark, trying to live to see another day.
So now it is my turn to tell you a story, my darling daughter. My story. Finally. May it not harm you. May it feed you in some way and give you hope.”

This is a hard read. Don’t get me wrong – it’s easy enough to understand because it’s written for young people. But it is hard on the heart the way The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is hard. If you haven't experienced this, it’s impossible to imagine your own family living through it. Based on real stories, particularly those of one family, Masih has given us a kind of Anne Frank in Ukraine.

The narrator is Hanna Slivka, a young Jewish girl in Ukraine whose family is increasingly threatened by the Nazis. Ukrainians had already survived famine and oppression under Stalin – well, some of them survived. Now they were facing Hitler, whose troops were gradually restricting the freedom of the Jews. Some fled to other countries, while others wanted to stay in their homes, figuring they’d already survived the worst.

Hanna’s family stays put for the time being. Her father is needed in the village to repair equipment, so he’s protected for a time. Hanna is friends with Mrs Petrovich, Alla, a Christian who lives nearby and who makes decorated eggs which she sells to clients at Easter as symbols of luck. Different symbols painted on them bring different kinds of luck, and Hanna is a great help to her as the old lady’s hands and fingers are stiffening up.

Because Alla is a kind old lady who often gives the family food, Hanna is allowed to go to help her (which she loves!) in return.

“My people were once sun worshippers, long before the man who we believed was Christ was born. In the spring, we made these eggs and gave them away as talismans. Because the sun god was the most important deity in our religion, birds were the sun’s chosen creations because they were the only ones, man or beast, who could even come close to him in flight. We humans could not catch birds or be a bird, but we could get to their eggs, a source of life.”

So there you have Easter Eggs.

Before long, Jews are forbidden from working and from getting full rations at the butcher or baker. A pair of boys who have a wagon deliver things back and forth and are allowed to keep working, but they are obviously terrified at what they’re witnessing. Hanna eavesdrops and hears them tell her father about a slaughter where they drove the Jews into the river.

“‘Women and children, too!’
‘The soldiers played music while they watched,’ Jacob says quietly. ‘It was not of this world. The gramophone sending such beautiful classical notes through the valley while this slaughter took place. The music could not cover the sounds of the drowning or the machine gun fire.’”

When the family gets word that the soldiers are beginning to take over homes and shoot people, they have to make some heart-breaking decisions. How Hanna and her family deal with being the hunted is the stuff of nightmares. She takes her beloved Mark Twain book, "Personal Recollections of Joan Of Arc" with her everywhere and is inspired by how strong Joan of Arc was.

Hanna has blond hair, which draws less attention to her than to the others in the family if they are seen. When she is the one who has to go alone into the forest, she remembers much of what old Alla taught her.

“Alla teaches me about spirits. And that everything in nature means something. That the world outside is basically a map for us, with all the guidance and answers we need.”

Because she’s studied the forest and listened and paid attention to the smallest details she has learned to be brave.

“I am no longer afraid to walk in the dark. Moonlight might be a companion, but darkness and shadows have become my friends. The night covers me like a velvet cloak. And I am no longer afraid of the night animals. They have no wish to harm us if we leave them alone.”

It's a short, poignant novel, and the author’s notes at the end are terrific, explaining much of the background and her research.

A new book about an old story that I hope will remain an old story, but with the current push by world bullies to turn our backs on anyone different, I worry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mandel Vilar Press for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.

Through the eyes of Hanna, a 14-year-old girl, we find ourselves in the beautiful, haunting in a time, when the dark clouds of fascism have covered the world. Her family who are Jewish and live first in Poland, then in the Ukraine during the years of the Holocaust. This family had to go to extremes to try and stay safe... always on alert, having to leave their home..first to the forests...then to the caves, and sticking together to survive. There were a few kind people along the way that were a help to them.. Great read

A beautiful book about one of the most horrid and shameful moment in human history. The moment where we showed how cruel, horrible and evil humans can be.

Inspired by real Holocaust events, this poignant debut novel is a powerful coming-of-age story that will resonate with fans of The Book Thief and Between Shades of Gray.

Hanna Slivka is on the cusp of fourteen when Hitler's army crosses the border into Soviet-occupied Ukraine. Soon, the Gestapo closes in, determined to make the shtetele she lives in "free of Jews." Until the German occupation, Hanna spent her time exploring Kwasova with her younger siblings, admiring the drawings of the handsome Leon Stadnick, and helping her neighbor dye decorative pysanky eggs. But now she, Leon, and their families are forced to flee and hide in the forest outside their shtetele--and then in the dark caves beneath the rolling meadows, rumored to harbor evil spirits.


Very good book and would recommend to everyone!

I could not put this book down! WOW! Like WOW! The characters were fantastic, the storyline great. Hanna was amazing. You have to read it in one sitting because you can't put it down, at least I couldn't. I was holding my breath and couldn't stop reading. Hanna will stay with me for a while. I'm still thinking about her and this book weeks after I finished. Fantastic book and characters. Can't say enough for this book!

3.5 stars

"My Real Name is Hanna" is a difficult book to rate for me because I liked the subject matter and the overall story, but I didn't really enjoy the writing style because, to me at least, it felt somewhat disjointed at times.

The plot itself was interesting and knowing that it was in part based on real family's experience during WW2 made it even more interesting because they managed to survive under such horrible circumstances.

Probably due to the fact that this book is meant for the younger section of the YA range, this book doesn't quite manage to convey how horrible these circumstances were and issues such as the consequences of malnutrition and lack of health care were glossed over at times.

Still, this is an interesting book to read, especially for younger readers.

When it comes to WWII history I have some rather limited knowledge when it comes to the actions carried out in the Ukraine. So, I was instantly drawn by the blurb when it mentioned families and communities surviving in cave systems for extended periods of times. This just took the idea of 'going underground' to a whole new level - literally and figuratively and I couldn't stay away.

I really appreciated the amount of text that was dedicated to establishing the setting and context. Everything from the town before the onset of war, the parade of leaders and dictators, the fluidity of 'official' religion, the slow descent into rampant antisemitism, and finally to the circumstances that drove the Slikva's from their home and into the woods had relevancy. While it meant that less time was given to the time when Hanna was in the woods and caves, it really highlighted the ways in which these communities experienced gradual shifts, how this descent into depravity was a process, and how conflicted both sides of the issues were when it came to both the costs of survival and the shift in attitudes towards former friends and neighbours. 

Hanna was an instantly likeable protagonist. The love she shared for her family was practically contagious, and her passion for life (and books) was a force to be reckoned with. In seeing the story through her eyes we were able to share in her experiences, grow alongside her, grieve her losses, and feel the same helplessness as innocence youth slip uncontrollably away. As an adult reader I was drawn to how Hanna's eyes were opened to the cruel realities of a world at war, and can only hope that younger readers can relate to her awakening in the same way. 

The presence of Hanna's family, her friends, and her neighbours made the horrors endured seem more bearable. Kindness was injected at the moments where it was most needed, logic and compassion when hatred threatened to overtake, and love was always abundant even when food wasn't. Their perseverance showed that while fighting for survival for absolutely worth it, but that integrity and family were always worth more. 

The writing itself was phenomenal. Word choices were approachable yet never repetitive, the pacing was quick but never fast that key moments were rushed, and Masih struck a beautiful balance between explanation and exposition. And while gore and murder was often alluded to it was never overdone, moments of drama were heightened and plentiful, and just enough culture was injected into the narrative to give a sense of community and belonging without ever feeling like a lesson.

Would I recommend this book? To adults and teen readers alike! It features hope in the darkest of times, the tenacity of youth, and the lengths that we can go through for our family. Get your tissues and hug your pillows... and don't read this one in public places if you're prone to the ugly cry.

It took me a while to get into this book. I am not a fan of the writing style. About half way through, I enjoyed reading it. I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. My ARC had a horrible format and entire sentences were cut off at times. That could have been a part of my problem.

EXCERPT: My family told stories. We swallowed them in place of food and water. Stories kept us alive in our underground sanctuary. The world continued to carry out its crimes above us, while we fought to just remain whole below.

Yesterday, daughter, you found my copy of Joan of Arc, hidden under dark rafters for many years. Musty, foxed with brown spots from months of cave humidity and attic dampness, you brought it to me with huge worried questions in your clear brown eyes. You presented it to me silently, opened to the many penciled lines that counted off our days in hiding. The lines, every fifth day crossed off like the gate to a picket fence, but those gates were locked to freedom. The smudged gray lines spread over endpapers, margins, chapter openers. Each line representing one more day of survival. Each line a triumph. Each line a part of me I managed to lock away.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Inspired by real Holocaust events, this poignant debut novel is a powerful coming-of-age story that will resonate with fans of The Book Thief and Between Shades of Gray.

Hanna Slivka is on the cusp of fourteen when Hitler’s army crosses the border into Soviet-occupied Ukraine. Soon, the Gestapo closes in, determined to make the shtetele she lives in “free of Jews.” Until the German occupation, Hanna spent her time exploring Kwasova with her younger siblings, admiring the drawings of the handsome Leon Stadnick, and helping her neighbor dye decorative pysanky eggs. But now she, Leon, and their families are forced to flee and hide in the forest outside their shtetele—and then in the dark caves beneath the rolling meadows, rumored to harbor evil spirits. Underground, they battle sickness and starvation, while the hunt continues above. When Hanna’s father disappears, suddenly it’s up to Hanna to find him—and to find a way to keep the rest of her family, and friends, alive.

MY THOUGHTS: I was excited by the prospect of reading My Real Name is Hanna. I was excited by the opening chapter. But I was unmoved by the remainder of the book.

It is a story that needs telling, lest we forget, and I applaud the author's motivation for doing so. (Will I be crucified for admitting that I enjoyed the author's notes at the end of the book far more than I did the book itself?) But I found it all rather banal. I didn't feel the fear. Or the horror. I felt nothing. It all seemed rather sanitized. I was disappointed.

😕😕😕

THE AUTHOR: Tara Lynn Masih is editor of the Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction (a ForeWord Book of the Year), The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (winner of a Skipping Stones Honor Award; a New England Book Festival award; a Benjamin Franklin silver medal award; and a ForeWord Book of the Year Award), and author of Where the Dog Star Never Glows, a National Best Books Award finalist. She is the founding series editor of The Best Small Fictions, and My Real Name Is Hanna, her debut novel for young readers and adults set in WW II Ukraine, is due out Sept. 2018 and received a 2018 SKIPPING STONES HONOR AWARD and appears on Goodreads' 2018 Ultimate Fall YA Reading List and their Best of the Month Sept. YA list.

Tara received an MA in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College, and has published fiction, poetry, and essays in numerous anthologies and literary magazines, and her essays have been read on NPR and translated to dance. Several limited edition illustrated chapbooks featuring her flash fiction, along with poet's farthing cards, have been published by The Feral Press.

Awards for her work include first place in The Ledge Magazine’s fiction contest, a finalist fiction grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, The Lou P. Bunce Creative Writing Award, multiple Pushcart Prize nominations, and Best New American Voices and Best of the Web nominations.

Tara was the assistant editor for STORIES literary magazine, and a regular contributor to The Indian-American and Masala magazines. She divides her time between Andover, MA, and St. Augustine, FL.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Mander Vilar Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of My Real Name is Hanna by Tara Lynn Masih for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com