5 Stars for this poignant, beautifully written debut YA novel inspired by real Holocaust events

One of the most touching aspects of this book for me was the strength, determination, loyalty and love each of the characters showed during such a bleak and desperate time. It isn’t easy to sustain positivity during such a horrifying time. Yet, family, friendship, hope, culture, devotion and religious beliefs paid a pivotal role in sustaining the Jewish people through the darkest of times when all else was lost.
In My Real Name is Hanna , Hanna Slivka is a young teen forced to leave her home and life as she knows it behind when the Germans cross the border into the Ukraine intent on making the land "Jew free". Along with members of her family and others from her village, she is forced into hiding in underground caves. There they live in the damp and cold darkness with meager amounts of food and little to no real comforts for over a year.

For a book focused on a time filled with such bleakness, cruelty and despair the story was beautiful, almost lyrical in its descriptions and emphasized compassion. It focused on the people that put their lives at risk to help others. The strong familial bonds and unyielding friendships depicted were a stark contrast to the prejudice, violence and hate of the time.

This is a powerful story that should be read and experienced by all.

a wee summary

Hanna is a teenage girl living in Kwasova, Ukraine when Hitler’s army invades the country. She and her family are Jewish. They are part of the Jewish community in Kwasova, a town made up of Galician people who were originally Russian, Polish and Ukrainian.

With the Red Army fighting Germany, the war seems far from Kwasova as Hanna and the Slivka family get on with their daily lives, but they know it’s out there as they provide temporary shelter for those fleeing the Nazis.

Hanna is employed by her friend and neighbour Mrs Petrovich where she helps the older lady in the creation of her pysanky eggs. However, as the Germans close in on Kwasova with intentions of making the town ‘free of Jews’, and tales of the atrocities carried out against their fellow Jewish people reach the Slivka family it’s clear that their lives will never be the same again.

my thoughts

My Real Name Is Hanna is a work of historical fiction which draws upon the lives and experiences of the Jewish community in Ukraine during World War Two. The author explains that while her characters are fictional, they have all been inspired by the stories of Holocaust survivors, and the documented histories of the time.

Hanna is a very likeable character. Her story is told as an older lady, having survived the War, sharing her teenage story with her daughter.

This is a book directed at a young adult audience, with a coming-of-age feel to it within the environment of WWII. It must be a hard task to write a Holocaust novel for YA, but Masih does it wonderfully. She strikes a good balance of educating of the atrocities and the history of the time, without overwhelming the younger reader.

Personally, I learned a lot from this novel, having never read anything focussed on Ukraine during WWII before. I don’t want to go into what I learned though; you will need to read this novel to find out. However I will say that in blending fact with fiction, this is a story that not only breaks your heart, it expands your mind.

Hanna’s story is one of survival, determination, love, and hope. Through Hanna we not only see the evil that takes so many lives and drives her family into hiding, but we see the goodness in people – those like Mrs Petrovich that risk their lives so that their Jewish friends might have a chance to live.

I could talk about aspects of this book all day but I don’t want to spoil it. I thoroughly encourage you to read it. For young adults, it’s a well-written, educational and emotional novel. For adults it’s a quick but eye-opening read.

For all of us, it’s a reminder, not only of stories that should never be forgotten, but also of what hate does to the world and why we all need to be more like Mrs Petrovich and those who helped their Jewish counterparts.

At the end of this book, set in the region of Galicia in the western Ukraine,the author tells us that less than 2% of the Jews who lived there survived WW2. That is a truly heartbreaking statistic and makes this novel based on a true story of survival even more poignant.

In 1942 Hanna Slivka is nearly 14, living in a small Ukrainian village where Jews and Christians live side by side in peace and harmony, when the Germans arrive to start the process of making the area free of Jews. Initially her family is helped by friends and neighbours, but eventually most of the town people turn against them as the German propaganda machine swings into action and it becomes too dangerous to be seen helping Jews. Forced to flee deep into the forest with some other families to a small hut they eke out an existence until that too becomes too dangerous and they retreat to an underground cave system. Their days and nights are spent in darkness, food becomes even harder to find and survival becomes a question of whether they will succumb to starvation and malnutrition before the Russian army arrives to force out the Germans.

We know that Hanna survives, as she is the narrator telling her story to her daughter. The story is more about how this spirited, courageous child survived three years of living in fear and deprivation and what it is like to be hunted by merciless men. This is also a story of family bonds and courage, of passing down stories and religion to the next generation. Despite the darkness of the story, it never feels too oppressive as the author describes the beauty of the forest, the joy in finding food or receiving small acts of kindness from friends still prepared to help them. Hanna's one book on Joan of Arc helps to give her courage and the only paper on which to write and record their days in hiding. The children, lacking toys show their natural inventiveness and resilience by finding new games to play or playthings to make out of the nature to be found around them.

While there are many books written about the horrors of the Holocaust and those who survived, this is an inspirational, timely story at a time when there is still much hate and persecution in our world based on colour, ethnicity or religion. Recommended for both adults as well as young adults.

That was really good. It was emotional and heartbreaking. I am really glad that i read it. I really loved this book and recommended to everyone.

This was such a heartbreaking and emotional story. Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect because although I knew it was about Ukranian Jews living during the Holocaust, I knew nothing else. I was so impressed and pleasantly surprised. Hanna, the narrator, looking back on her 14-15 self, was such an interesting character to see the world from. She was smart, thoughtful and aware of what was happening whilst also not acting old for her age. Her family, along with the other Jewish families she goes into hiding with were great side-characters and the non-Jewish people that helped them were examples of true humanity and selflessness.
The descriptions in this book, especially from the time they were living in the forest, were so powerful and compelling. I rarely highlight on my kindle, but I found myself doing it so often! I also sped through the story - I started it this afternoon and it's now only 9 pm! I am so glad I managed to get my hands on an e-ARC of this and I highly recommend it.

This is the story of a young girl named Hanna Slivka, and her family who are Jewish and live first in Poland, then in the Ukraine during the years of the Holocaust.
A story of love, family, and survival.
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.. but surviving was immensely difficult!

I did like that this showed the population left in the towns and how they coped... versus another concentration camp story.
Regardless, all the stories are so important and this one is based on the life of a real person.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mandal Vilar Press for the free digital ebook!

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy of MY REAL NAME IS HANNA in exchange for an honest review.

What a moving and emotional story Tara Lynn Masih has written. Similar to the Diary of Anne Frank, this book is based on true events and written to appeal to all reading levels. It addresses the turmoil and angst that Hanna and her family lived through during the Holocaust in Ukraine.

As they battle for their lives, moving further and deeper into hiding, your heart goes out to them. They maintain support for each other, love in the midst of disaster and pull through in such a beautiful and heroic way. I am sure you will find it tugging at your heart and delving up emotions as you follow Hanna through this dark and painful journey.

I highly recommend this book for kids from ten to adults of 110. Well written, historically accurate, and emotionally impacting. Don't let this one pass you by.

"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."

Although this is a work of fiction, the story is based on a true account. The author indeed went to great lengths to research the historical background and the family who inspired this story. For the most part, the book details the everyday life of Jewish people during that era; first the family's customs and traditions in their village, then their escape into the woods, and finally the sheer fight for survival in a cave. Particularly that last part is very moving as the reader gets a clear picture of what it means to fight a seemingly lost battle in an attempt to keep the body alive for another day. It is very realistic and gruesome, yet also inspiring, as the protagonist never loses hope.
On the other hand, there is not much of a plot and therefore makes for a rather dull reading for the first half of the book. Don't get me wrong, I don't always need showy plot devices and lots of action, but I think that especially teen readers might give up after a while for the lack of a proper storyline. I can very well imagine this to be a movie as the visual support may convey more emotional depth to make up for this somewhat wanting story arc.

Overall, this book fell a bit short of my expectations, and I think there are better YA novels about this time. I for example tremendously enjoyed "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys. However, I can very well imagine using excerpts of the book in class, for example, for a history project, to get an idea of what the victims of this terrible regime went through. The author is also unmistakably clear about the impact of anti-Semitic and racist views and Nazi rhetoric on today's politics and the implications of people marching to reintroduce them into modern democratic societies. Therefore, this book may work as a warning not to relive the darkest times of modern history.

"You have to learn to trust the unknown, just ahead of you, always."

3.5 stars

A haunting and devastating Holocaust story of one Jewish family’s struggle to survive. Hanna is thirteen years old and living in Soviet-occupied Ukraine when the Gestapo arrive in her small town to ‘eliminate all Jews’. She and her family, along with a neighbouring Jewish family, flee to the forest to hide out and avoid capture. From there, they must flee further, taking them into underground caves where they must battle starvation, isolation, complete darkness, constant dampness and disease. Her family’s strength and determination to remain together and survive was very touching and inspiring. What they endured, living in their extreme conditions and always in fear of being found, is unimaginable.

The story is told from Hanna’s perspective which I really enjoyed. The author, Tara Lynn Masih, did a wonderful job putting the reader into Hanna’s mindset, creating a vivid and loveable teenage girl. Hanna’s family was a beautiful cast of characters who worked their way into my heart. Though I have read many Holocaust stories, I have not read anything about Jews hiding in underground caves which I found very interesting and unforgettable.

A large issue I had with this story had nothing to do with the author at all. My ARC had some major layout and formatting issues which prevented the story from flowing smoothly. There were cut off sentences and large print scattered throughout the story. While I know this has nothing to do with the author’s work, unfortunately, it did affect my enjoyment and I found it highly distracting.

This was a Traveling Sister read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mandel Vilar Press and Tara Lynn Masih for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Expected Date of Publication: September 18, 2018.

STRUGGLE AND SURVIVAL in the Ukraine. Due to shifting borders, Hanna and her family, have been considered, Poles, Austrisns and Ukrainians. Changing tides once again threaten as the Germans are heading their way. As a Jewish family they are close, and close to many of their non Jewish neighbors. It is time though for them to go into hiding, as their village is to become Jewish free, as news reaches them of what is happening to the Jews who are taken.

Meant for. YA audience, the violence is there but tampered down a bit, not all horrors written. Enjoyed the format of this, as a grown woman and mother, Hanna tells her story of the time, the years, her family and others had to hide. Based on an actual family and their experiences makes this even more poignant. The author did a wonderful job staying true to the thoughts and feelings of a fourteen years old girl. I loved the characters Alla, a non Jewish woman who comes to their aid in many ways, as do a few other at great risk to themselves. Of course more turned away or reported than tried to help. The closeness and love, faith shown by this family was beautiful admidst horrific times.

The authors note makes clear how well researched this book was, and explained more of the historic events in this region. It also tells what is fact, what it was based on, and what was fiction. All very well done. A good book for young adults to read as an important introduction to the Holocaust.

ARC from Netgalley.

This was a good book, highlighting an extended, Jewish family who was forced into hiding, and hence unimaginable conditions, in order to evade the Germans during WWII. The message of resilience, humanity, and perseverance comes out clearly in this book written and geared towards children and young adolescents. The Advanced Reader's Digital Copy I was given was a bit hard to read with random words of "Copyrighted" and "Material" dispersed throughout, interrupting the flow of the story but I learned to adapt and enjoy the book regardless.

Another WWII holocaust book, a family in hiding... we think we know these stories, right? This was a story I had never heard. Hiding in attics, in hidden walls, these are the stories we have heard and while they each are important and impactful what intrigued me when I first heard about this novel was that this family hides in a cave underground. This story also takes place in the Ukraine, not Germany, and tells about what was happening in that part of the world during WWII which is often overlooked.

The circumstances are compelling, but are matched by equally interesting characters. Our main character Hanna is everything a girl her age should be, figuring out her role in her family, feeling butterflies about a boy, starting to work and explore the world around her. This is also disrupted by the arrival of the Nazis and there is a good balance between how much changes for her and how she still has her teenage thoughts through the novel and what happens to those emotions after months spent below ground, starving, without light, and seeing the world around her crumble. This book has good historical research behind it, including a family who did survive underground during this time, and tells an important story of an often overlooked group.

"It's ok to cry, Hanna...crying is a form of breathing."
Only one of many poignant lines in this amazing YA novel. I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I don't often gravitate toward YA but the fact that this was based on real life events of a family forced to flee into the gypsum caves of Ukraine during the Holocaust drew me in.

It is the story of a kind and loving childhood disrupted first by the Russian invasion and then by the German Nazis told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl. It is a powerful telling of what it's like to move from a
world of light to a life underground with ever diminishing light.
It is a courageous novel full of kindness, love, and faith. Highly recommend.

I appreciate the opportunity to be able to receive this advanced copy and I really wanted to read this - the summary sounded like something I'd enjoy. I rarely to never don't finish something that I start but the arc formatting was awful and I couldn't follow the story because of it.

The courageous and heartbreaking story of 14 year old Hanna Slivka, who's Jewish family had to escape their home in the Ukraine during WWII. The story is told by Hanna, to her daughter, many years later. It's beautifully told and I really enjoyed it. It's a great read for all ages! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Rating: 4 stars -- Really, REALLY good!

This is a sparkling gem of a YA book. It sheds light on a little know aspect of the Holocaust; namely a group of Jews who tried to survive by living in caves to evade detection during WWII. Narrated by Hanna Slivka, she recounts the events of this book as an adult, remembering the experiences from her early teen years. She describes the slow erosion of rights and the deepening levels of persecution for Jewish (and Gypsy) residents of an area in Europe that is currently in the Urkraine, but had switched back and forth between Poland, and Ukraine (or Russia) in the years before WWII.

Hanna and her family lived the village of Kwasova, where her father was held in high esteem because of the ‘fix-it’ business he ran. He could repair just about anything that the villagers needed to have repaired. Their village was spared the initial incursions of the Gestapo, and German troops into the surrounding countryside, but it did not escape the ever more restrictive rules and requirements (the wearing of the Jewish Star for example) which were handed down by the Germans. So Hanna’s family, along with other families in the village, began to make escape plans. They almost left the escape it until it was too late. A day before the German troops overwhelmed the village, the group fled to the forest. As the war continued, they were warned by a local forester, that their location was soon be overrun by Germans. Hanna’s father, motivated by a large dose of desperation, suggested that they make the risky move of journeying to some local caves, and entombing themselves there to wait out the war. I won’t describe what happens next because I don’t want to give away any book spoilers.

This was a remarkable story of survival in the face of the inhumane horrors of WWII. The book describes villagers who were willing to risk everything to lend a hand, and those who would do what they could to destroy them. The book is based on a true story. The group this book is based on actually lived in the cave for over 500 days. Ultimately, this story is an empathetic look at a one of our darkest times in world history. The historical fiction is realistic, and while it is categorized in the Young Adult genre, I found it to be riveting, and written at a high enough comprehension level that I’m recommending it to Young Adults and Adults. It’s a great book about the strength of the human spirit in the face of terrible odds.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; Mandel Vilar Press; and the author, Tara Lynn Masih; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have recently become very interested about World War II in Ukraine. I read a memoir by a survivor and never really thought about how badly Jews were treated in the country. This fictitious account helps drive it home while blunting some of the worst hurt.
The narrator decides it is time for her children to hear the truth of her life. She confesses that her real name is Hannah and she survived the Holocaust by hiding in underground caves.
The book is based off a real family who survived by hiding in caves. The authors explain in an afterward how the documentary about this family inspired her and lad to this story. She also explained, that because this was aimed at a non-adult age range, the author left out some of the worst issues.
But I enjoyed the story. It's probably one of the least depressing books about the Holocaust I have read. But more than anything, IU enjoyed little Hanna's spirit and the fact that she never gave up.

My Real Name is Hanna is based off of real events of the Stermer family. You follow Hanna, a 14 year old, and her family through Stalin and then Hitler invading their hometown.

<i>"My name is Hanna Slivka. I was born on February twenty-second, in the winter of 1928. I am still breathing. This is my story."</i>

The book is YA so it is ok for younger readers but at the same time it's relevant for adults. The writing seems monotone and straightforward to me, but I can't see this story being told any other way. You follow a young girl and her family through a span of years where their life goes from normal to horrible. I think the author did a great job at retelling the Stermer's story and those around them with similar experiences. One thing that was a new reading experience for myself was reading about the families experiences fleeing their homes to live in bunkers, and then in underground caves. I had not read accounts of situations such as this and learned something new.

This book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The only negative thing I experienced while reading this book is the copywrite and cuts in text since it is a free, advanced copy of the book. Despite the interrupted story all throughout the book I enjoyed Hanna's story. I am not including this in my rating as it has nothing to do with the story but was merely a minor obstacle.

Inspired by a family who sought refuge in the gypsum caves of Ukraine during the Holocaust, My Name is Hanna is a timely, poignant, and lyrical novel about 14 year old Hanna Slivka, whose bravery, cleverness, and spirit is inspiring to read.

This is the story of a teenage girl named Hanna who lives in the Ukraine in the 1940s. The reader is able to follow how life changes after Hitler’s army crosses into the country. She and her siblings experience bullying and hatred. As things become “Jew-free,” raids increase, families disappear, and Hanna’s family goes into hiding. Facing starvation and death, they must learn to survive.

The author weaves Jewish and Ukranian folklore throughout the story, which is inspired by real events. Overall, this is a story of survival and strength. Characters are well written, and the author doesn’t go into overly gory descriptions, making this story appropriate for young readers, as well as adults.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.