The Takeaway Men by Meryl Ain is a heart-wrenching tale of a Jewish family starting over in America after the Holocaust. The story follows twin girls who have very different personalities. Their parents decide it is best to keep them sheltered from the Holocaust and it's atrocities, but the girls learn little bits about it from their neighbors and teachers. They want to know their family's story and when their parents finally tell them in a family meeting, the story ends. Abruptly. We do not get to learn the endings to any of the subplots in the story. It is as if the author ran out of fuel. I would like to know what happens to Becky, the schizophrenic cousin. What happens to the neighbor, Leonore, does she end up with Al? Does Judy and Aron ever get a place of their own? Why so many loose ends? I commend the author for her extensive research in the setting and development of characters. But the ending fell flat.
Tha k you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book. All my opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, SparkPress and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel is remarkable in terms of the evocative atmosphere of time and place - a large city on the east coast of the USA in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the experience of one Jewish family immigrating after the traumatic events of WWII and finding their feet in a new country. The author obviously did her homework and very successfully transferred that to the page. Having said that, the book seemed more suited to a YA target audience, mainly due to the lack of real depth to the characters. Focussing on the twins, as they make friends and pick up bits and pieces of their parent's history and current events, the narrative is interesting - but not enough to hold the interest of the adult reader. Perfect for YA readers though, particularly as they will not be as familiar with what is historical fact for adults. The ending was botched a bit, and much too abrupt - I would have liked to know more about what happened after. A final note on the title: This was a bit odd - would a child have referred to the police this way, at that time? Plus it had no bearing on the main characters, so was not ideal as a title.

The struggle for Jewish refugees continues after they come to America. The past is ever-present. The dreams a haunting reminder of Poland.

Echoes of the Past

This is a story of Jewish families that immigrated to the United States from Europe after WWII. The Lubinski’s Aron, Judy and their twin daughters Bronka and Jojo were one such family.

Living with a distant relative of Aron, they struggle to adjust to new sights, new people a day new language. They make friends with the other Jewish families In the neighborhood and the twins soon fit in very well as does Judy. Aron has a harder time fitting in and often has nightmares at night. Bronka tries to ask questions about the past, but her parents are not talking, like it’s a big secret.

One day at Hebrew school a teacher mentioned Hitler and how he hated the Jewish and wanted them dead. This caused Bronka and Jojo to go home and ask their mother if it was true. She told them that Hitler did hate the Jewish and wanted them dead but gave them no personal information.

Aron and Judy have a secret. Bronka senses there is more than what her mother tells her, but it will emu her later before she finds out the secret about her parents past that they are hiding.

While reading the book, I learned of Jewish customs, some Yiddish words, and the lives of all the neighbors. Some talked of life under Hitler and the camps, but most did not speak of the past.

The book speaks of everyday life, how it changes from the Jewish way. The girls watched American Bandstand and learned the twist. Aron clung to the old ways In dress and manner.

It was quite interesting to hear how the immigrants adjusted to life and how easy it was for the to assimilate into their new lives while at the same time holding on to honored customs. How most of them could put their pasts behind them and begin new lives with new jobs and new friends.

This was a good book to read about the history of this time period and about the subject of the Jewish immigrants. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Meryl Ain, SparkPress, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The ARC of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. The synopsis of the book interested me right away, the premise of a coming of age story set against the background of an ever changing, post-war America seemed like a sure winner to me. And in a sense, it was. The slight nods to the historical elements that were taking place in the background kept me reading. Although the dialogue felt stiff in some parts, there were moments where the characters were talking and it felt a little robotic. It was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, something I know works for certain stories but it isn’t a personal favourite of mine, I much prefer it when we find out plot devices in organic ways, rather than simply being told them in conversations with characters.

However, in saying this, the characters were my favourite part. They were all vastly different and reflected a wonderful array of people. I appreciate the author not shying away from showcasing the different types of people that sought refugee in America after World War II, especially the way she explored some of the less than perfect lifestyles lived by these individuals. I would have liked a little more character development from a few of them but overall I cannot really complain here; it felt as if I was reading about real, human stories. Which in a sense I believe I was, these characters do not exist simply inside of this fictional bubble, they’re shadows of real lives and they are such close reflections of human experiences that it didn’t feel as hard to connect with them as it sometimes does in historical fiction novels.

I particularly commend the author for her handling of the horrors of the war while simultaneously navigating a minefield of politics, communism, religion and other prejudices prevalent in society. Overall, it was a well paced book with standout characters and an interesting view of what it was like after the war.

The Takeaway Men brings to life how survivors dealt with their past in America. It brings home the reality that while those born here share a heritage, their view of the war was different than those who escaped or survived a concentration camp. Another perspective on World War Two.

The Takeaway Men should have been a book I loved. I love WWII and the Cold War era and this book tells the story of a Holocaust survivor and his Polish wife who emigrate to America with their twin girls to grab their piece of the American Dream. The author touches on McCarthyism and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. There is some intrigue but the book ultimately does not live up to its promise. The writing is not well edited and the phrase "Takeaway Men," which could have really meant something is over used. The dialogue, particularly for the younger chracters did not feel authentic, and the adult dialogue was not true to the time period. The book touches on important topics - how much of the past should be revealed to our children, how to deal with trauma, but it just did not speak to me. Thanks to #Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC.

I liked this book and found it an easy read but ‘like’ isn’t the best thing you can say about a novel. I was very excited to begin the novel as the story of Jewish refugees in the USA after WWII isn’t a theme that I’ve seen in other novels before. Sadly for me, it just lacked depth and felt like a piece of YA fiction, in fact I’d rate it fairly highly as a book for 13+ age group. There was far too much repetition of things that the author wanted us to know, for example Bronka always needed the truth and couldn’t be fobbed off, JoJo was a good singer, most characters had a personality trait that the author singled out for special mention and it did feel as if she didn’t trust us to retain what she’d already told us.
Having read myriad Holocaust survivors memoirs the first few chapters didn’t feel authentic, the language used felt too modern and to American.
Despite these criticisms the characters were a wonderful bunch and had they been explored in more depth and not left as sound bites I would have loved the novel. The way current events of the 1950s and 60s were integrated was good but again, for an adult novel is did seem to be teaching us things we should already know and did know. Again, perfect for the YA genre though.
The ending was incredibly abrupt. The meeting in the living room was a stage set for so much conflict and resolution and it became a narrative piece for two characters and the finis, down curtain.
I also thought the title was odd. Did people call the police Takeaway Men in the 1950’s? How would a child as young as Mindy have been familiar with such a term? It had no relevance to Aron and Judy and they were the main characters so I found it odd.

First and foremost, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Meryl Ain has compiled a colorful cast of characters against the backdrop of Jewish refugees trying to find a future in Queens during the 1950’s-60’s. Secrets, lies and coverups are attached to the characters all with the intent of protecting the younger generation.

What I love most about this book is how different each character is....from a father who lost his whole family in the Holocaust and despite moving to the US, cannot let go or talk about the last. A mother who completely covered up her true identity as a savior and a hero to take care of her husband. Fraternal twins who couldn’t be more different yet confide only in each other. It’s hard to sum up this story without spoiling it.

The title and the abrupt ending are my only issues with an incredible story. I’m not quite sure how the title relates to the story but that might come to me as I continue to think about it. For me, it ended suddenly. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I wanted more so Ms.Ain...mission accomplished!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

I enjoyed this book about a family in post WW2 America. The mother and father are hiding their past from their twin daughters as they do their best to assimilate into American life. Though there are many novels that take place during WW2, I've found few that address the lives of survivors directly after immigrating. The twins and their differing responses to their family life are good vehicles for presenting different issues and the other characters in the neighborhood complete the story. The ending felt abrupt to me and I wanted to know more about what happened afterwards, but this book does hold a unique place in the genre and was a smooth read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley, SparkPress and Meryl Ain for my copy of: The Takeaway Men.
The Lubinski family decides to have a fresh start and escape the dark cloud the Holocaust still has over them, they leave the displaced person camp in Germany and immigrate to America.

Waiting for their ship to dock in New York are Aron’s cousin Izzy and his wife Faye; and they take Aron, Judy, Johanna and Bronka to their home in Bellerose where they have set up two rooms for the family to live. America is a lot for the Lubinski’s to take in, it’s big, and it’s noisy and very modern.
The girls adapt quickly, they make friends with Mindy who lives on the same street, and they learn to speak English and Aron starts work at one of Izzy’s bakeries. Aron still has the terrible nightmares and not even in his sleep can he escape the horror he experienced while living in the Jewish Ghetto in Kielce Poland.
His daughters have no idea what happened to their dad during the Holocaust, they think he’s moody, grumpy, takes no pride in his appearance and they find him embarrassing. They go to a Hebrew school in the afternoons; here they learn some facts about the holocaust and want to know the truth about what happened to their parents during the war?

When Aron explains what happened to his family after the Nazis invaded Poland, the girls discover the truth is horrific; and their mother’s involvement is also a big shock.
The Takeaway Men explores the impact of the Holocaust had on the survivors, how much they struggled after the war ended and no such thing as therapy back then. They lost everything; family, friends, homes, jobs, faith and it changed them. Many experienced survivor’s guilt, they changed their names, moved to other countries, didn’t tell their children, and even spouses had no idea what they endured because what happened to them was often too painful to talk about and they didn’t want anyone to know. All thoughts shared in this review are my own and I gave The Takeaway Men four stars.