I am usually fascinated by books and stories from this era in history. But this book seemed to leave out an entire period that I feel is crucial for the story. The book opens with a young woman in Poland who gets married to the young man she loves. They have a child. They are forced into the Jewish Ghetto and ultimately sent to the camps. The young woman is able to escape the camp while the war is still going strong. Then all of the sudden the war is over and she's in New York. What happened to her after she escaped? How did she live? Who helped her? Who hid her? What was her journey to New York like? The story was interesting in the beginning and it was interesting to see her life after she arrived in New York, but I felt that the "middle" was just simply missing. The writer expresses herself well, and it would be interesting to see what she would do with this young woman's story after her escape from the concentration camp.

A Fiction book with much non-fiction history during the reign of the "Third Reich." A Polish family victims of war, an account of actions and how haunting it makes one's life. However, changes will come and a wonderful life can come from such tragedy. I so enjoyed the characters, especially Meira, she had strength to move on and so much love for family. There are so many surprises in this book, one must keep reading to find them all! Well written, easy to read and great story!

If I ever have to compose my biography sometime, I'll pick Andre's writing style for sure, so quirky. I selected this autobiographical work as it's a very long time ago I read one in this genre. Though not much of an enthusiast of this style, I went in all blind for reading it. And I was pretty impressed. The book recounts all that he's lived through, the positives as well as the negatives, so it's not just the goody-goody stuff.

Halfway into the book, I observed that the chronology/delivery could be better because it got me puzzling co-relating all the happenings on separate occasions. The book cover could also be improved. Nonetheless, the novel is a big motivation for all the artists starting out. Andre clearly specifies that age is never a factor if it comes to starting something new. Overall, quite a pleasant and fascinating read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Author Debra Doxer, and Publisher Xpresso Book Tours, for the ARC copy of this book.

I cannot get enough of these types of books right now. We need to know the history! We need to understand!
Meira, in this book, was such an amazing person. The strength to go through what she did and then find the strength to persevere and share her story. Thank goodness for her and all who came before her and those who sacrificed everything.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Netgalley.

Where Butterflies Go is a story of the persecution and resistance of the Jews in Poland, and how some of them move on with their lives after the war ends.

Meira, the main character, her husband, and daughter live in Poland, and are affected by the onslaught of Nazi violence and hatred. Meira has great skill as a seamstress since her Dad was a tailor. The Nazis discover this, and come to have their uniforms repaired. When the Nazis ship out the Jews, she is recognized and sent to a camp called Poniotowa to make uniforms for Nazi scum.

What happens at the end of the war is tragic, and Meira manages to escape and ultimately make it to America.
Her story of how she survives and comes to thrive in the US, and becomes a speaker for a Jewish organization is inspiring. WE MUST NEVER FORGET! She helps people to understand the true horrors of the war and the ugly details of Hitler's final solution.
BEWARE FASCISM - whether in 1939 or in 2020!

This was a very compelling story and I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Imagine you are a Jewish girl in Warsaw, Poland in 1932. Further imagine what your life would have been like as you grew up, married, was moved to a concentration camp, saw one sister move to New York to marry a stranger and saw another sister be led away to a death camp. Imagine you heard the shots that killed your husband as the Germans cleared the concentration camp, and imagine when you and your daughter were put in a pit, the bullet went through your arm and killed her. How do you survive and continue to function after experiencing all that? Can you begin to enjoy life again?

This is the story of Meira as told in Where Butterflies Go by Debra Doxer.. It is based on the life of the author's great-aunt, a Holocaust survivor. It is at times horrifying, sad, yet full of love and hope. I was allowed to read it on NetGalley. It was released today.

Posted this review on Goodreads and instagram (@where.fiction.meets.reality)

Guys, I do not have enough words for how amazing and touching this book is.

This book is released10-07-2020 and I can't say it loud enough GO GET THIS BOOK! You won't regret it.

The story is based on the life of the author's great-aunt. I loved that the POV is a little bit different in terms of where the concentration camp is located. It seems like a lot of books are all located in Auschwitz, but this one follows Meira as she lives in Warsaw and grows up. We watch as Meira goes from a young girl, to a wife and mother, to a prisoner of war, to being a survivor and moving to America. We then get to watch her journey as she figures out what her "new" life and days are like.

Meira's story is beyond captivating. I cried for her and with her. There is a scene where Meira is talking to a young boy about her story and it is so real and raw. The author completely nails it where she talks about how many young Americans were idolizing the war and thinking bombs and guns were cool. And how people tend to think each camp is exactly the same, but really they each had their own heartbreaking aspects. Even now, I think it's hard for a younger generation to comprehend the severity and realness of war. I loved the relationship between Meira and Avrom, as well as Meira and Max.

5/5 stars

THANK YOU to Debra Doxer, NetGalley, and Xpresso Book Tours for my free ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!!

With a nod to the classic book of children's writing and poetry, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" this book tells the story of a woman whose childhood is interrupted by WWII. She is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto then deported to a concentration camp. She survives, and ends up in New York City after the war where she learns to experience love again. A remarkable story. There is a lot of holocaust based fiction and I don't read all of it, but this one is worth the time.

WHERE BUTTERFLIES GO
BY DEBRA DOXER

If you only read one Holocaust book or historical fiction book about World War II this year I implore you to read this one called, "Where Butterflies Go," written by the talented author Debra Doxer. In the epilogue of this historical fiction novel Ms. Doxer states that it took her many years to write this presumably because it is based on a true story about her Great Aunt who had something so devastatingly, horrifying happen to her I am amazed that she survived and then went on to emigrate to New York. The Holocaust word is not written throughout the main narrative of this book because what happened to the Jewish population in Europe during World War II was referred to in the 1930's as the biblical term "Shoah" to describe the mass killings of its people. I didn't know that the term "Holocaust," was not coined as a term to describe the horrible atrocities visited on the Jewish population until the 1970's. Hitler and his Nazi forces always called it, "the final solution."

I absolutely loved the main character Meira, whom this author has made to base this harrowing tale on. Her only crime was fate and being born in Warsaw, Poland in 1912. I had no idea and was greatly saddened to learn that the Polish ethic group treated the Jewish people so badly in their own country of origin as the German's were later to do so. Meira's character is what gives this book so much of its stunning beauty because of her strength and resilience. So this story is very balanced. On the one hand we get to be an armchair witness to all of the gut wrenching events that unfold as Meira grows from a beautiful young girl who catches the eye of her future husband whom was picked out by her mother for Meira's older sister, Zotia.

Meira's mother invites Avrom, a young boy from the same village to dinner to marry off her eldest daughter Zotia and the only reason he attends with his parents is because he mistakenly thinks it is Meira that he is going to be paired up with. Meira's mother starts a rumor that Avrom and Zotia are to be married and when Zotia finds out that he is not interested in her she is so embarrassed that she flees to America to be married by a young man whom her friend Yuri makes the arrangements. In 1939, Warsaw starts being invaded by the Nazi's who liquidate village after village forcing many people from their homes without their belongings. This means Meira's family who consist of her mother, father, younger sister Leah and her husband Avrom and their beloved daughter Tovah and his parents all crowded in one flat. There is a shortage of food and starvation soon sets in, disease and bombing on a regular basis.

Meira's daughter Tovah is only ten year's old and the family is getting bombed regularly as well as other's and have to flee to the stairs for shelter. Meira's daughter Tovah is so pure and so innocent and asks Meira one day why can't we just say we are sorry to the German's and maybe all of this suffering will stop. One day Tovah says to Meira that a yellow butterfly with black wings landed on her and she thinks it was Meira's father who had perished that came to visit her. Tovah says to Meira that she will come back and visit Meira in the form of this same yellow butterfly with black wings. If this doesn't break your heart nothing will except what lays in Meira's future which I won't spoil.

This novel isn't all bleak. There is hope when Meira emigrates to New York. She is truly a heroic character to be a survivor and for a time she wanders through her life aimlessly without a purpose other than being lucky to survive the concentration camp. She has spunk to her character and even though she is living day to day there are many good things in store for her. She is talented and can earn a living cutting hair where she meets a client named Karen who takes a liking to Meira and invites her over to dinner where she tries to play matchmaker with her brother Max. Meira isn't interested and Max is incensed at the idea of meeting another gold digger socialite interested only in his money. Max sees the perseverance and strength of Meira's stellar character even though she doesn't realize it about herself.

I loved this work of historical fiction based on a factual person and wanted to read it again from start to finish after I read it for the first time. This is truly a standout book for me among all the other Holocaust books or World War II books that I have ever read. At times the stark beauty was so touching to me that I couldn't keep from crying. Debra Doxer writes with an authentic voice in the first person so I got to witness Meira's sadness and happiness. If ever a novel was written that pays homage to a real life survivor overcoming tremendous adversity this one is it. It publishes on October 7, 2020, which is in three days. I promise you that if you purchase this book you will not be sorry and maybe you will even thank me for recommending it so highly. This is a favorite that is a story that I will never forget and one that I am purchasing for myself as a special keepsake that is going on that special bookshelf. Haunting, Brilliant, Stunning and I want to thank Debra Doxer for having the courage to write this narrative about her Great Aunt and making it available to all of us readers. This book really resonated with me personally for several reasons. Between 2013 and 2020 I have lost my whole family. Some to shocking and tragic death which I had no time to prepare. Other's no less tragic but brutally painful and life scarring which is why I can relate to Meira's needing to find a purpose. This book symbolizes for me that with courage and perspective hope can be found in the places we least expect to find it and there are Angel's that walk this earth in humanity. I have found myself in this novel and Meira's character I hope that I can find redemption and my authentic friend's are my gifts. Thank you Debra Doxer for having the courage and stamina for sharing your journey. I believe things happen for a reason as senseless and painful as they may seem at the time and finding this novel has been as random as it seems was part of my destiny to discover it.

Publication Date: October 7, 2020

A huge debt of gratitude from me to Net Galley, Debra Doxer for so generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#WhereButterfliesGo #DebraDoxer #NetGalley

Beautifully poignant and moving, this book is truly a gem, one which will stand out in my mind for a very long time. Circumstances are brutal, gripping and heart wrenching. That this is based on a true story makes it even more chilling. It is so easy yet difficult to get lost in. Just let yourself go.

Meira Sokolow is born and raised in Warsaw. Initially her life is almost ordinary except she is a Jew. She falls in love, marries and has a daughter. But Hitler is on the scene and soon Poles begin to actively hate the Jews but this is nothing compared to what happens when the Germans march into Warsaw and take control. Meira's family members are forced to move to a ghetto on the threat of death. Unspeakable terror and horror follow, death at every turn, yet remarkably Meira doesn't feel sorry for herself. And the nightmare gets more and more unbearable.

Meira manages to survive and moves to New York where she exists but doesn't live....she is stuck in inescapable fresh and vivid memories. She meets kind people and finally discovers life again, real life.

The author manages to convey physical and emotional pain as well as incredible tenderness and warmth in this wonderful novel, one which will melt every heart which reads it. You need this extraordinary book...its virtues cannot be emphasized enough. Those interested in the Holocaust, WWII and Historical Fiction based on real life will find beauty in the ashes. Pay attention to the lessons, obvious and subtle. Each page from the first to the last will take your breath away. The story is so riveting you will want to get to the end but my recommendation is to savour its bittersweetness slowly go get all you can out of it. If you read just one book in 2020, make it this one.

My sincere thank you to Debra Doxer and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this meaningful book in exchange for an honest review. I am so honoured to have read it.

First of all...thank you to NetGalley and Debra Doxer for an ARC copy of this phenomenal book. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year and I devoured it in a little over a day. Once you crack the spine, you won’t be able to put it down.

Meira is your typical girl growing up in Poland during the 1930’s. She falls in love with the handsome Avrom and they have a wonderful life together with a beautiful little girl. The only thing that sets them apart is that they’re Jewish and when the Nazis come marching in...their life turns upside down and drips with tragedy. We follow Meira from her teenage years and walk right along side of her when she and her family are forced into a ghetto and then sent to a concentration camp. We feel her pain at the loss of her family under the hands of evil. As the book progresses, we follow Meira to the US, the sole survivor of her family. Thanks to the sponsorship of a sister who immigrated years before the war, Meira sets out to try to start again. Until she meets Max, Meira is just “marking time”. She isn’t ready to move forward. She isn’t ready to tell her story. She isn’t ready to let go of the past, afraid to lose the memories. Max helps her come to turns with all she has lost and awakens her spirit. With him to lean on, Meira realizes that life is still worth living.

This story is unbelievably emotional but it’s beautiful. I love that it immediately draws you in. I love that it’s written in first person and you’re able to see things through Meira’s eyes. You feel her pain, you feel her joy, you feel what she feels every step of the way. It touches on the importance of PTSD and survivors guilt. Those things went ignored so often after WWII. It’s relevant today. Being able to talk, to share their story not only educates us but it helps them heal. The importance of listening, I think has a hidden symbolism in this story. And I beg you to read the authors notes at the end. You’ll learn that while it is fiction, it’s based on a true story and has familial ties to the author. I’m going to carry this book with me for a long time. Thank you Ms Doxer for sharing this story with us

The story begins with Meira Sokolow living in the Jewish Quarter in Warsaw, Poland in 1932 with her mother, father, and two sisters. Through a case of mistaken identity, her older sister Zotia is publicly embarrassed and leaves America and an arranged marriage. By 1939, Meira is married and has a daughter. By 1941, people are going hungry and Meira's family is kept alive by the aid of a child in Warsaw who can sneak out. However, in 1943 Meira and her husband and daughter are sent to Poniatowa, in Poland and when the commandant closes the camp, Meira is one of a few survivors. She survives long enough to make it to a Displaced Persons camp in 1948 she makes it to her sisters in New York City. Here through the help of the United Service for New Americans she finds lodging and a few jobs. She makes a few friends, reconnects with a Warsaw friend and rediscovers hope and love. The author states in the end notes that her story is based on her great aunt and she had to set it aside a few times because of the emotional burden. It is a rough read and I read it all in a day because I could not set it aside without knowing Meira thrives by the end. The characters tug at you.

This is a historical fiction that took place in Poland in the first half and the second half takes place in United States. This book is told by Meira the main character. This historical fiction does not jump time, instead it tells her life starting in 1912 through the WWII and after the war. This book was written so beautifully, and the characters came to life as you read the book. The events and hard ships that Meira went through during this book you felt like you where there with her. I cried as my heart broke with Meira. and then rejoiced in the end. Of Historical Fiction books I have read, this is one of the best written and one of my one favorites. The way this book was written kept me reading way in to the night.
I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author (Debra Doxer) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book

Meira Is a typical young Jewish girl growing up in Poland. Who has a crush on a boy. That boy becomes her husband and they live happily ever after ...at least that was the plan ...until Poland is invaded and they are forced into the ghetto and then the concentration camps.
This book is about Meira and her life before, during and after the war.
We watch as Meira suffers such devastating loss even though the world is telling her to move on, she’s can’t seem to.
This book takes us from pre war Poland, to concentration camps to New York . A story of resilience, strength, and remembrance.
Based on a true story and one that needs to be handed down from generation to generation .
This was such a beautiful, inspirational story that had me in tears.