4 stars. I enjoyed reading a different, but no less horrifying and heart-wrenching, take on the Holocaust. I wish I could say I enjoyed the narrator for the audio book, but the story overcame her vocal shortfall.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook to listen to and review. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

I had a hard time staying with this book. It has a slow start with a lot of background on irrelevant characters. The way the narrator inflected her sentences was also very distracting.

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

4.5 well earned stars! I listened to the audiobook of The Takeaway Men by Meryl Ain and felt that it was well written and well researched. It was read by Senn Annis and the performance was very well done. The Takeaway Men was most definitely a character driven book with a captivating plot. It followed Judy and Aron Lubinski from their small village in Poland where they survived the Holocaust, to a displaced person’s camp near Munich, Germany, to their arrival in the Bellerose neighborhood in Queens, New York. While Judy and Aron were in the displaced person’s camp, Judy, then Deeta, gave birth to two beautiful and healthy twin daughters, Bronka and Johanna. The family arrived in New York in 1951 and were graciously welcomed by distant relatives of Aron’s that he had never met until that day. Aron and Judy and their twin daughters moved into the home of Aron’s relatives and soon began the difficult task of learning how to assimilate into the American culture. Bronka and Johanna had an easier time doing that compared to their parents.

Many Holocaust survivors had a difficult time sharing their stories. Some did not want to relive the atrocities they lived through. Survivors that were parents of young children might have felt that their children were not old enough to hear their stories. The Takeaway Men explored what happened to families like Judy’s and Aron’s that had survived the Holocaust, left Europe and had immigrated to the United States. Although the war and the Holocaust were over, the atrocities survivors witnessed and lived through were never really out of their thoughts. Vivid reminders were constantly present in their repeated nightmares. Both Judy and Aron knew that at some point they would tell their story to their twin daughters but they kept putting it off. The time was never right and they felt their daughters were too young to understand or be able to comprehend all that they would have to convey to them. They chose to ignore the subject and they never even mentioned or used the words Nazis or the Holocaust. During the 1950’s, the country was more involved with the ramifications of the Cold War. The Holocaust and World War II were in the past.

The Takeaway Men was about family, survival, secrets, fear, identity, immigration and assimilation. It was told from different points of view which allowed the characters to develop in a more complex way and really gave a realistic view of those times. I grew up in the 1950’s and so I was easily able to relate to a lot of the trending toys, shows and clothes of that decade that were mentioned throughout the book. There have been many books written about the Holocaust but The Takeaway Men explored another aspect that has not been written about a lot. I felt the pain, constant turmoil and guilt the survivors of the Holocaust must have felt when they immigrated to places like the United States, Israel, Canada or wherever they decided to settle. On top of that, they had the added pressures of learning how to assimilate into those cultures. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and recommend it very highly.

Thank you to Orange Sky Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of The Takeaway Men through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this story of Holocaust survivors making their way in America. The women were so strong and these people were beautifully described. It was a great audiobook to listen to and enjoy.

I'm a sucker for #historicalfiction and anything related to WWII is right up my alley. This book was an interesting read as it follows the Lubinski family as they arrive in the U.S. We witness their struggles and victories through the eyes of each member of the family. While the story takes place post-war, the haunts and fears of the realities of the Jewish people are still quite real for parents Judy and Aron. What's most interesting about The Takeaway Men is the impact that the war has on the twins, Bronka and Johanna. The girls were born post-war, and very small when they came to the US. However, the secrets their parents keep impact the girls as they grow, become curious, and eventually begin asking questions of their friends about WWII greatly impact how each child grows. One yearns to become as American as her friends, while the other strives to be a strong Jewish woman like those in her community. We watch the twins' struggle to balance their Jewish-American life as they try to fit in with their American-born friends, keep to their faith, and trust and believe their parents who are very quiet about their past.

The part I loved most about this book is that it talks about what happens after the war. While we are familiar with the terrors of the treatment of the Jewish during the war, we don't hear many stories about what happens after. This book sheds light on the fears that continue to be part of every-day life, of the journey to assimilate into American culture, and the reality that history is always on our heels, ready to repeat itself. The character development was fantastic and I really felt like I was in the home, living the lives of the Lubinski family.

Thanks to NetGalley, Orange Sky Audio, & the author Meryl Ain for providing me with a copy of The Takeaway Men.

The Takeaway Men is a coming of age story about a Jewish family starting over in the US after the Holocaust. Aron and Edyta Lubinski move from Poland with their twin daughters Bronka and Johanna to live with Arons relatives Izzy and Faye. Aron and Edyta shelter the twins from their past as they begin to adjust to American culture. However as the girls get older they start to ask questions about their parents past and their own heritage.

This historical fiction intrigued me and I quite enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories in the first half of this book. However I found that the author spent more time on repetitive dialogue as the story progressed and I never felt like I got to know the characters as well as I would have liked. A lot of topics of interest were brought up in this book but I felt as though the author only skimmed the surface. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the young adult genre as it certainly brought up interesting topics with likeable characters but just fell a bit flat for me.

I'm often disappointed when reading WWII and the story ends with the liberation of the camp or VE-Day because I always want to know what happened to the characters. I wanted to know how did they go on with life when everything and often everyone was gone? The Takeaway Men starts are the end of the war and follows a Jewish family as they immigrate to American and begin a new life.

Susan reviewed Meryl Ain's book when it came out last year in paperback and as an ebook. As is often the case, I hadn't had time to pick up the book so I was delighted to see that it was coming out as an audiobook this year.

From the title, you would think that the story would focus more on the former Nazi that is recognized in the Lubinskis' New York neighborhood. But really it is more about restarting life after everything you've known has disappeared, about moving forward, finding a new identity, and how to deal with the past.

I liked the contrast between the American Jewish family and the newly arrived Lubinskis. While I'm sure most American Jews knew of family members who were killed during WWII, I'm not sure if they could truly understand the horrors European Jews experienced. Aaron Lubinski is a distant relative of Izzy but Faye and Izzy readily open their home to Aaron, his wife, and twin daughters. Izzy and Faye are definitely Americanized Jews - Izzy goes to temple on special days and they keep kosher inside the home, but not necessarily when they are out. In contrast, Aaron goes to temple every day and his family is always kosher.

Several years ago, I read a book by a Jewish author about her life growing up as the daughter of Holocaust survivors - that her parents inadvertently passed on some of their fears and trauma. We see some of that in The Takeaway Men with Aaron and Judy's children.

Like the contrast between the two families, we also get to see how different survivors handled their own stories. The Lubinskis tried very hard to but the Holocaust behind them and even in Hebrew School, the teachers weren't allowed to really teach about this aspect of Jewish history to the point that the Lubinski girls didn't even know who Hitler was. However, there are other Holocaust survivors in the neighborhood who openly speak of their experience.

I think The Takeaway Men gave a well-rounded and realistic portrayal of what life was like for Jewish immigrants. It is a poignant look at immigration, identity (religious identity, cultural identity, and familial identity), the effects of trauma on generations, and family. With the many topics the story touches on, it would be great for a book club discussion.

It is an excellent book to listen to. Senn Annis does a wonderful job as narrator - giving each character their own unique voice. The story was also easy to follow as much of the action is slice-of-life type stuff.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/08/the-takeaway-men-by-meryl-ain-audiobook.html

BLEW. MY. MIND. AWAY!!!
Storyline:
This is a story about a Jewish couple who in 1947 came to America escaping Germany ... The couple were forced to see abd feel death in every single vein of their time with the Nazies.
They didn't have anything to hope they both individually had scared pasts and are now trying to see life .
He always though about death that loomed them, he grew up as a doctor's son and became a doctor in Germany..
Now finally escaping it all..His eyes were opened to Joy again as they had twin girls.. "Life born again" - Now adjusting to life in US the twins grow up to find a Nazi man and all the Gastly truth of the Hollowcast comes running into their present life with all it's past ugliness
Twins Johanna and Bronka see the past and hidden truths and lies that shatter them to Life.....!!! About their parents past,their lives and the mistakes ,now nothing is ever gonna feel same ....

My Review:
Oh! MY
This story takes you through unique tours and views on the Hollowcast events that took place.
I was literally drawn to tears and my heart was Broke for all that ppl were forced to face and live during those times
I can't even start how they had strength on moving forward in such terrible events .
In the midst of all this ...they strived to help what they can, struggled to live but not to show kindness , with faith still hoping fighting moment to moment

The Bravery of Johanna's parents shook me
This story shows the powerful effect of crucial search and effects of these events on Jewish ppl ,their beliefs and the moving effect & influence of Forgiveness , Love & Faith
It was my favorite part of the story.

This is an poignant moving story which displays the valient efforts of people who lived under the Nazies

Overall a great great book!
The audiobook version is too Good, it helped in understanding and spelling all the Hebrew meanings and their pronunciation...the narrator's voice was in involving and engaging from beginning to the End.

Highly Recommend for all my History lovers , it gives you so much insight into the WW2 events .
It's a Heart warming and rending story of Life, Love , Forgiveness and Faith

Ain takes an entirely different take on the fallout from the Holocaust. Twins Bronka and Johanna arrive in the United States after World War II and work at fitting in in their new country. Years later they discover that a Nazi has been hiding in their community and all the ugliness of the Holocaust comes flooding back, along with questions. Questions about their parents and what they may have done during those terrible, dark days. This is a heart rending story that left me in tears

An excellent and sensitively written book which shows the lasting impact on the Lubinksi family following the Second World War and the Jewish Genocide during the war.

There are great themes explored throughout this book and how the family are changed by what happened during the war, and these are brought to the forefront once more when a former Nazi from the camps is discovered living in their neighbourhood. Their early years in the US are covered through this book and how quite small events to others bring more sinister consequences back to the family.

This is very cleverly and very well written and should be required reading for everyone. I particularly liked the section talking about whether staff at the Hebrew School should be discussing the Genocide with the young children attending or any children. So very powerful.

I strongly recommend the book and have to say the narrating of this audiobook was excellent, with the narrator getting the tone and presentation of the book exactly right.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.

What an absolutely amazing story of resilience, forgiveness, education, and survival.

Having heard so many stories from the war from my own family, I wasn't sure how I would feel about a book so close to home, but everything was absolutely perfect from beginning to end. Following the story of the Lubinski family from war-torn Poland to starting a new life full of hope and opportunities in America, we can see the tight strings holding the parents together starting to unravel as the daughters grow older and curious about the past.

Throughout the story, there are many times that subplots could have been glossed over, yet Meryl Ain takes the time to give each character their moment to reflect on the impact they have on the overarching plot.

I loved that while this was a historical fiction book, there are many times you can lose yourself in the picture Ain paints of each moment and understand what it must have been like for millions to struggle endlessly, and still today, in the wake of a war that never needed to happen.