The Other Half of Life: A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St. Louis

The Other Half of Life is a wonderful book based upon the MS St. Louis; also know as the voyage of the damned. The story is told from Thomas's eyes at the very start of World War II. It starts with the breaking up of his family as Thomas is being sent to the safety of Cuba. Thomas is filled with resentment at what he sees as weakness in his parents and the eventual attempt for him to flee the Nazi threat. On the ship, Thomas Werkmann 15, meets many people including Priska Affeldt 14, and they start to have feelings for each other. On the ship, Thomas wants to do something to make sense of the whole crazy world that is spinning out of control. This leads to playing chess. Chess becomes a metaphor for the war coming upon them all. It would have helped if I knew more of the chess moves used here but that is not the point. Gaining control over even a small part of his life was the important thing to Thomas. Here he was able to gain pride in himself and maybe win the girl, Priska. His attempt to control what little he could leads him to try and unmask Ortsgruppenleiter Holz with the beautiful Priska. What was his story? He seemed out of place to him on the ship. This leads to a harrowing night time spy vs. spy commando raid on Ortsgruppenleiter Holz' room. What did they find out? I guess you will have to read the book to find that out and more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did some of my own research into the events and found them to be very accurate, historically. I discovered things I did not know about and I consider myself quite knowledgeable about the holocaust.

Though written in the third person, this fascinating historical novel has the power of a memoir and can partner well in the classroom with "the Diary of Anne Frank". Boys particularly will be drawn to the story and what it portends. Based on the true account of the MS St. Louis, the reader is immediately immersed in a very real but bizarre world that ultimately betrays the trusting travelers seeking a new home. The protagonist, Thomas, is a deep thinking young man who attempts throughout to solve the social puzzles that exist on this ship even as his tender romance with Priska provides the reader with a sign of hope. This is a well paced, well told story which presents us with a little known and important piece of history.

It's 1939, and things have steadily grown worse for the Jews of Germany. Fifteen-year-old Thomas Werkmann has witnessed firsthand just how cruel the Nazis can be, and his mother has scraped together the money to send him to Cuba on the tourist boat, the MS Francis, along with over 900 other Jews hoping to escape persecution. Upon their leaving in Hamburg, Thomas is unwillingly befriended by the two daughters of a German literature professor. Although jealous of the Affeldts and the fact that their family has managed to escape the country together, unlike his own, Thomas finds himself drawn to the 14-year-old Priska, regardless of her seemingly foolish optimism and overly friendly nature. During their two-week voyage across the Atlantic, Thomas - and eventually Priska - grow suspicious about several things that seem to be happening on their ship. Why is the crew treating the Jews with respect when Jews aren't considered citizens anymore? Why is the ship steward, Manfred, so friendly with them - Priska in particular - when he's a member of the Nazi party? Why was the Nazi general, Herr Holz, assigned to this ship when he carries a cane to get around, and why does his injury seem so fake to Thomas? Before the ship enters Cuban waters, rumors begin to circulate, and Thomas and Priska do a little investigating of their own. Is it possible that there might be even bigger problems that may delay their entry into Cuba...and freedom? Although Thomas excels in chess, this may be one game where, as a pawn, he may never be able to win. This story, based on the true account of the MS St. Louis, surprised me, as I had not heard about this incident prior to reading THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE. Poignant and heartfelt, the cast of characters on this ship will stick with the reader long after they've closed the cover. Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

In May 1939, fifteen-year-old Thomas along with over 900 Jews began their voyage from Nazi Germany to Cuba. Thomas must go on this voyage alone because his family can only afford one ticket. His father is imprisoned in Dachau, while his mother will be safe because she is Christian. In Cuba, Thomas will meet up with his half-brother. On the SS St. Francis, Thomas meets Priska, a fourteen-year-old girl who is traveling with her parents and younger sister. When he is not spending time with Priska and other kids, Thomas spends time playing chess. However soon, Thomas becomes suspicious of some of the crew members. Why would Nazi members treat Jews so well? The Other Half of Life is based on the true story of the MS St. Louis. Before I read this novel, I had never heard of the MS St. Louis. I guess the magnititude of the other events of WWII make this story seem too insignificant to mention. :/ Anyways, I really enjoyed The Other Half of Life. Whitney really did her research! At the end of the novel, there is also a bibliography. It's always harder to find information on little-known events, but the amount of information in this novel was great. The amount of facts, however, did not make the novel seem like textbook either. While reading this book, I felt transported to another time. The characters were also great. I really enjoyed the differences between Thomas and Priska. Thomas knows everything in the world cannot be trusted. Priska, on the other hand, has a carefree, optimistic point of view. The novel also included chess. I know how to play chess, but I am not a great player. Reading about Thomas's chess strategies was interesting. The only thing I did not like about The Other Half of Life was the epilogue. The book really did need an epilogue, but it just seemed kind of out-of-place. The feeling I got after reading the epilogue reminded me very much of the feeling I got after reading the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, if you know what I mean.

THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE KIM ABLON WHITNEY Historical YA Knopf ISBN# 978-0-375-85219-0 234 Pages $[...] Hardcover--Available May 12, 2009 Rating: 4.5 Enchantments THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE is based on the true story of a World War II voyage. Its May 1939 and the SS St. Francis is setting sail for Cuba and eventually the U.S. filled with Jewish refugees desperate for a new life in a new land. However, none of them could be prepared for the events that are about to take place that will change everyone's lives forever. Fifteen year old Thomas is traveling alone. His Jewish father has been imprisoned and his Christian mother has scraped together enough money for his passage. Alone and frightened, he finds himself befriended by a family on an upper deck and slowly a relationship begins to form between Thomas and fourteen year old Priska. Its obvious as you read the story that the author did a great job of researching the events on the SS St. Francis as its very detailed oriented and the reader can fully picture what life must have been like for those on board. Thomas is a very sympathetic character, as is the family he becomes close to onboard. One of my favorite scenes takes place fairly early in the book when Thomas is invited to dine up in first class with Professor Affeldt and his family. All ready ill at ease, Thomas poses as a `cousin' in order to join the family and is forced to deal with overhearing the waiter's remarks about the passengers, witness the attention paid to the pretty Priska by the same waiter and share his story with the family that will soon become his friends. A very engrossing read, readers looking for a great historical read based on a real life event should definitely pick up THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE. Kim Ablon Whitney has published two previous novels with Knopf. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To learn more about THE OTHER HALF OF LIFE, including an excerpt, visit the author's website at http://www.kimablonwhitney.com/books/ohol.html Lisa Enchanting Reviews May 2009