Book Review - They Went Left

Jocelyn Chen | jchen26@dtechhs.org

They Went Left is a novel written by Monica Hesse. It details the events in a post-WWII world following a girl, Zofia Lederman, on her search for her brother, Abek Lederman. Being Jewish under the Nazi regime, Zofia is forced from concentration camp to concentration camp, and she becomes separated from Abek. This book is beautifully crafted, displaying raw emotions and unexpected twists of fate. Zofia’s journey through mental anguish from trauma is both fascinating and inspiring.

This book explores Zofia’s mental state, bringing you through her experiences and leaving you feeling just as lost and confused as her. While education primarily focuses on the times during the Holocaust, this book is told during the recovery period, the often untold aspect of the war. During this time, even though they were technically “free,” survivors of the Holocaust were still trapped in their own minds and, more often than not, were left without basic human resources needed for living. They Went Left is a fantastic book that covers topics from mental health to the impacts of a war’s devastation on families. If you enjoy reading books about World War II and want to learn more about the effects that the war had on people even after it ended, then you will definitely find this book to be a great read.

Image Courtesy of Little Brown and Company