Details memoir of a Jewish boy whose family fled the Nazis. He lost his parents but found shelter with a French family. Although the writing style is a bit stiff (Kory is clearly an architect before a writer), he brings a vivid sense of his childhood under these difficult conditions. Sometimes there was terror and confusion, but also simple pleasures and fun. Good for anyone of high school age or above with an interest in the time period. ( )

This was a very,very late received Early Reviewers book. I read this book cover to cover during 3 days of
intense Storm Sandy coverage and loud wind and rain. I was scared a tree was going to fall on our house so I
figured reading about a horrific time would give me some perspective.
I give this book 4 stars because I really like the personality of it's author that came shinning through his bio
of his childhood in World War Two Europe.
This was by far not the most "horrific" tale I have ever read about those times. In fact,Mr. Kory was extremely
lucky or a recipient of good kismet,a word used many times by him throughout the book.
I liked that he had good things to say about the largely Catholic people who helped him for years at great risk
to themselves and families.
I also identified with his huge reluctance to like the fundamentalist brand of religion he was going to be
forced into by kind of "do gooders with a vengence" types who ran various Jewish groups trying to "help"
children left orphans by the Nazis. Fundamentalists of any faith are a tough crowd to like.
Mr. Kory has had a very successful life and his gratitude was very nice to read about. ( )

This was just not a good fit for me. I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust, but I tend to like my stories told straight though, without a lot of jumping around. This one had too much jumping around for me and I gave up about halfway through. For those who like the rambling memoir, it may be a better fit.

Sheltered from the Swastika was a well-researched firsthand account of what it was like to live as a Jewish boy during the Second World War. I thought that some of the writing was a bit wordy, but definitely was full of emotion. I was saddened by the transition from his early childhood to the horrors of living during that time. I appreciate his firsthand account of this time, and know it will be a good resource for the future. ( )

I am finding it hard to describe my feelings for Sheltered from the Swastika....I am a history buff, and thus find the autobiographical tale of Peter's journey through war-ravaged Europe during the 1930s and 1940s to be fascinating. As an author, Peter does a phenomenal job of weaving his own experiences within the major historical points from the times, keeping the story chronological and flowing nicely for the reader. If Peter does waver from the chronological storyline, it is for good reason: to give background on his parents, or to fast-forward to the future to learn the outcome of a character that we will never see again in the story. Thus, this book is a mesh of autobiography and history, and will be fascinating to anyone with a library of either type. My main critique is the personal aspects of the book; his mentions and descriptions of his wives, children, and other distant family members are absolutely necessary to further understand Peter's feelings concerning his parents' fate and how far he has come from his torn beginnings. However, at times they are too much, and I feel like I'm reading an extended letter to one of his grandchildren. Granted, many autobiographies take on this quality, but with so much history woven into this story specifically, I felt this insistence on extremely personal tidbits was a bit unnecessary.
Final thought: this book's subject is visceral - although it all took place 70-80 years ago, and times have definitely changed since then, Peter's story is still extremely relatable and touching. It's not full of sadness and Nazis, but instead a man's recollections of a time long since past. ( )