Sonia Taitz

Carefully written memoir by the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Pay attention to the chapter headings; they matter. This was used for One Book / One Congregation at Congregation Beth in Fairfield and the author was a guest speaker at Fairfield Public Library.

I was struck by the fact that she was much closer to her father than her mother, that her father praised her intelligence and belittled that of his wife, and that her father struck her. She discovers by accident that her father saved the lives of others by saying that they were his helpers in the workshop he ran in a concentration camp; in fact, he repaired all the watches himself. I recognized many of the references in the book, even though I did not grow up in New York and go to day schools. I was impressed by her description of her first school, Yeshiva Rabbi Moses Soloveitchik, where the goal was to "read both Leviticus and LaFontaine in the original." [p. 76]

SPOILER: When she returned from summer camp to announce that she was too old for her father to hit her anymore, he responded by knocking her to the ground and beating her. I would not have been as forgiving; this book is a loving tribute to her parents. While she grows up seeing herself as her father's daughter, she ultimately realizes that her mother has talents and attributes to be proud of and that she is her daughter as well.… (altro)

In the King's Arms is a novel that quietly drew me into its pages. It's the story of a woman named Lily Taub, who grew up in a Jewish household, her parents being Holocaust survivors. Her mother bears the tattoos from the death camp on the inside of her arm.

Lily always felt a bit different, her mom wasn't the cookie cutter mom that fit the mold like her friends moms.
When she graduates high school, Lily goes off to study at Oxford University, far away from her home.
While at school, she meets a fellow classmate Peter Aiken and finds him amusing, the two become friends. Soon after, Lily meets Peter's brother Julian and is completely smitten by his good looks and bad boy charm.
Julian wasn't accepted into Oxford and is a bit bitter. During Christmas break, Peter invites Lily to come home with him and she happily accepts. What she doesn't know is that Peter's parents are anti-Semitic and will give her a hard time because of their ignorance.
During this holiday break is when Lily and Julian fall in love. This is also when an accident occurs that makes Julian's parents openly show Lily their prejudices.

In the King's Arms is a book that needs to be read thoughtfully and digested slowly. The chapters are short, some just one single page, and this suited the story very well. Author Sonia Taitz has a talent for saying much with just a few words.
I liked Lily and was interested in what would happen to her. I could relate to her at times during the story. When she describes reading the bible in English, as opposed to reading the text in Hebrew, I feel the same way with reading and praying in Spanish.

"For years, Lily could not read the Bible in English; it seemed metallic, iced, pinched. Hebrew was dense and dark, like cello sounds, or chocolate."
p.4, In the King's Arms

The story does flashback from 1944 to 1976 where the book is taking place. Reading about Lily's parents during the Holocaust was heavy to say the least. One chapter brought tears to my eyes and after reading it, I had to put the book away for a little bit.

I enjoyed Lily and Julian's love story, it felt like the two should just be together. Yet, as so often happens in real life, love is complicated and outside forces can muck it up and make it difficult to hold on to.

I love it when I'm reading a book that easily sweeps me in, one that I can think about later and reflect on.
I think In the King's Arms would make for a great book club read. This is a story about love, family, trust and survival.… (altro)