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Reviewed by:
  • Emil and Karl
  • Loretta Gaffney
Glatshteyn, Yankev Emil and Karl; tr. by Jeffrey Shandler. Porter/Roaring Brook, 2006 [208p] ISBN 1-59643-119-9$16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8

Despite the Nazi occupation of Vienna, Karl and Emil have maintained their friendship, even though Karl suffers continued harassment for his relationship with his Jewish friend. After their families suffer persecution and tragedy, Karl (whose parents were Socialists) and Emil are effectively orphaned, and they rely on each other and on helpful strangers, such as Matilda and Hans, who are part of an underground network of Austrians resisting the Nazi occupation. The boys [End Page 353] live for a while in semi-hiding, but after they witness lootings, beatings, and the public humiliations of Jews in Vienna, it becomes clear that the friends must flee the city. Originally written in Yiddish and published in New York in 1940, the story has a background (uncovered by the translator, Jeffrey Shandler, and explained in a substantial afterword) almost as fascinating as the tale itself. It's poignant that the story was written as its events were actually unfolding, and that fact makes clear that a fair amount of information about the Nazi regime was making it to America; the potential for discussion here is therefore considerable. Even without the background, Emil and Karl's story is taut and emotionally charged enough on its own to keep readers turning pages. Skillful plotting, made even more suspenseful by the ominous overtones that readers will bring to the text, is fleshed out with complex characterizations; particularly memorable is Hans, whose feigned insanity intended to allay the Nazis' suspicions injects an unsettling, foreboding tone to the story. Amid the high volume of meritorious Holocaust novels, this title is a unique and essential addition to any collection, whether as compelling tale or thought-provoking historical fiction.

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