Review: The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

Yes, I am eleven-and-three-quarters years old.

I used to worry about my grades

and having to eat stuffed cabbage.

I used to wonder about being invited to parties.

But now I wonder,

what will become of us?

What will become of me?

(from The Year of Goodbyes, page 34)

Jutta Salzberg was 12 years old and living in Hamburg, Germany, with her parents and sister in 1938.  In The Year of Goodbyes, Jutta’s daughter, Debbie Levy, presents her mother’s “poesiealbum” to middle-grade readers.  Popular among young girls, these poesiealbums were blank books in which poems, drawings, words of wisdom, and wishes for love and happiness were written by their family and friends using their best handwriting.

Jutta’s poesiealbum begins in January 1938, more than a year before the start of World War II, but as a Jewish family, the Salzbergs already were losing certain freedoms under the Nazi regime.  All of the things written by her friends in her poesiealbum take on a seriousness that would not have been present had they been penned in another time and place.  One friend writes, “Always honor your elders,” leaving Jutta to wonder whether she should honor Herr Wall, a family friend who cut his ties to the Salzbergs because they are Jewish.

In The Year of Goodbyes, Jutta’s poesiealbum is reproduced and translated into English.  Accompanying each entry is a verse written by Levy to echo her mother’s experiences and feelings about a very tumultuous and heartbreaking time in her childhood.  The title of the book indicates the many farewells that occurred in Jutta’s life that year, as many of her friends and their families left Germany while they still could.  In fact, after losing his job as a successful merchant, Jutta’s father spends his time trying to secure the documents needed for the family to immigrate to the United States.

After Jutta’s poesiealbum ends, Levy lets readers know what happened to her mother when she came to America, offers some family photos, and explains how an article she wrote for the Washington Post eventually led to a reunion with a handful of her former classmates.  While Jutta’s family was fortunate to have left Europe before the war started, many of the girls and relatives whose words and artwork grace the pages of the poesiealbum were not so lucky.  From the records of Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Levy learned the fate of some of the young girls and includes this information at the end.  Although the book is just over 100 pages long and written almost entirely in verse, it packs a punch.  These girls in 1938 were about the same age as my daughter is now, but their carefree childhoods — and in many instances, their lives — ended so abruptly at the hands of madmen.  Pondering this brought tears to my eyes.

Levy does a wonderful job bringing her mother’s story to life, showcasing the hardships Jutta endured in a way that will teach young readers a bit of history without overwhelming them and encourage them to think about the friendships they have made and the farewells that have been said.  I wasn’t able to read The Year of Goodbyes with The Girl, as she was working on her summer reading requirements, but you can bet I will be adding this to her shelf and recommending that she read it on her own.

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Year of Goodbyes at Book Expo America 2010. I am an Amazon associate.

© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.