"Father is next to me on the road, he is placing his coat over my shoulders, he is whispering to me. 'I don't care what you do---just live!'"
-Zhanna, as quoted in the book
Last year my husband and I heard Greg Dawson speak about the writing of this book and were intrigued by the story and from that time I had wanted to read the book. While perusing the list of titles available at our public library as Book Bundles (multiple copies), I discovered there were 6 copies of Hiding in the Spotlight so I could choose it for our book club's May book. What better way for me to read it, than with friends! It turned out to be an excellent choice for more than one reason.
The subtitle of the book is A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946. The author's mother, Zhanna Arshanskaya, is the prodigy, an amazing pianist, recognized for her talents at age six. When the German army advances through the village where Zhanna's family lives in Eastern Ukraine, they are in grave danger because they are Jews. Though Zhanna's parents and grandparents are killed along with thousands of other Ukrainian Jews, Zhanna and her sister, Frina, are able to escape. With the help of some non-Jews, they change their identities and use their musical talents to survive. They eventually end up playing for audiences of German soldiers (NOT their choice), cruelly ironic in that some of these same people may have murdered their family. This occurrence gives rise to the title, Hiding in the Spotlight. At war's end, the two girls meet Lt. Larry Dawson, head of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration camp at Funk Kaserne. Tremendously impressed by their talent, Dawson takes them under his wing and manages to get them to America. Upon Dawson's return to the states, he arranges an audition at Julliard and the girls are accepted. "After going through hell in Ukraine and purgatory in Berlin"...I am thinking Zhanna's and Frina's lives in America were paradise!
Zhanna's story reminded me of another Holocaust survivor I heard speak a few years ago. He was a Jewish house painter and because of the need for his skill, he was allowed to live and work for the Nazis.
On a much different note, my husband and I were on a cruise last month, where we were privileged to hear two young Ukrainian women play, one the violin and the other, piano. They were so very talented we returned again and again to hear them. Their repertoire was extensive---from classical to Broadway and popular music. The violinist told us she started to play at age 5, similar to Zhanna.
The story of Hiding in the Spotlight is fascinating and inspiring! Only two things bothered me about the book. One it seemed to me there was a good bit of repetition, for example, explanations of the significance of the sheet music Zhanna carried with her. It was almost as if the author wasn't sure the reader could remember certain details and so repeated them. The sequence bothered me at times also, like the sisters' meeting with Larry Dawson and then back to Larry's time in West Palm. I guess that could be considered a flashback but somehow seemed disjointed to me. I would rate the book a 4 and I am very glad I read it!
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A few days before our book club was to meet to discuss the book, my husband suggested I should invite the author to come. After all he lives in Orlando. I was finally able to find an email address and sent the invitation. Mr. Dawson replied quickly and said he would be delighted. What a unique and delightful meeting we had! We didn't have questions specific to the book, as we usually do, but spent the time sharing our reactions to the book and questioning him about characters and occurrences in the book. We did not rate the book, as is our habit, not wanting to put Mr. Dawson on the spot in any way. Most members did later email their rating for Hiding in the Spotlight and the average was 4.3 out of 5. Now you can better see why this was a good choice for our Page Turners group. He spoke a bit about his second book, Judgment Before Nuremberg, and several of us plan to read it, as well.
The book website is http://www.hidinginthespotlight.com. There are wonderful photos there of the author and family. Enjoy!
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