Book: Stones from the River

Author: Ursula Hegi

Review:  This was highly recommended by family, and was quite good.  It is the story of a female dwarf who was born shortly after WWI and lives through WWII.  The story follows Trudi's life from birth.  Her Mother was a little bit crazy, and having a deformed child did not help her out.  She died in a mental institution when Trudi was a little girl.  It is heartbreaking that because they live in a small village, people are ignorant about Trudi's condition.  This includes Trudi herself when she is a child.  She wishes and prays and tries to stretch herself to become big.  Of course, she is picked on by the local children.  Later this parellels what happens to the Jews in their town.  Slowly, the people in the town turn their neighbors, and in one case his mother in to the Nazi's.  Trudi and her father start giving refuge to Jews in their basement.  Overall the book gives an interesting look at how the Holocost could have happended, as well as an interesting look at the life of a dwarf.