Title: A Family Divided
Author: Dick Parsons
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1-5462-8514-4
Pages: 270
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Jessica Schmidt

Read Book Review

This is the story of a German family’s trials and tribulations in the 1930s when Hitler first became chancellor. Their lives are quickly thrown into an upheaval when Hitler targets German Jews and prohibits mixed marriages, as Golda Boddenburg is Jewish and her husband, Klaus Boddenburg is Catholic and they have two high school aged children.

The author does a masterful job of capturing the reader’s attention and inspiring a quick devotion to the wellbeing of each of the family members. The readers will learn a lot about an important period in world history through the day-to-day realistic struggles of the parents who want desperately to protect their children, as the treatment of Jewish citizens quickly goes from bad to worse under Hitler’s influence.

Dick Parsons is an excellent writer and storyteller who involves the reader in the dramatic and emotional story aptly named A Family Divided. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of the progressive harm the Jewish population suffered at the hands of Hitler which began by turning neighbors and school mates against each other, boycotting Jewish businesses, then expelling families from their homes and tearing apart communities.

There is an interesting additional storyline which educates the readers about the use of airplanes in WWII. Klaus Boddenburg is a well-respected airplane designer and engineer who gets involved in building warplanes for Hitler’s air force. It is complicated because of his Jewish wife and children and they all live in fear they will be exposed and killed. Mr. Parsons is very knowledgeable about planes used during the war and the process for manufacturing and testing them, this adds a strong element of suspense to the story.

This book is appropriate for all ages. It is an important read for the young and old because it is a good example of how hatred grows and spreads and becomes uncontrollable. This book would be a good companion for students learning about world history in school. I have been exposed to many books about Nazi Germany before, but this felt as if it is a more personal account of what it was truly like for families. I gained valuable insight about what families went through. I had never thought of what it must have been like to have neighbors turn against each other through the spread of senseless propaganda.

I like the inclusion of the glossary of terms. However, as the reader I would prefer that it be at the end of the book or in the middle rather than in the beginning. A Family Divided will keep readers wondering what will happen next. As Golda and Klaus Boddenburg struggle to send their children to safety, their own futures become less certain when they are forced to relocate and hide their mixed heritage at great risk. I highly recommend this book to people who love WWII fiction and coming of age, my two favorite genres.