If I should die before I wake
By Han Nolan
Summary
After a horrible motorcycle accident, Hilary is thrashed into a coma. In her coma she starts getting drawn into Chana's life. A Jewish girl during the times of WWII. She cannot control when she moves into Chana's memories. She is there when Chana and her family are forced out of their home and into the Lodz ghetto. Poverty, starvation, and disease rule this prison, making it tremendously difficult to survive. On top of that, daily trucks are picking up Jews and not bringing them back. Eventually one day Chana is put in a truck, but to where? The worst part is,,, Hilary has sworn herself to a neo-nazi group, and is in a Jewish hospital. Will she stay bitter and hateful? Or will Hilary/Chana survive this deadly circumstance?
Theme of this book
After reading this book, (twice), I believe the theme is too never give up. Throughout the novel, Hilary/Chana is faced with multiple gruesome situations. And through the whole story Hilary is constantly fighting her coma, and attempting to break her surface of solitude. With Chana she never gives up her fantasy of being liberated, treated with equality to the Germans, and playing her violin. These characters are rewarded in the end for their battles, proving that if they had given up,,, they would not have survived.
Reasearch concerning my book
I found out that the living conditions in the lodz ghetto were almost identical to the ones described in the book. The starvation was as bad as stated in the book, along with poverty, and stuffiness. Additionally, the Germans were as horribly unfair to the Jew as they were in the book. Plus, I discovered that you can die from inside a coma if it is deep enough. Also, to contribute to Hilary's first beliefs, there are still, very real neo-nazi gangs in America and the whole world.
Connection
Concluding to the Reasearch I made, I think that the author did their best to write the book as realistic as possible. She used relevant information about mistreatment. She told you about the perils of being a Jew and the inner thoughts of a Jewish teenage girl dring WWII. I really like how she portrayed Chana's will to survive. I also enjoyed how she described the frustration of being in a coma, and aching to be able to move, talk, and have people understand you.