Memories of Survival (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Memories of Survival Heather Morrison Krinitz, Esther Nisenthal Memories of Survival; written by Esther Nisenthal Krinitz and Bernice Steinhardt; illus. by Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. Hyperion, 200564p ISBN 0-7868-5126-0$15.99 R* Gr. 3-6 In 1977, Holocaust survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz decided to record her story; rather than using pen and paper, Krinitz took up needle and embroidery floss and, over the next twenty years, created thirty-six embroidered panels that tell of her childhood, her flight from the Nazis, her time spent disguised as a Catholic farm girl, and her post-war discovery of the atrocities of the death camps. After Krinitz's death in 2001, her daughter Bernice Steinhardt added a narrative line to finish out the project. Krinitz's stitchwork is paired with Steinhardt's textual input in this picture book presentation of the panels. There are two kinds of text on most pages; Krinitz's words offer straightforward descriptions of the art and, in most panels, are included both textually and embroidered directly onto the fabric. Steinhardt offers additional commentary and helps to link the panels together into a cohesive tale. Krinitz's simple narratives follow the trajectory of her story, from happy memories of swimming with her brother to witnessing a Nazi soldier cutting off her grandfather's beard; in all instances, Krinitz's tone remains mostly devoid of emotion as she detachedly recalls the facts of her lifetime. Conversely, the needlework, which is simultaneously graphic and subtle, is charged with the emotions of her time; the scenes are artistically superb, with textures ingeniously created and compositions strong and inventive from illustration to illustration, and the reproductions are clear and vivid. An introductory note states that Krinitz died before finishing her story; this might explain the abrupt leap from liberation in 1945 to emigration in 1949 in the last two panels. Complete or not, Krinitz's uniquely told tale speaks to the power of story to help survivors make sense of tragedy, and readers and browsers will find a great deal to reflect upon in her words and needlework. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois