Parallel Lines

Abstract

Peter Lantos Parallel Lines Arcadia Books , London , 2006 . 246 Pages. Price £11.99 (US $17) (paperback). ISBN 1-905147-20-1 Usually the space for book reviews is filled with descriptions of pathology or other medical texts. This review is a notable exception. Peter Lantos must be known to all in the field of neuropathology and to many in other disciplines so it is most appropriate to review his latest book in Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology, although neuropathology only has a brief mention at the end of the book. Parallel Lines is a fascinating account of Peter's early life in Hungary during World War II, the period that he spent in the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen and the turmoil of post-war Europe. The text is beautifully written with graphic accounts that allow one to visualize both places and people. The year of turmoil and displacement from ghetto to camps to Belsen is not only a poignant account that is quite believedly seen through the eyes of a child but also it is a gripping story. Scenes of deprivation in Belsen are depicted as an unembellished account from a child demonstrating youthful resilience. Peter's mother emerges as the heroine in this part of the story as she exhibits considerable skill in keeping Peter alive and ingenuity in escaping the advancing Russian troops at the end of the War to return to Hungary through arduous train journeys across Europe. Feelings of hope never seemed to be abandoned during that dark year of 1944–1945, even under the pressures of living in a Jewish ghetto in Hungary and then being transferred from camp to camp. There was the inevitability of it all and the hope that things would improve but they never did; they only got worse. Another striking feature of the book is the extensive research upon which it is based. There are also a number of photographs that directly relate to Peter's experiences. They include scenes from Belsen and a photograph of George Gross, the Commander of one of the two tanks that liberated the train upon which Peter was travelling with his mother at the end of the War. Accompanying this photograph is one of George Gross with Peter in San Diego in 2003. A large number of documents were examined in order to ensure that accuracy of Peter's account; this dedication to research greatly enhances the quality of the book. Having survived the World War II, Peter was faced eventually with the problems imposed by the regime in Hungary when he came to work in London in the 1960s and was unable to return until 1989. Most of us can only imagine what it must be like to be severed for so many years from our country of birth. Do read the book! You will not regret it, and like me you will be gripped by the drama of Peter Lantos' early life.