Vel D'Hiv

I finished my official book of April. I learned a lot. I loved that most about this book; when you can combine the pleasure of an activity with the absorbtion of new knowledge. Although what I learned was painful, sharing it with others suddenly becomes important.

It was a hard book to get through; I do not recommend it to tender-hearted mothers with ten year-old daughters and four-year old sons; I think it was important for me to experience the emotions I did, because I happen to fall into that category.

I felt compelled to finish quickly, because I needed to know how the memories of this painful experience were being passed on to future generations. I studied french for eight and a half years, and felt guilty for not knowing a lick about the round-up at the Velodrome d'Hiver in Paris.

Sarah's Key is composed of two interweaving stories; Sarah's in the past, and Julia's quest in the present day. I did not know a lot about France's role in World War II. This book taught me about a tragic event that has become a little known chapter in French history. I will use this story as a stepping-off point to teach my family more about the atrocities of the Holocaust and why it's important that we never forget.