This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Danelle Petersen for Readers' Favorite
In Among the Reeds: The True Story of How a Family Survived the Holocaust, Tammy Bottner delivers an extraordinary account of the horrors her parents and grandparents experienced under the cruel Nazi regime. Told from different family members’ viewpoints, their individual experiences differ, but the suffering and torture were collective, a suffering that was felt to the core. Melly Bottner, Tammy’s incredibly brave grandmother, recounts her horrendous experiences living through the ceaseless nightmare. Surviving was imperative and that is what she did. But fifty years later, it is Tammy who suffers the horrible memories, the fear, the trauma. Tammy believes that she inherited some of the trauma through genes passed on to her by her grandparents, a phenomenon called epigenetics. It would later explain the profound effect hearing the stories of the Holocaust had on her psyche.
Intense and fascinating, Among the Reeds is like no other Holocaust memoir I’ve read. The destruction the Jewish community suffered is extremely painful to imagine. Yet one thing cannot be denied and that is how Nazi Germany could not eradicate the Jewish people. I was in awe reading about the strength and courage this group displayed in the face of adversity; their resiliency is noteworthy and should serve as an inspiration to all. The lengths the Nazis went to inflict pain are horrendous. It is unthinkable the trauma that Melly and other parents had to endure to ensure the safety of their children. When Tammy’s son is born, the traumatic spells return, and Tammy once again experiences the trauma of the Holocaust victims. Among the Reeds is a lesson-filled story of hope, a mother’s love, and the repercussions this type of trauma has on not just the survivors but their descendants. It is a period in history that should never be forgotten.
