Broken Birds by Jeannette Katzir
Release date: 2009 / 240 pages
Synopsis (from the introduction): My mother, Channa, had five children, which was quite a feat because she had ‘weak uterus muscles’ and was supposed to limit herslf to only three… This is the story of my parents, my four siblings and myself. Although this group has rarely all gotten along for any length of time — as you will soon see — these people made me who I am.
First line: “I quickly finished my breakfast, grabbed my purse and waited by the door.”
Review: I just loved the first 163 pages of this memoir, but did struggle with the last 50 or so pages…
First – what I loved! Katzir’s pacing was impeccable. She begins her memoir with her parents’ childhood in Poland and Czechoslovakia, in the late 1920′s, and takes us through their experiences in the Holocaust to their emigration to the U.S. to the present day.
I could not put down the memoir the first day I began reading it. Katzir includes just the right amount of description and detail and I truly felt as if I, too, was hiding from the Nazis and running for my life. This first section is suspenseful and nerve-racking and serves to define who her parents become.
The next section of the family’s early years in New York City and then in California is also very engaging. I felt privileged to witness two survivors create a new existence and life in a new country. I also loved how Katzir did not put either parent on a pedestal. Each parent is deeply flawed, as we all are, and this realistic portrayal of her beloved parents really added depth and complexity to this memoir.
So, what happened around page 163? Channa died, leaving her estate in total disarray. And the remainder of the memoir felt more like an airing of dirty laundry and a “gotcha!” to the siblings and father who battled over Channa’s legacy. My wish for this memoir would be for Katzir to spend 10 pages on the disheartening family feud and then explore what she learned from the experience. Not surprisingly, no one ended up looking good by the end of the endless attempts at mediation and eventual court decision. Katzir seemed frustrated and surprised by the repeated requests by the court for mediation, but the pride and ego of the various siblings won out in the end and damaged not only familial relationships, but a promising memoir as well. Sigh…
However, I am going to choose to remember the first 150 pages, which were incredibly satisfying. I think she does an admirable job of portraying the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, sibling rivalries, and loss.
And, if you would like to give it a try — drop me a comment! I must warn you — it is in manuscript form and took a bit of a beating while I was reading it. My horse is about to go out on pasture for the summer, so I have been slowly hand-grazing her each day to transition her diet. While reading in a lush green pasture really is as great as it sounds, I’m afraid the books and manuscripts do take a bit of a beating… 
Sounds interesting. I’ll give it a try.
This is right up my alley. I love reading memoirs. Please, please, please, enter me.
sharon54220@gmail.com
I’m intrigued and I’d love to be entered. Thanks!
I read Broken Birds… and I would have to so say it was truly fabulous… I would have to disagree with you as to the ending as I found it fascinating and familiar as something very similar happened with my family. For lack of a better word it is comforting to read someone else go through the pain with their family as I did. I would highly recommend this book as it was truly a good read.
Thanks for adding your perspective, Nickey!
I am the author of Broken Birds, and would like to invite anyone who would like to read a chapter sampling to go to www.BrokenBirds.com
Thank you, Jeannette
Congratulations, Sharon!! You won!!