Review by Twylla -- Chameleons by Martin Wyatt
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Twylla
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Review by Twylla -- Chameleons by Martin Wyatt
[Following is a volunteer review of "Chameleons" by Martin Wyatt.]
Chameleons by Martin Wyatt is a fictional account of two twin girls, Brygida and Mysz Hallenstein, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Brygida and Mysz were born into a Jewish family in Krakow, Poland. Rumors swirled through the Jewish neighborhoods that Hitler was determined to wipe out the Jewish people. Grandpappy Harran, a 70-year-old entomologist, tried to prepare Brygida for the coming atrocities. He gave her an amulet containing the Star of David. It had been passed down from his grandfather before him. It came with a simple text, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, vengeance is mine saith our Lord.” Grandpappy hoped it would provide protection to the girls when it was needed most.
Grandpappy tried to prepare his grandchildren for the storm ahead with stories from the Old Testament. There are two themes in the book that spoke to me. First, victory does not necessarily mean being rescued out of a situation. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den, but he survived and was victorious. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego miraculously survived being thrown into the fiery furnace. Victory sometimes means enduring hardships, knowing that God’s army is greater than the army of the enemy, even if you cannot see it with human eyes. Second, never hold hatred in your heart, no matter how much suffering someone may have caused you. Grandpappy taught Brygida that letting hate fester in her heart is like drinking a cup of poison and then hoping it causes the person you hate to die.
I like the lessons from nature that Grandpappy Harran taught Brygida. He explained to her how the chameleon blends in with its surroundings and becomes invisible to its enemies so it can hide in plain sight. Another example is the blue wax-winged butterfly. The larvae of the butterfly live among the red ants and mimic the appearance of the red ant larvae. The ants will take care of them like they are their own offspring. Brygida camouflaged herself and became a chameleon when she and Mysz posed as tutors for the Höss children.
I like the analogy of a symphony that Brygida used for her life. As the music would crescendo in her heart, she would reach down and dig even deeper for the courage to survive.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the parallel storyline of Charlie Pritchard. I never understood the significance of his character in the context of the story.
This is a very disturbing account of the things that happened at Auschwitz; however, the end of the book is joyful and uplifting. The amount of research that went into Chameleons must have been staggering. Every detail is described so eloquently. The characters are diverse and interesting, and they change and grow as the story progresses. It was very difficult for me to relate to Brygida and Mysz in this story because their suffering was so extreme. But the unrelatable nature of the characters is exactly what makes this story so important. I believe the main takeaway from this book is that humans did this to other humans, and we can never let that happen again.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in World War II, the Nazi regime, and Auschwitz. Readers who are sensitive to graphic violence and torture should pass on this book. This book is well written and professionally edited, although I found a few minor errors. I am giving this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Even though I found the story very disturbing, it is a story that needs to be told, so we can make sure it never happens again.
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Chameleons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Chameleons by Martin Wyatt is a fictional account of two twin girls, Brygida and Mysz Hallenstein, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Brygida and Mysz were born into a Jewish family in Krakow, Poland. Rumors swirled through the Jewish neighborhoods that Hitler was determined to wipe out the Jewish people. Grandpappy Harran, a 70-year-old entomologist, tried to prepare Brygida for the coming atrocities. He gave her an amulet containing the Star of David. It had been passed down from his grandfather before him. It came with a simple text, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, vengeance is mine saith our Lord.” Grandpappy hoped it would provide protection to the girls when it was needed most.
Grandpappy tried to prepare his grandchildren for the storm ahead with stories from the Old Testament. There are two themes in the book that spoke to me. First, victory does not necessarily mean being rescued out of a situation. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den, but he survived and was victorious. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego miraculously survived being thrown into the fiery furnace. Victory sometimes means enduring hardships, knowing that God’s army is greater than the army of the enemy, even if you cannot see it with human eyes. Second, never hold hatred in your heart, no matter how much suffering someone may have caused you. Grandpappy taught Brygida that letting hate fester in her heart is like drinking a cup of poison and then hoping it causes the person you hate to die.
I like the lessons from nature that Grandpappy Harran taught Brygida. He explained to her how the chameleon blends in with its surroundings and becomes invisible to its enemies so it can hide in plain sight. Another example is the blue wax-winged butterfly. The larvae of the butterfly live among the red ants and mimic the appearance of the red ant larvae. The ants will take care of them like they are their own offspring. Brygida camouflaged herself and became a chameleon when she and Mysz posed as tutors for the Höss children.
I like the analogy of a symphony that Brygida used for her life. As the music would crescendo in her heart, she would reach down and dig even deeper for the courage to survive.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the parallel storyline of Charlie Pritchard. I never understood the significance of his character in the context of the story.
This is a very disturbing account of the things that happened at Auschwitz; however, the end of the book is joyful and uplifting. The amount of research that went into Chameleons must have been staggering. Every detail is described so eloquently. The characters are diverse and interesting, and they change and grow as the story progresses. It was very difficult for me to relate to Brygida and Mysz in this story because their suffering was so extreme. But the unrelatable nature of the characters is exactly what makes this story so important. I believe the main takeaway from this book is that humans did this to other humans, and we can never let that happen again.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in World War II, the Nazi regime, and Auschwitz. Readers who are sensitive to graphic violence and torture should pass on this book. This book is well written and professionally edited, although I found a few minor errors. I am giving this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Even though I found the story very disturbing, it is a story that needs to be told, so we can make sure it never happens again.
******
Chameleons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Contagion Domination by William Nisol
