The Other Half of Life

The Other Half of Life Mass Market Paperback – May 11, A heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a World War II voyage. Kim Ablon Whitney has published two previous novels with Knopf.
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On Our Minds Scholastic. The Book Chook Cook Book. Inspiration for Youth Advocates. When Thomas boards the ship, he means the Aldett family and becomes very taken with their beautiful daughter Priska, who feels the same way. Her younger sister, Marianne has a crush on him as well.

The ship's captain is not a member of the Nazi party, but the rest of it is, and the only thing keeping the crew from treating them the Jews the way they were treated back in Germany is the ship's captain. Thomas enjoys his time on the ship playing chess and talking with Priska, but he constantly worries about a rumor that says the Jews will be turned back to Germany and denied landing rights in Cuba.

Meanwhile, Priska is always very happy, a bit naive, and optimistic about what will happen once they reach Cuba. One crew member has caught the attention of Thomas. The man walks with a cane, but Thomas believes that it is hollow and that the man is hiding something. Towards the end of the book, Thomas finds out that he is right, and the man is a spy for the Nazis. The man is killed accidentally. Then, the ship is turned back around to Europe, and Priska, Thomas, and others believe that they are saved because Holland, England, and Belgium have agreed to take them in, and they won't have to return to Germany.

Little do they know, however, that by the end of the war, all three countries will have been occupied by the Nazi's and many people on the ship will be sent to concentration camps. The book ends with fast-forwards to 10 and 70 years later.


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Priska and Thomas agreed to meet after the war is over at a certain place, but we fast-forward ten years later and Thomas is at their meeting place, waiting for Priska. Instead, Marianne comes and tells him that Priska died in a concentration camp. We then fast-forward sixty years later and Marianne and Thomas are married with two children. Thomas is still in love with Priska, but he and Marianne are binded by their mutual love for her.

The Other Half of Life is a great book that is best suited for ages twelve and up. It is a thought provoking book of historical fiction. Mixed with history and romance, it appeals to readers with many different interests. Sep 08, Curtis Dahlen added it. At this point in world war two, Hitler is letting Jews out of Germany on ships heading for Cuba, and then to the U.

One of which is called the St. In an effort to escape Germany, Thomas is sent aboard the St. Francis by his mother. Unfortunately, they only have enough money to get one of them out of the Country a Objective Summary: Unfortunately, they only have enough money to get one of them out of the Country and into Cuba. Thomas also had to leave his father behind because he was captured by the Nazis. While on the St. Francis, Thomas meets a family that he becomes very acquainted with.

Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom

They go by the Affedts. On the voyage, the passengers are actually treated well because even though the captain is part of the Nazi party, he does not believe in most of the laws set against Jews. But on the ship is another person from the Nazi party, Ortsgruppenleiter Holz.

How The Other Half Live - David Abingdon

Holz deeply believes in these laws. We later find out that he was a Nazi spy collecting information from the U. When they reach Cuba, they find out that to land on Cuban shore, they all need a visa. All that they have are landing permits.

The Other Half of Life: A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St. Louis

So then head to the United States, where they are once again, rejected. So they set course back to Germany, but before they get there, they manage to convince some European countries to let them land. So in turn, they split up the passengers to go to different countries. Priska and Thomas are sent to different countries. They plan to meat up 5 years later in Miami because by that time they will both be in America.

Instead, in 10 years, Thomas sees Marianne, Priska's sister, who tells Thomas that Priska was killed in a concentration camp near the German boarder. Marianne and Thomas are then seen seventy years later where they have been married and have two kids. To end the book, it's al of them looking at an exhibit in a museum dedicated to the St. Aug 26, Jennifer Wardrip rated it it was amazing Shelves: Fifteen-year-old Thomas Werkmann has witnessed firsthand just how cruel the Nazis can be, and his mother has scraped together the money to send him to Cuba on the tourist boat, the MS Francis, along with over other Jews hoping to escape persecution.

Upon their leaving in Hamburg, Thomas is unwillingly befriended by the two daughters of a German literature professor. Although jealous of the Affeldts and the fact that their family has managed to escape the country together, unlike his own, Thomas finds himself drawn to the year-old Priska, regardless of her seemingly foolish optimism and overly friendly nature.

During their two-week voyage across the Atlantic, Thomas - and eventually Priska - grow suspicious about several things that seem to be happening on their ship. Why is the crew treating the Jews with respect when Jews aren't considered citizens anymore? Why is the ship steward, Manfred, so friendly with them - Priska in particular - when he's a member of the Nazi party? Why was the Nazi general, Herr Holz, assigned to this ship when he carries a cane to get around, and why does his injury seem so fake to Thomas?

Before the ship enters Cuban waters, rumors begin to circulate, and Thomas and Priska do a little investigating of their own. Is it possible that there might be even bigger problems that may delay their entry into Cuba Although Thomas excels in chess, this may be one game where, as a pawn, he may never be able to win.

This story, based on the true account of the MS St. Poignant and heartfelt, the cast of characters on this ship will stick with the reader long after they've closed the cover. I would have preferred to give this a 3. The story was a bit slow at times, in the descriptions of chess games and such. The history part was interesting to me as I had not heard of this ship and incident before. Louis in , the journey of the fictional Nazi luxury liner MS St. Francis from Germany to Cuba and the United States creates the dramatic underpinning for this story.

Focusing on year-old Thomas Werkmann I would have preferred to give this a 3. Focusing on year-old Thomas Werkmann and year-old Priska Affeldt, Whitney chronicles what happened to more than Jews seeking refuge from growing anti-Semitism in Germany.

Thomas is traveling alone. His father, who is Jewish, is in Dachau, and his mother, a Christian, could raise the money for only one passage. A strong friendship develops between the wary boy and optimistic Priska, who is traveling with her family. Whitney integrates, sometimes in an overly journalistic tone, information about oppression in Germany, but readers' attention is held by the young passengers' playful pranks, the developing romance between the two main characters, and tension between the passengers and the Nazi crew.

Chess becomes significant to the story, possibly leaving some readers at a loss. The dramatic tone is sometimes too subdued, especially when the passengers are forced to make the return trans-Atlantic journey after being turned away from Cuba and the United States. In spite of these shortcomings, this story will hold readers' interest and heighten awareness of history that could become forgotten. The author imparts the fates of the passengers in the last two chapters, one set 10 years after the ship returns to Europe and the other 70 years after.

A chronology of German anti-Semitic legislation is appended.

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life

Jan 27, Martha rated it really liked it Shelves: An engrossing story based on one of the most shameful moments in U. Here the ship is called the MS St. Francis, and we embark along with year-old Thomas, traveling alone at the urging of his gentile mother after his Jewish father has been imprisoned by the Nazis. As the ship sets sail from Germany for Cuba, Thomas is befriended by Marianne and Priska, the daughters of the An engrossing story based on one of the most shameful moments in U.

As the ship sets sail from Germany for Cuba, Thomas is befriended by Marianne and Priska, the daughters of the Affeldt family. Throughout the novel, chess provides a metaphor for the strategic choices made by both individuals and nations in the struggle for superiority and survival, but those unfamiliar with the game may lose interest in the detailed passages describing shipboard matches. Far more engaging, though, are the relationships between the characters, and the final two chapters, which reveal the fates of the passengers, are particularly poignant.

Recommend this book to fans of historical fiction or readers interested in the Holocaust. Girls may be hooked by the romance angle, boys may find the protagonist appealing, but all readers will learn about an important chapter in history. In , Hitler and the Nazi Party have taken over Germany and Jews are rapidly being degrading and persecuted like never before. Thomas is determined to be tough and cynical but two girls enter his life and change him for good.

At first Thomas feels the beautiful Priska is naive and her little sister Marianne silly, but the more he gets to k In , Hitler and the Nazi Party have taken over Germany and Jews are rapidly being degrading and persecuted like never before. At first Thomas feels the beautiful Priska is naive and her little sister Marianne silly, but the more he gets to know the girls, he realizes that Priska is more than what she seems and together they form a close friendship to get them through the nerve-wrecking voyage.

Though they are treated kindly, Thomas worries that the Nazi officers on the ship mean to trick them and he and Priska suspect a high-ranking officer of being up to something and Thomas also suspects the kind attentions of the ship's steward. The only person he can count on is Priska and they help each other through the nerve-wracking voyage and long delays once the ship docks.

The main plot of the story ends after the ship docks in Cuba and what happens next is told in one chapter and an epilogue. I thought the book would longer and tell the whole story of the ship. I was also a bit confused because the story was based on a true incident and the book jacket advertises that fact but the name of the ship was changed in the story. Even knowing what happened to the ship, I found the story suspenseful enough to keep turning the pages until I finished.

I also liked knowing what happened to the characters after the story ends. This is a good read for teens who are interested in Holocaust history without a lot of gory details. May 31, Annie rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book was incredible. It tells the story of a young boy named Thomas who boarded the St. Francis ship by himself, with his mother still in Germany, to hopefully find freedom in Cuba since he was a Jew during the time Nazis were out to kill them. Thomas was depressed while entering this ship. He was leaving behind his mother…he was leaving behind his father… and there was no guarantee that there would be a better life after the s Wow.

He was leaving behind his mother…he was leaving behind his father… and there was no guarantee that there would be a better life after the ship. But he soon meets a young girl named Priska and her family. She says that the better half of life is at night.

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis | leondumoulin.nl

They meet each other at the top deck at night when almost everyone is in bed, and they often forget their worries. They soon begin to love each other. But bad news is soon discovered. Will they make it to Cuba and live their life together? Will one or both of them be killed in this journey? Or will they be separated and only be able to live on the past memories together? The ending of the book was very surprising, and sad yet joyful. This definitely explained what the Holocaust was in the eyes of young people, and how the children could sometimes forget about everything and just be kids, but other times would have to face terrible things with a strong heart.

For items purchases from Sounds True, which manufactured by other companies, we indicate the warranty period in the product description. Refund requests over days from the purchase date will receive a check as funds cannot be returned to the credit card due to fraud protection policies. We are all born with a great dream for our lives, explains cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, a dream which may have been derailed along the way by family and career responsibilities, or submerged by our own choices.

In the second half of life, after your roots have gone deeply into the world, it is time to resurrect this dream. Arrien introduces you to the Eight Gates of Initiation. Through images, poetry, and timeless metaphors from diverse world cultures, you will learn to understand their lessons and gifts, harvest the meaning and purpose of your life, and come into spiritual maturity. Follow this gifted storyteller as she takes you step-by-step through each gate to deepen your most valuable relationships, reclaim your untended creative talents, and shift your focus from ambition to meaning to grow into the magnificent elder you were meant to become.

Excerpted from the full-length audio course The Second Half of Life. This is an amazing program, it gave me lots of new ways of thinking about transitions and life stages. Everyone would benifit from this material. An inspiring and soulful set of CDs which brought me right back to the most meaningful purpose of midlife and beyond.

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I had lost my sense of creative impulse, and this wonderful set of talks has uncovered it again- and more. A pleasure to take time to recentre and listen to this wonderful storyteller. I have the book and this is a nice addition to the book.