This post contains affiliate links. I love World War II stories and have read many fiction and non-fiction books set during that time. Yet, I continue to learn new things about that period, as I did while reading My Real Name Is Hanna by Tara Lynn Masih.
About My Real Name Is Hanna by Tara Lynn Masih
Hanna is a 14-year-old girl living in Ukraine when the drumbeat of World War II begins. Soon, she and her family feel in danger and go into hiding. However, because the Germans learn how to find the Jewish residents who hide, Hanna, her family and other friends and neighbors must find a more secure hiding spot—underground in caves.
Yet, even there, they are not safe. A farmer helped them find the cave, but Nazis roam the forests above the caves. In desperation, they must relocate once again. However, their danger only increases.
My Thoughts on the Book
I thought that an actual Holocaust survivor wrote this book. However, it is a fictionalized story of a group of people who lived in the caves of Ukraine during the war. I did learn that there is a documentary, No Place on Earth, which interviews the people who hid in the caves for over a year. These individuals’ stories made up the basis of My Real Name is Hanna.
I have read many Holocaust stories, but never one about a family that hid in caves for over a year. The author so carefully describes the caves and the living conditions there that I marveled that any of them survived! They had many close calls, and their story is an amazing one.
I give My Real Name is Hanna by Tara Lynn Masih 5 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
Read More
The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer: A Book Review
Hiding in the Spotlight by Greg Dawson: A Book Review
Thank you so much for this lovely review and for championing books in general!
Thank you for writing this story! I had no idea families hid in caves to escape the Nazis, and it was fascinating to read.