Author: srira11440@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

Today I finished reading ‘ The Devil’s Arithmetic’ and it was one of the most eye opening books I think I have ever read. Most books that pertain to the holocaust usually take it from the perspective of someone from that time, but this book had an interesting spin of a modern character that was transported back in time to witness it. This created so much tension in the book as the character new the horrors of the holocaust but was surrounded by so many people who were not from the future and so had no idea about what the trouble was.

One of the most interesting things was the way the author made stories out of the numbers people were given. For example, a number like J17568 would be seen as: J=Jew, 1=1 person, 7=7family members, 5=left alive, 6=age when captured… The author depicted that even amongst one of the greatest tragedies people did not lose their humanities and turned a label into a way of remembering their own stories.

The title itself pertained to the Arithmetic of one day after the next. It was the Devil’s arithmetic sequence of one slow day passing by the next, as they knew that death was coming closer and closer. When we look back at these atrocities, we think of them in the time scale of weeks and months but we forget that for many people it was tolerating numerous excruciating days in which they wanted to give up. We see it as a mass event, and sometimes we forget the struggles at an individual level.

I think faith was a huge concept that arose in the book. There was so much emphasis as to how people in the camps continued to believe that God always had a plan for them. Anytime things went wrong, they would continue to trust that God did it for a reason. There were stories of people who killed themselves so they were killed in their pure hands rather than at the hands of corrupted officials as that way God would see them as victors, because they controlled their own death.

I loved how all the characters that the main character encountered were her relatives in the past because it gave such a personal link and we were able to see the development of appreciation in the main character as she witnessed the struggles of her loved ones.

Overall I think it was a really great book in terms of the pace and style, and minor details the author had were extremely thought provoking.

I began to read a book called Devil’s Arithmetic which is about a Jewish family reminiscing about the Holocaust. It focuses a lot on the ceremonies they have to do and how the main character’s grandpa is traumatised by the war and his past.

I have read barely anything, but I already have a few thoughts in mind. The book is written in the third person, which for realistic fiction stories is quite rare. Even then, I find that the author can depict the relationship between her and her brother. The concept of family is something I see to be important to the story especially upon the issue of the holocaust. I think that author is making a clear link that whether it is back then or now, family is a very important part of everyone’s life.

The book also looks a lot into culture and tradition. The main character herself does not have a lot of appreciation for Jewish traditions, but she also does not have the same emotional link to them as her grandfather. I can relate to this, as I question a lot of Hindu and Indian traditions that my parents take part in. I have never lived in India and I don’t see myself as a practicing Hindu, but I too see the value of community in all I do.

The writer has a very simple style of writing and they are able to capture the implications of a historical event in a modern time. I love the variety of characters as well. There are so many relationships to look at between characters and it shows that idea of a complicated family which you see in a lot of communities which are recovering from historical tragedies.

I predict that the grandfather’s condition of fits will progressively get worse throughout the book and I feel as though he may pass away. I think the author could use that as an opportunity to bring the family closer over his passing away and even reflect on his life circumstances which will link back to the holocaust.

As of yesterday, I finished reading Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography. Beginning the book, I had a lot of expectations. I thought it would discuss a lot about his struggles freedom fighting for India or hoe he overthrew the British. The book was focused a lot more on his personal life, his relationships and day to day choices rather than the bigger picture.

I was surprised to find out that my view of Gandhi himself changed a lot after reading the book. Most people think he lived a lavished life, having gone to school abroad and going to South Africa, it seemed as if he was more well off than most people in India. But when reading his story, I learnt of all the struggles he needed to overcome to be able to accomplish what he did. We battled physical abuse, violence and medical issues, which he overcame to pursue his mission.

When I first began reading, I though the book would be focused on learning about the “Truth”. When I discussed it with my mom, she felt as though Gandhi wrote a lot about looking at the objective truth without letting one’s biases get in the way. Seeing as he was a lawyer, this would be a valid perspective as in many of his cases he needed to put his patriotic feelings aside and deal with the problem at hand. However, I interpreted his “experiments with truth” to be the discovery of one’s truth. At many points in Gandhi’s life, he was asked or given the opportunity to compromise his moral for a better return, but after years of learning, he always stood his ground as to what he believed in.

Another thing that fascinated me was the way he remembered such minute details of his life. We has able to recall specific dates and locations, people and emotions. I think his great memory allowed for him to create an extremely reflective piece which gave an insight into what he did at the moment and what he thought of it years later. Many times (especially in regards to his early marriage), he spoke a lot about his regrets. I feel like that is a side of Gandhi that many do not see, the human aspect of him that made mistakes.

Overall, it was a worthwhile book to read. As an Indian myself, I developed a new found love for the way people of my country handled their struggles and issues. It has also made me think about myself a lot more critically in the way I stand by what I believe in and make my choices.