Review of Once We Were Family

[Frankie Jette]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Once We Were Family" by Nancy Saling Graham.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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There have been many stories written about the victims and the villains who lived in Germany under Nazi rule. Alongside these extraordinary figures, however, were very ordinary German citizens, who, whether they agreed or disagreed with Hitler, were doing their best to get by. Once We Were Family follows a family of such citizens, some of whom fall under Nazi influence, while others do their best to resist it without endangering their loved ones. The story, narrated by a young woman named Annalise Klaus, follows her and her family from their life before Nazism, through the second world war, and through the rest of her life, as she and her relatives attempt to reckon with the damage done by war and by Nazism.
Nancy Saling Graham’s book has clearly been meticulously researched and carefully edited. The characters are well-written and sympathetic and offer a compassionate view of even those who were indoctrinated into the Nazi cause or who collaborated to save themselves or others. It deals with brutal topics with sensitivity and does not flinch from the themes of national and personal shame following the fall of the Third Reich.
Such a thoughtful book leaves very little to critique, however I felt that Graham could have made use of richer description in her writing. Her writing is very straightforward and easy to read, but varying descriptive intensity or focus would help to heighten the impact of more significant or dramatic moments or scenes. I also wanted to know more about Annalise’s life towards the end of the book, where she describes other characters’ lives, but doesn’t focus on her own day-to-day, or her connections to other people.
Overall, I really enjoyed Once We Were Family, as very few books about World War II focus on regular Germans, who had to make tough choices in order to survive. Everyone likes to think that they would have been a hero, and saved hundreds of Jews, but many people did not have that option, or that ability, and instead, had to do the best they could. Nancy Saling Graham has written a nuanced portrayal of one such family doing the best they can, and it is certainly a story with reading. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

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Once We Were Family
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