图书作者与内容简介

Rachael DeWoskin decided to write a novel tp show the hardship suffered by the Jewish refugees in Shanghai. It was the year 1940. Lilia was 15. Her country, Poland, was invaded by the Nazi Germany. To avoid persecution, she escaped to Shanghai. The journey to Shanghai was full of difficulties, and by the  they she finally arrived Shanghai, she found herself in a foreign land with no job prospects, no decent place to live.
 

我的观点

Someday We Will Fly is a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. Unlike other novels set against the backdrops of the Second World War, this book is set in Shanghai while much of the city itself was under Japanese occupation. Although it might seem strange for the Jewish refugees to came all the way to China, their reason was obvious. While most countries in the world closed their doors to Jews who desperately sought asylum, Shanghai was one of the few places where could turn to without visas. 
 
Our protagonist, Lilia was brought up in a circus where both her parents worked as acrobats. Her mother even took time to train Lilia so that one day she would be able to follow her parents’ footsteps. Apart from that, Lilia was just like any ordinary girl her age who led a carefree life. But everything changed when the war broke out. Things were precarious for the family because they were of Jewish descents, the group of people especially targeted by the Nazi ideology. To avoid persecution, her father took her and her sister, Naomi, to escape to Shanghai. Much to the family’s despair, her mother couldn’t escape in time. Their journey was long. First they drove from Warsaw to Lithuania, then took a train to Trieste in Italy, and then board a ship to Shanghai. They spent thirty-six days on the ship, passing places like Venice, the Suez C***, Singapore before finally arriving their destination. 
 
Compared to those who left behind and couldn’t make it to a safe place, Lilia was the lucky one, but she was soon to face an entirely different challenge. The condition in the Jewish refugee center was despondent. Every there had to endure poverty, poor sanitation and even diseases. To make matter worse, they almost all lost someone in the family or had someone left behind. They all lived in grief. Even though Lilia couldn’t forget the happy times when her family worked as circus performers in Warsaw, life had to go on. Lilia went to an international school for teenagers like her, but unlike other girls coming from rich families, she was a refugee and her education was a charity. She quickly noticed the difference and had a hard time fitting in. To maintain a sense of normalcy, she continued doing exercises her mother taught her. Besides, she used of whatever materials she could get her hand on to make her own puppet show. Through the story-telling, she could transfer herself back to the good old days. 
 
Soon, Lilia made friend with a Chinese boy called Wei. Wei was in fact a janitor at the international school. Finding themselves in similar social status, they realized they could better understand each other and sympathized with each other’s situations. Wei did all he could to help Lilia and they became close friends. However, their friendship was very unusual. Lilia’s school mates were shocked when they found out Lilia was seeing a Chinese boy, not to mention a janitor. Because of their attitude, Lilia was driven further away from them. Unfortunately, Lilia’s hardship did not end there. The heat and the flood in Shanghai were unbearable. First, her sister got malaria, and soon her father was fallen for the same disease. Lilia was forced to sell her mother’s ring so that her father and her sister could be treated by the doctor. When their financial situation went from bad to worse, Lilia had to work as a performer at a 「gentlemen's club」 to support her family. A 「gentlemen’s club」 is not a place for real gentlemen. Lilia kept it a secret from her father. Just when the family was somehow settled in this foreign land, the Americans declared war against Japan. Again, there were more bombings and more death. Like other Jews taking refuge in Shanghai, they found themselves fleeing one war just to end up in another. 
 
Someday We Will Fly is a book with so much to offer. Personally, I have a strong passion for history. Before reading this book, I thought I had a pretty good idea about WWII history. How wrong I was! After reading this book, I have come to realize that there is so much I do not know. Many people are aware that Hitler persecuted Jewish people across Europe during that period, leading to their displacement. However, it is generally assumed that these Jews fled primarily to America. Much to my surprise, instead of fleeing to America, a large number of those Jewish refugees fled to Shanghai, especially those who were at their last resort. This reflects the political condition of the time. Back then, Shanghai was one of the few places where Jewish people could turn to without visas, and therefore many Jewish people tried to get on the last boat or last train to Shanghai. This is a piece of knowledge that many people might not be aware of, and I'm grateful that I learned something new by reading this book.
 
All books concerning the persecution of Jews are bound to be poignant, but the author does not just tackle the political aspect of the back group, but also the cultural aspect. The family faced enormous cultural differences in Shanghai. For one thing, the Chinese language is totally different from European languages. Besides, foreign residents in Shanghai did not really mingle with the locals. These factors contributed to the isolation of foreign communities. The confusion Lilia faced is multiple. She was in a Japanese occupied city. Japan was in alliance with Germany. Her mother finally reunited with the family but changed into a different person. What had happened to her remained a mystery. The war seemed so irrational.
 
Yet, all wars are irrational. The war in Ukraine has now entered its third year, and watching so many families torn-apart and so many deaths, it’s hard not to think of how many people are suffering like Lilia and her family. I’ve noticed that we don’t hear much about what happens in Ukraine now and I can’t help thinking we might forget the suffering people are facing. It is important that we remember. That is why the author’s dedication to studying the history of Jewish people in Shanghai is truly remarkable. Had it not been for this book, I would probably not be aware of the history of Shanghai's Jewish community. This page of history is only too close to home, and I think we all have the moral duty to know about it and learn from it.