Review: The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

by Estelle Nadel, illustrated by Sammy Savos

Roaring Brook Press, 2024

Category: Middle Grade

Reviewer: Lisa Trank

Buy at Bookshop.org

“I’m not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living. We will be gone. I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on and someday tell your own children that, yes, you know a Holocaust survivor. She was real. It really happened.” - Estelle Nadel
 

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival is a poignant graphic novel recounting the story of Estelle Nadel, born Enia Feld in 1934 Poland. The youngest of five, Enia is depicted as a joyful child who loves singing. However, her life drastically changes when the Holocaust disrupts her peaceful existence in Borek.

The graphic novel, with concise language and compelling illustrations, follows Enia as she survives with the aid of non-Jewish neighbors who risk their lives to shelter her family. They must endure silence in barns to avoid detection, symbolizing lost innocence and the danger in simple acts like talking or singing. Enia tragically loses her sister, father, mother, and other loved ones.

What distinguishes this memoir is its nuanced portrayal of how ordinary people responded to the era’s horrors, highlighting those who helped, those who turned away, and those who did worse. The story also explores the varied experiences of liberation, with Enia and her brother Shia finding refuge with the Russians. Post-war challenges persist as Enia, Shia, and their brother Minashe navigate life in a displaced persons camp in Austria before moving to America, where Enia becomes Estelle, Minashe becomes Mel, and Shia becomes Steve. Enia regains her singing voice after liberation, symbolizing hope and resilience. The move to America also represents more separation and loss for Estelle, as she and her brothers, war orphans, must part ways in order to survive.

The illustrations powerfully capture the emotional depth of Enia's story, in a way that enables the reader to see the world lost through her young eyes. Estelle Nadel, who passed away on November 8, 2023, spent her later years sharing her story, making jewelry, and singing. The Girl Who Sang is a tribute to her enduring spirit and legacy of hope.

The Jewish representation in The Girl Who Sang is authentic both in time and place, as well as integral to the story. The book shows how Jewish rituals such as making matzah, or getting bored while waiting for her brothers and father at shul, were an intrinsic part of Estelle's family life and what was lost. The book also imparts that to young readers in a gentle, educating manner with the use of a glossary that is woven into the fabric of the story itself, making the information accessible to all readers.

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Reviewer Lisa Trank is a Longmont, Colorado based storyteller and writer with a focus on Jewish kid lit, articles, and profiles. She is a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI.