Apple Eater

By Annemarieke Tazelaar

On May 10, l940, German bombs pelt areas close to the Koning home in Arnhem. The next day, German troops overrun the city and other parts of the country. Days later, when Rotterdam is gutted with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1492262579
• ISBN13: 9781492262572
• Release Date: November 2013
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

a superb memoir

This is a wonderful book: a harrowing personal account of a family and a girl to whom they become connected as they try to survive through WWII in the Netherlands. Based largely on Talezar's family's actual experiences, THE APPLE EATER is especially powerful in detailing the experience of children and teenagers as they try to make sense out of and survive the shocks of war. Not overly sentimental but very moving in places, the book adds another important chapter in the stories of the most significant event of the 20th century: WWII. I'm a former teacher who would gladly have used this book in my classroom, but it's also a compelling read for adults, too.

War IS Terrorism

This account of how World War II ravaged people's lives in the Netherlands, and one family in particular, brings home the folly and the cruelty of war upon any population. Even before the tanks start rolling in, war brings out the worst, as well as the best in people. While some people risk their lives to help others and share what little they have, others use the breakdown of civil authority to bully their neighbors. All this becomes real in the way it plays out in the interwoven stories of a young family fathered by an American and the coming of age story of a young girl whose mother is Jewish. The story begins in Arnhem, a town that is near the border with Germany, but travels to Amsterdam and north to the Friesland countryside. While the Nazis, both Dutch and German, are mostly the bad guys, Dutch civilians are sometimes bombed by the RAF--collateral damage, as we would say. It seems that we cannot be reminded too often of the long-term damage created by war. This would be a useful book for bright high school students who are studying WWII.

The disruptiveness of war

I was four years old when WWII broke out. I lived in Michigan, and was frightened for my safety. After the war, I got to know several "displaced persons"- people whose lives had been completely disrupted by the war. This book is about many such people. It is a rich and powerful story of what it is like to have your homeland (the Netherlands) invaded. It gives a haunting picture of what it is like to have the citizens divided- some supporting the invaders- others going into deep hiding to avoid being destroyed by them. It reflects upon the strength of man to survive and the foolishness of man to try to kill. This is a significant contribution to our understanding of war and its dreadful consequences. Please read this book if you are at all concerned about what man is doing to himself- especially in our own era.