Your Name Is Renée: Ruth Kapp Hartz's Story as a Hidden Child in Nazi-Occupied France

By Stacy Cretzmeyer

Book Overview

In Nazi-occupied France in 1941, four-year-old Ruth Kapp learns that it is dangerous to use her own name. "Remember," her older cousin Jeannette warns her, "your name is Renee and you are French "
A deeply personal book, this true story recounts the chilling experiences of a young Jewish girl during the Holocaust. The Kapp family flees one home after another, helped by simple, ordinary people from the French countryside who risk their lives to protect them. Eventually the family is forced to separate, and young Ruth survives the war in an orphanage where she is not allowed to see or even mention her parents. Without the trappings of lofty language or the faceless perspective of history, this first-person account poignantly recreates the terror of war seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Your Name Is Renee is a tale of suffering and redemption, fear and hope, which is bound to stir even the most hardened heart.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195132599
• ISBN13: 9780195132595
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.1" x 5.7"
• Age Range: 9 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 4 and higher

Customer Reviews

High School Readingand Stacy Cretzmeyer's Class Speech

When i was a senior in high school, the class read this book. A chilling, heart rendering tale of a horrible time in our history through the eyes of a victim too young to be so brave. While others griped about having to read yet another book. it was not long till all eyes in the class were glued to their books. The writing makes you want to continue, almost as if you stop reading then maybe you can close your eyes and act as though the horror never happened. Yet you continue out of a strange respect for this child. Luckily for our class after we had read the book and its end became known to all of us, our teacher had Stacey Cretzmeyer,the author, come and speak to our class. An awe inspiring moment for most of us. While origianlly she was there to talk about the writing of the book, it became abundanlty clear that even the toughest of kids where concerned about what had happened to that child. She informed us that she had been to a family reunion not to far long before this event.She passed pictures around the class and yes.there were tears shed as people were finally able to put faces to names we had only read about. The most poignant picture was of a group photo. A large smiling group of people looked back from the glossy page-and the most hard hitting moment that dawned on the class-and finally uttered by one of the biggest, quietest, hulking guys in the class- "They grew into such a large family" They had carried on. The Nazi's had lost in every way. Not just to U.S. bombers and fighters but to the unending spirit to survive, thrive and to flourish. Even Ten years after reading this book for the first(but not the last time) I look forward to reading this story with my own little girl.This story is so touching and leaves a mark on you that never fades from your memory.

Compelling...A Story That Captivates

"Your Name is Renee" is the unforgettable story of Ruth Kapp Hartz, told from her viewpoint as a child in Nazi-occupied France in the early 1940's. It is too compelling to read in little increments...you'll want to consume it from cover to cover in one sitting. The writing style is simple and tremendously effective, never distracting from the story itself. Mrs. Hartz's story should be required reading from middle grades on up. Hats off to Stacy Cretzmeyer for giving us such a gem.

A book that will hold your attention.

I read this book in one night. It was compelling, heartbreaking, heartwarming and I felt as if I were there. I would love to know what happened after the book ended. I would love to know what became of Renee's friends, Jean-Claude and Emmy, who were in the orphanage with her. What became of her cousin Jeanette? Most of all, being a mother myself, I would love to know Renee's mother's perspective. She was an extremely brave, heroic, loving mother living a nightmare, trying to protect her young daughter. I'm sure she has an equally riviting story to tell. A wonderful book for all to read.

A Compelling Story of a Young Child in the Shoah

Your Name is Renee effectively details the story of a young girl and her family in France during the Shoah. The book is well-written, compelling and concise, while still being appropriate for older children and young adults. The far reaching appeal of the story is distinctive. My ten year old son read the book after I did and could not put it down. He also was able to easily empathize with the characters in the book and cried with both relief and anguish when he finished, trying to understand how both goodness and evil could have lived together during this time. This book in particular teaches a lesson in the goodness that comes from people in terrible times. I feel that it should be required reading for junior high school children throughout the country.

Beautifully written

This is the story of a young Jewish girl and her family that have to hide from the Nazi in Southern France. The story is terrifying, but real. The author shows just how scary it must have been for a small child. The story is beautifully written, you won't be able to put it down. This book is one that all should read. The Nazi invasion is a part of our history, and after this book, you will understand and feel what it must have been like to be Jewish in the 1940s.