Under a Red Sky

Under a Red Sky
By Haya Leah Molnar
Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010. 302 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

Living in Communist Romania after WWII, life wasn't much better for the Jews than it was during the war. Eva, however, who is a child living with her parents, grandparents, and two uncles, and a an aunt, didn't know that she was Jewish. She did know that her family didn't agree with the Communist government and that their dream was to emigrate to Israel, where they wouldn't all have to live in one small apartment and where they'd be able to find better jobs and speak freely. Once she became aware of her status as a Jew, she still doesn't understand what it means to be Jewish, only that it's dangerous.

I enjoyed reading Eva's story, since Communist Romania isn't a topic I know much about. I think Eva's family dynamics were particularly interesting. I was a little disappointed with the ending; this, as indicated in the title, is the story only of Eva's life in Communist Romania, but since her family was able to move to Israel when she was ten, there's still much about Eva's life that we don't get to see, and for me, it just felt like it ended a little too soon.

AE