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Friday, January 15, 2010

I am David

File:Iamdavidnovel.jpg
I just finished reading this book and I am gonna say : I make this my personal favorite. Why ? I am David is the most moving, compassionate book I've ever read. The story begins with David, a boy who has been spending his life on a concentration camp in somewhere over Europe. He didn't know anything about him, where he comes from nor his real parents, not even why he was at the camp. He only acknowledges one thing: His name is David. One day, the man (whom he prefers not to call by name and whom he hates so much) has arranged for his escapement. The electric current is switched of from the fence for only 30 seconds, long enough for David to escape. He was only given some bread and water. He is told to head south to Salonica, going for the ship that would arrive in Italy, then moving on to Denmark. Along his journey, he was mistreated by some people and sometimes well-treated by a few people. Spending his time isolating in the camp, David has repressed his feelings, when his mentor Johannes died, David has told himself to trust no one, so he feels lost and lonely in this world. When he was in Switzerland, a woman has shown the picture of his mother, thus making him desperate to return to Denmark. Acrossing the journey, David has learned that some people can be trusted and gradually he opens up his feeling.
What makes me interested in the story that is David's special characteristics, although he's only 12 years old, David acts like a mature nobleman. His views of people, of objects, of the worlds are strange, intense and mature, also, his views can tell us something we don't know about the human's nature : evil, love, loneliness, fear. Sometimes we can learn something about ourself and our world. This story reflected the world in 1960s where the World War II took place, David's story represents the massive persecution during the World War II, this makes David a powerful figure, making him even more real. The story is readable and easy to understand, I would recommend this book to everyone from 8 upons. Although the book is for children, there are some mature thoughts aswell.

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