"Becoming Alice" is a coming-of-age memoir that opens as six-year-old Ilse watches Nazi soldiers march down her street in Vienna, Austria. This begins an odyssey that will bring her to Riga, Latvia, and end in Portland, Oregon. "Becoming Alice" chronicles the adventures of her Jewish family's harrowing escape, their struggle as immigrants to fit into the American landscape, and the girl's personal problems growing up within a troubled family. Settling in Portland, Ilse's father is unable to practice medicine and loses his ... Read More
"Becoming Alice" is a coming-of-age memoir that opens as six-year-old Ilse watches Nazi soldiers march down her street in Vienna, Austria. This begins an odyssey that will bring her to Riga, Latvia, and end in Portland, Oregon. "Becoming Alice" chronicles the adventures of her Jewish family's harrowing escape, their struggle as immigrants to fit into the American landscape, and the girl's personal problems growing up within a troubled family. Settling in Portland, Ilse's father is unable to practice medicine and loses his self-respect when he is forced to run a mom-and-pop grocery store. Insecure and frightened, Ilse is ashamed of both herself and her family for being different. An outrageous aunt and uncle add to her humiliation. It is her older brother, Fredi, who understands her best and often consoles her when she is upset. There is both pathos and humor as the family struggles with their interpersonal relationships, while trying to get on their feet and fit into their new culture. Changing her name to Alice does not alter Ilse's feelings of isolation. She attempts to escape her problems by attending college in California, only to be overwhelmed by anxieties and panic attacks. It is not until she moves into a boarding house with girls from a patchwork of cultures at Berkeley, that she feels accepted at last. She discovers her own inner strengths at last, and makes peace with her true identity. "Becoming Alice" showcases Alice's triumph over adversity, identity crisis, and the sometimes debilitating power of family ties. Read Less
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"Becoming Alice: A Memoir" is a first-person account by Alice Rene of her family's escape from the Nazis to America. The family lived in Vienna, Austria, where her father was a doctor. Alice was known as Ilse and her older brother was named Fredi. When the Nazis began to take over Vienna, the family was forced to stay out of sight. Alice's father couldn't work because he was Jewish. The family's bank account was frozen, as were all Jewish bank accounts. Because circumstances became too dangerous in Vienna, the family fled to Memel, Germany, then to Riga, Latvia. Visas were hard to come by, so when one was finally available to the family, Fredi was sent to New York. The rest of the family remained in Riga until they received visas for travel on the Trans Siberian Railway, ending in Kobe, Japan. Then they endured a typhoon on their boat ride to Seattle, Washington.
Upon arriving in America and reuniting with Fredi, the family faced more challenges. Alice's parents had difficulty finding suitable employment. Her mother kept the family afloat with her sewing until her parents were offered a job running a neighborhood grocery store. Meanwhile, Alice enrolled in school and struggled to fit in. She went from "Ilse" on formal documents to "Elsie" at school, "Illy" at home, "Suzinka" by her parents, to "Sally" by local firemen. When she became a U.S. citizen, she chose "Alice" as her new name.
I was enthralled by Alice's story. In Vienna, the family lived a comfortable life; her father was well-respected as a doctor. They had to give it all up to start over in America, but they were among the lucky ones who lived. I had heard about many Jews who came to New York, but didn't realize they also came across Siberia to Japan and then to Seattle. Alice's poignant, well-written memoir will draw readers in to discover the fate of Jewish immigrants fleeing Nazi persecution. The book has won several awards in the young adult and memoir/autobiography categories. I highly recommend reading this one!
