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"Anya's War" by Andrea Alban

Alban, Andrea. Anya’s War Feiwel and Friends, New York, 2011.

Rich in cultural detail, Anya’s War is a remarkable look into the lives of Russian Jews who settled in Shanghai, China in 1937.  Anya is 14 years old, living with her mother, an opera singer, father, a writer and 10 year old brother, Georgi.  She has been in Shanghai for 6 months, attends the local Jewish high school and is adjusting to the new culture.  Anya is an independent spirit, like her idol, Amelia Earhart.  Her dream is to someday become a doctor, not to follow her family’s expectation that she will become a singer like her mother.

Everything in Anya’s life is in a state of flux – new Jewish settlers are coming to Shanghai, she is growing up, interested in boys, and the ever-present threat of war looms overhead. Grounding her family within these stressful changesare their traditional Jewish laws and customs; yet their beliefs are also colored with Russian superstitions, Chinese beliefs, even some ancient mythology playing a part in their conversations.  When Anya finds an abandoned baby girl and begins a search for the child’s mother, she begins to wonder about the value of human life and how the society around her values some lives more than others.

While the setting is a critical part of the story, it is the characters which enrich the plot – surprising us with their beliefs, prejudices and interpretations of right and wrong.  The pace of the story, especially when she is in the city, is fast – there is danger, and heart-wrenching realities in the home for foundlings and the extreme conditions of poverty.  Time slows down during the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat. Readers will become familiar with the beautiful traditions associated with this day and the centering of time on family and God. Based on real people in the author’s family, Anya’s War is a fascinating slice of Jewish and World War II history.  Certainly, the story leaves room for sequels as the violent war hits Anya’s family and more changes loom in the future.

 Kristine Wildner, Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, WI

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