book review: The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert

I just reread an old favorite. Published in 1953, this is a children's book translated from German. I first read it and loved it as a child. I got it from the library for my older daughter when she was in middle school. Then a few years ago we found a copy of it to buy in a used bookstore in Maine. According to this biography of the author, The Ark is at least partly autobiographical.

The story takes place in (I'm assuming) 1946-47. World War 2 has ended, Germany has been partitioned, and the Lechow family -- Mrs. Lechow, 15-year old Mathias, 13-year old Margret, 10-year old Andrea and 6-year old Joey -- is one of thousands of displaced families trying to survive in postwar Germany. Their father is in a POW camp in Russia, and has been out of touch with the family for some time. Margret's twin brother, as well as her beloved Great Dane dog, were shot and killed earlier in the year. Mrs. Lechow had been imprisoned for a time, but was released an reunited with her family at the end of the war. Since that time, they have been moved all over the country, from refugee camp to refugee camp. Conditions are brutal.

As the story opens, they are arriving in a strange city where they have been assigned housing in the home of an unwelcoming elderly woman. The story unfolds somewhat predictably. As the family settles in, they begin to win over their reluctant host. The members of the Lechow family are almost unbearably good at times. (But why are we always suspicious of people like that?)

By a stroke of luck, the family meets a somewhat eccentric farm woman named Mrs. Almut. Mrs. Almut raises a variety of livestock, as well as champion Great Danes. She hires both Mathias and Margret to come and live with her, to help with the farm. She already shelters a handful of elderly refugees in her home, so the two children are housed in an abandoned railway car, which they fix up and call "The Ark." (This may seem clichéd in children's books, but apparently it is historically accurate. Anyway, I think living in a railroad car is the part that really sparked my imagination. I remember writing a story at age 11 about a family living in a train. Thankfully, it no longer exists!)

I think that the author of The Ark manages to paint a realistic picture of the suffering during that time, but also presents a family that is strong and loving in the face of extreme adversity. It is a testament to the value of community, as well. I just found out that my library has what I assume to be a sequel to The Ark. I have some predictions about what will happen to the family. I'm looking forward to reading it to see if I am right!

This is well-written and compelling historical fiction. One thing that sets it apart from more modern fiction about the same topic is that the author experienced it firsthand, and when the book was published, it was only 7 years after the end of the war! (Jeez, when I first read it, it was probably only 20 years after the end of the war.) I recommend it.

(Sorry, I cannot locate a picture of the book cover. My own copy is without a jacket.)