The Orphans of Amsterdam
Betty Oudkerk is a young nursery school teacher in Amsterdam in the opening days of WWII. She is fearless, unafraid to offer a modest smile to strange men on the tram. When the Nazis bomb Rotterdam and overrun Holland, Betty is thrust into hell. Her family is Jewish.
Betty defies the Germans. To her, wearing the star is silly, until she witnesses a roundup of people not wearing theirs. Her brother and his wife disappear; then another brother. Then her mother and grandmother. A third brother goes into hiding. She and her sister have a Sperre, a special document declaring them essential to the Jewish Council.
Her director, Pimentel, recruits quick-thinking, courageous Betty and two women to hide children in the school, knowing what will happen if they go with their parents. Though Pimentel chastises Betty for her impetuosity, it is what she counts on when things get dicey. Not everyone is brave. Betty confronts selfishness and cowardice at every turn. I was beginning to think Betty was too daring in the face of a German army who would have shot her without thought when, to my surprise, she has a complete and total meltdown when a child she tries desperately to save is discovered and taken away.
At first, I didn’t want to read another WWII story, but I was hooked instantly. The book starts off in the thick of things and never lets up. I felt Betty’s fear and courage coming off the page. This is a wonderful read: fast-paced, with twists and turns so gut-wrenching that it stays with you for days. Highly recommended.
