I Am Not From Around Here by Ishai Klinowsky is a collection of memoirs. In fact, you may feel it like a diary by a person sharing his experience of Holocaust, refugees, and war. And also the rebirth of Israel after passing through so much of agony. The title itself is quite introspective and relevant to author’s situation. The author treats himself as a wandering Jew having no particular roots. The book covers author’s real-life incidents. It depicts his family’s story through a collection of stories revolving around his parents. It relates to early twentieth-century time in Poland. The story begins with the lives of both his parent’s families before the second world war. There are pains and climaxes to witness during the course of unfolding this touching story. Ishai’s father’s family was living in Warsaw. His mother’s family was in Sosnowiec in Upper Silesia.
In the book, I Am Not From Around Here, the author Ishai Klinowsky relates life as a movie. It is like an engrossing movie where the lead characters act from one scene to another, from one situation to another. And then these main characters elope from the screen. Gradually you find new characters who start losing relevance of old characters to their lives. In fact, they start diminishing from the memories of new characters. That is what actually happens when time moves from one generation to the next generation. And then all of a sudden someone tries to fill in that void by revisiting the lives of those characters who are no more around. This is, in fact, a long story of slightly less than 400 pages. But each page promises to engage well with emotions and connection.
I Am Not From Around Here Is A Fantastic Memoir
I Am Not From Around Here is more than an inkling. In fact, the book survives on a good amount of facts and real-life incidents. It will be interesting to read and understand why the author calls his parents an unsuitable couple. One thing is true. This is a book where you see reality surpassing all imagination. There are a lot of unusual sequences that are beyond imagination. Reading about Lola and Staszek and their personalities, and how they could become life partners is something quite amazing.
