One Eye Laughing (World War II) / 0-439-09518-2

Un most Dear America books, the first half of "One Eye Laughing" occurs not in America, but rather in Austria. Julie is a blonde, blue-eyed Jewish girl who watches with growing concern and apprehension as Hitler marches on her beloved city. When the Nazis take over with the barest hint of a fight, she and her family and friends are rounded up to be hurt, humiliated, and tortured for the delight of the non-Jewish population. Julie flees, alone, to America and the second half of the book begins.

The first half, the Austrian half, is troublesome in predictable ways. It seems evident that it would be almost impossible to accurately portray the atrocities of World War II in a manner that would not be disturbing for young adults. When Julie's mother is ordered to 'dress up' in her finest clothes and then dragged off by a group of soldiers, only to return hours later quiet, withdrawn, and suicidal, it is pretty clear that she was brutally gang raped. Julie's mother later commits suicide, as do many of Julie's friends. Julie tells the tale of one man who is doused with gasoline and set on fire. Julie's brother leaves the family to run off to Palestine, and her father (infuriatingly) refuses to accompany her to America, saying that his patients need him more than she does. The overwhelming tone of the story is one of isolation, pain, and hopelessness. Obviously, such a tone is historically accurate, but the result is probably not palatable for many children and young adults. Certainly, reactions will depend on the child in question.

Part two details Julie's new life in America and is frankly rather boring. Julie settles in with her new family with very little problems and immediately begins to live a sort of charmed life. Because she does not want to be mocked for her accent in school, she is given private tutors. She quickly becomes a celebrated success when she unexpectedly subs for "Wendy" in her aunt's professional rendition of "Peter Pan" and the local newspapers crow loudly about the lovely new actress. We receive no further information about Julie's missing brother (is he safe? did he make it to Palestine?) or her father (was he murdered? sent to the camps?) until the brief and depressing epilogue. Julie does not follow the war in the papers because it upsets her. As such, the last half of the novel is almost completely useless as a glimpse into history because Julie encounters neither the War, nor the culture around her, by virtue of being completely sheltered.

The story of her rise to fame is whimsical and light, probably meant to offset the opening horrors of the first half, but the overall combination is rather unpleasant. The result seems to be an introduction of horrors watered down by an unfinished story. I highly recommend that parents read "One Eye Laughing" before providing it to a child, and be prepared to answer the tough questions that World War II always raises.

~ Ana Mardoll10 s Rebecca RashAuthor 1 book9

Probably one of the most dramatic, heart wrenching Dear America's I have read. 8 s Leeanne241 19

This was an amazing book. It was so interesting to read a diary of a rich Jewish girl during WWII. It was crazy to see how Julie goes from being rich and high in society to suddenly poor and low. It was sad to think of how quickly people turn on each other. Neighbours, friends, classmates, teachers, and co workers.

It was shocking how Hitler just walked into Austria and just that, people were worshiping him. I hadn't known that he took over Austria so quickly. And just that, Julie lost everything. Her country, her belongings, her family, her neighbours and her friends.

In Part 2 she comes to New York. She immerses herself into acting. That is how she distracts herself from worrying about her family. I found it interesting to learn about the theatre.

Overall it was a wonderful, educational book.favourites7 s Kayla541 15

First review....
This was a very good book, but also sad.
This book is a good historical book for someone to read, if they wanted to read about what happened in Holocaust.

Second review....
I am going to read this book again because we are studying the holocaust at school. I finished this book to day at school. I was bored and did not have another reading material with me so I read through every page in this book. I was shocked to learn that the Dear Americas are not real. Or at least that is what I got out of the Information. I will have to further look into this.childrens-books s-c-dear-america4 s Mary Bronson1,500 86

I loved reading this book! I really enjoyed reading it. I thought it was amazing story of a girl named Julie who was Jewish and living in Austria during WWII, but was able to escape Austria and come to New York because she did not have the stereotypical features of a Jewish girl and was able to sneak out of the country. Barry Denenberg did an amazing job! children-s-classics favorites historical-fiction ...more4 s Xara Joy46 1 follower

This book almost made me cry multiple times. It is a great book.2 s Beverly137

Vienna, Austia was the first to be taken over by Hitler. It was also a cosmopolitan city with many wealthy Jewish businesses. What is astounding, is how quickly Hitlerism destroyed the general good feeling between the Jewish and Gentiles.

Julie's dad was a well respected Dr. and at one point, the Gentile butcher potected the Weiss family with a shotgun and cleaver. This story was so well written, it made me tear up as the Storm Troopers raged through the home, forcing the Dr. and his son to clean up Pro-Austrian slogans with acid and toothbrushes and Mama was forced to dress in her finest for the pleasure of her would be debauchers. She ends up taking her life, and the good Dr. loses no time in getting his daughter a Visa to America.

It was a common practice to "save" the children by putting them up for adoption. Julie's best friend was adopted by an English family and Julie later found her when they were adults.

Even though we all know of the atrocities against the Jews during the Rise of Hitler, it is always shocking to read first hand accounts of the cruelty. Julie survived only because her dad was able to send her to Aunt Clara in America. This young girl kept dreaming of her mother and father and they never survived. At the War's end, Julie was able to reconnect with her friend in England and her brother who had taken refuge in Isreal.

This was a very emotional read for me.3 s Ari Odinson469 4

The events of this book continue to haunt me. When I was younger, I read a lot of books about the Holocaust, and this one offered a certain appeal compared to others. The book follows Julie Weiss from when she is a normal girl to struggling in Vienna when the Nazis come. After that, she's sent to America where her past haunts her as she struggles to be a normal girl again. Her pain is evident and there are a few interesting moments. One scene that always stayed with me for some odd reason was when she was listening to Orson Welles's War of the Worlds broadcast and the awful anxiety she goes through because she feels as if Hitler has followed her to America.

I feel the need to re-read this book. 3 s Kelsey Hanson893 33

This book had descent concept but it wasn't always executed as well as it could have. It was much darker than the average Dear America book (which makes sense given the subject matter). It showed some of the heartbreaking choices that Jewish families in Europe had to make such as sending their children away and the sheer damage the fear caused leading many to commit suicide). The biggest flaw in this book occurs with the transition from the first part to the second part. It's pretty abrupt it almost seems two different stories. The story also wraps up in a hurry leaving a less than stellar epilogue to wrap up the loose ends. Overall it was interesting and heartfelt but not my favorite Dear America novel. fiction historical-fiction3 s Cassie44 12

I miss the days when the books in this series focused on ordinary, everyday girls and made the historical context the focus. The more recent novels seem to add a lot of extraneous story that doesn't need to be there. A novel that focuses on a young Jewish girl growing up in 1938 Austria is interesting and fascinating enough. She doesn't have to become a famous actress and uncover hidden family drama on top of it.3 s Gerard Costello65 2

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

This book does seem to convey the terror and depression felt by Jews in Vienna following the Nazi acquisition of Austria. Denenberg depicts in dramatic detail the overnight change of Vienna from a cosmopolitan, civilized European city to a circus of loathing, pillage, thuggery and fear, run by thugs and populated by a herd of idiots elated at this sudden orgy of hatred and self empowerment granted them by the Messiah who descended upon their ravaged land from the clouds of Germany to deliver them from sin.
Denenberg does make an effort to show that the hastening of the Viennese to the word and ideas of their glorious new Fuhrer was not unanimous. The chauffeur who offered his meager services to Julie's mother after the fall (or in the eyes of the not Jews, the ascent), the butcher who shows up drunk at the door clutching a bottle in one hand and a pistol in the other and insisting on protecting the family from the roving gangs of Nazi thugs.
Denenberg's good writing allows the reader to feel real pity for Julie through her fast descent into a land of despair, poverty, hunger and fear nightmared for her by this man named Hitler, and the desperation of her family to escape the nightmare. Denenberg makes very clever use of imagery to highlight the shift in Jewish fortunes through the nazification of Vienna. A once beautiful, fashionable, bejeweled and generally dazzling woman is reduced to a narrow figure in cheap house robes. The wonderful, sunny days filled with yummy food, nice weather, outings and all round happiness retreat into Julie's close curtained and sullen family apartment as the onset of Germany's anti Semitic laws quickly deprive the Jews of the right to dignity, joy, affluence, work, safety, property, happiness, hope and, eventually, life.

The nightmare Vienna of part one is contrasted sharply with the bright colours, oddball characters, romantic scenes, new and yummy foods, linguistic localisms, skyscrapers, humor, rich, poor and and everyone in between in the generally fun filled city of New York. Julie's humor gradually returns as she recovers mentally from the trauma of the Nazi destruction of her life and family. As part two progresses it crescendos into a beautiful description of Julie's new life and the magical city of New York. A strange wonderland that Julie has been lucky enough to find herself in (highlighted through symbolic parallels with 'Alice in Wonderland'). Throughout her recovery in New York however, the specter of the nightmare she ran from hangs over her, and serves to highlight to extent to which Julie was traumatized by her brutalization under the Nazis. 2 s Robin1,537 45

At first I wasn't sure I d the main character, Julie, and that was getting in my way. But Denenberg does a good job of establishing the cheerful rhythm of her life in late '30s Vienna and then the sobering change as she begins to become aware of Hitler and his plans for the Jews of Europe. He also clearly makes the point that being assimilated (eating ham, never going to synagogue), being rich, or having a needed profession (medicine) protected no one. I hope that non-Jewish children who read this won't get the impression that all Viennese Jews were so very rich or that all rich people had servants to do everything for them, from bathing and shaving them to raising their children. This book gets only 2 stars b/c the first and second halves of the story are grossly incongruous and provide little resolution for the elementary-age reader. Julie appears to shed her first family easily, becoming (almost without effort) a child star on Broadway. The fates of her family members & friends are settled very briefly in an afterword. Pleh.


"I HATE borrowing books from the library. I don't being compelled to return them by a certain, specified time. . .All last night I imagined I could hear the book loudly ticking away as I tossed and turned, vainly trying to go to sleep.

TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, READ ME NOW, OR TAKE ME BACK"

p.29-30for-upper-elementary-kids for-younger-elementary-kids historical-fiction ...more2 s Sara62 1 follower

I enjoyed the character of Julie because she reminded me a lot of myself at that age (12). She frequently mentions how much she loves to read, and how important books are to her. One quote in particular really jumped out at me:
"I HATE borrowing books from the library. I don't being compelled to return them by a certain, specified time. . .All last night I imagined I could hear the book loudly ticking away as I tossed and turned, vainly trying to go to sleep.

TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, READ ME NOW, OR TAKE ME BACK"

As someone who frequently has fines at the library due to keeping things past their due dates - this really resonated with me - as well as making me laugh.

I do question her name, though. Julie does not strike me as an Austrian name. It seems to me a name chosen specifically so that during the story, someone can make fun of her and use her name to point out the fact that she is Jewish by calling her "Jew Lee."book-list-2012 historical-fiction library-book ...more2 s Stephanie Matteo6

I thought this book was very interesting. Although it was depressing, it seems to lighten up a little bit more throughout the story. I how Julie Weiss followed her dream during this time in the story. She performed in plays Peter Pan, and also starred in a movie. Although this was a rough time, she became famous during it. She appeared in the new York Times, from being an amazing child actress. There was certain things that I did not enjoy. In the beginning Julie and her family's maid did something so unexpected. She told the guards she was not Jewish. She then pointed out that Julie's mother, father, and brother were. Also another part that I did not was Julie's mother died froma sickness, way too early in the story. I would recommend this to people, who do not blood and gore. Also this would be for people who not-so-horrible endings.
2 s Monicaj2 1 follower

This book is about a girl growing up a Jew and Hitler taking over Austria, the people that Julie once knew as good people turned on them as soon as hitler and his army came. My favorite part is when the army came to where Julie lived because it was full of great delails. I recommend this book to people who history.
2 s Shelley33

I read this to my 8 year old boys in our quest to learn about WWII. They kept asking me to read the book to them and read it in 3 sittings. It is a difficult read-aloud book because some of the passages are just difficult to speak. Reading them is one thing but to say them out loud makes it so much more emotional. The boys agreed that it was sad and cannot imagine living a life the way so many people did during that horrific time. This type of book is a much better way for them to learn about the war than a history book.2 s ?Evelyn?82

Though this book was quite depressing and painful, it was a great book. It made me think of how life would be if we were Julie. How did people handle these horrifying experiences?! Especially when Julie's mother got brutally raped by some soldiers, then later committed suicide. I certainly did shed some tears during the story but I love how the book got to me! All of these encounters were so believable!! That is the painful part of this story. 4 stars **** --Evelyndear-america favorite-dear-america favorites ...more2 s Grace Sophia8

This has to be one of my favorite books in this series. It is a very painful story, but is one I always keep coming back to because it is THAT GOOD. The depiction of life is phenomenal and I can connect with Julie's thoughts and emotions on a very personal level. I quote this in my head all the time, and I may need to buy it. WELL WORTH READING!2 s San Frazier221 24

so this was a really good story. i found this in my daughters school library. this book is one i think is good for telling mature kids about he horrors of the holocaust in a way that they can understand. i mean it did not sugar coat anything but was written in a way that you really feel for the characters.2 s Amanda Rehm325 5

This is a quick and enjoyable read given from the perspective of a 12 year old girl who lived through the holocaust. This is a good holocaust read that takes place in Vienna and America. This is not the typical holocaust/concentration camp read. This shows a different perspective and is a light way of showing how people in other parts of the world viewed this horrible time.added-2013 europe fiction ...more2 s Ari8

I loved this book so much, almost my favorite, but it did say the B-word at one point, witch is why it isn't five stars. The whole concept of Hitler is entreating, but I never knew how far it went. I didn't cry during this book I usually do, but I couldn't put it down. Careful, it scared me to death.favorites2 s Jennifer1,416 143

Fascinating look at the occupation of Austria by the Nazis from the pov of a Jewish girl.mg-historical tearjerker world-war-two2 s Jerrica567

One of the things I remember about this book is bringing it up to the librarian to check it out. She looked at the book, read the title, and let out an "Oh, that sounds sad."

It was pretty sad. 2 s Cami Sinclair3

Wow!2 s Tori7

It was very good, but sad to think about that time, and how people never thought about the person inside the body.2 s Rachel3

Sad and good book.

2 s Sara460 17

It was okay. I feel parts of it were cliched and rushed but for a younger reader it might be a good introduction to the Holocaust and World War II. Also "Hana's Suitcase" but it's up to you.dear-canada2 s Samantha Osborne479 50

This was a bitter sweet read some of the people who died in this made me cry2 s Cecily Jones19

depressing, but super interesting.1 Tori650

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