Book Review: We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein

Adam Pascow has been banished. Along with all the Jews in Warsaw, he is confined to the Warsaw Ghetto. Forced to leave behind his job, his belongings, his home, even his cat, his only plan is to try to ride out the tumultuous political climate that accompanies every war. He’ll then go back home and move on with his life.

Except things never really go as planned, do they? 

As Adam participates in a plan to document the truth of what went on in the Jewish ghettos of World War II, he begins to understand how dire their circumstances really are. Surviving becomes the ultimate priority. However, as he bonds with the other inhabitants of his forced living space, he also realizes that not all decisions are as easy and obvious as they once appeared.

As Adam struggles to align his head and his heart, as World War II rages on unabated, a beautiful and heart-wrenching story unfolds. Grodstein weaves a beautiful tale while reminding us that horrors of war are never too far behind us. The lessons learned in Ghetto Warsaw are still applicable today. As we have so wisely been warned, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Thanks to the author, Algonquin Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.