ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS

ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS by Ronald H. Balson

Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson was a recommendation from one of you!

World War II is a huge theme in literature right now. It has been for a few years, and it appears to still be going strong. Once We Were Brothers falls into this category of historical fiction, but it comes with an unexpected take.

Ben Solomon is an elderly, quiet Jewish man living in Chicago, Illinois. One day, out of character for him, he buys a ticket to a fund-raising social event, packs a gun, and proceeds to accuse a wealthy, well-known philanthropist named Elliot Rosenzweig of being a Nazi by the name of Otto Piatek. How is this even possible when Rosenzweig bears a numbered prisoner tattoo from a concentration camp on his arm? Still Solomon insists it is him, and he tells his lawyer the story of his childhood where his Jewish family, who lived in Poland, took in a German boy who was starving to raise as their own. The boy's name was Otto Piatek. When the Nazis occupied Poland, Otto is given a chance to join them and advance through the ranks. Now it is up to Ben's lawyer, Catherine Lockhart, to find the evidence that this generous benefactor, Rosenzweig, could possibly be the monster of Ben's story. The result is a gripping and heart wrenching John Grisham meets Alan Gratz tale.

HEADS UP- This book contains some language including 4-5 F-bombs. There are several hard situations to read about, but it is not gory. At one point in the book some of the Jewish girls are chosen to go to a brothel. There is some coarse language.