I Am David

Title: I Am David

Author: Anne Holm

Pages: 239

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: A

Synopsis: David has spent almost his whole life in a concentration camp in Eastern Europe. While there, the most important thing that he learned was how to do whatever it took just to stay alive. David is confused when a guard helps him to escape and tells him to make his way to Denmark. What follows is an inspiring story of a boy learning the nuances of the world outside the concentration camp, finding God and living on his own.

My Review: I'm really glad that I picked up this book. It's been on my list for a really long time. It's a children's book but suitable for adults. The descriptions of what is going on in David's mind is so clear and it is exciting to read as he meets children for the first time and as he learns to talk like a normal person. David's conversations with God are some of the best parts of the book.

From the Book: "(p. 32) The sun glistened on a drop of water as it fell from his hand to his knee. David wiped it off, but it left no tidemark: there was no more dirt to rub away. He took a deep breath and shivered. He was David. Everything else was washed away, the camp, its smell, its touch--and now he was David, his own master, free--free as long as he could remain so."

"(p. 131) David thought living in a house was very difficult. It was not the house itself--that was lovely to be in--but the people. What was so difficult about them was that they constantly seemed to expect him to say and do things he would never have though of, and what appeared sensible and natural to him seemed to surprise them..."