My mom is always sending me 'depressing' books about wives who murder their husbands, homeless Irish gypsies, Australian orphans and the like. For the most part, I make it through the first three chapters before I'm so bummed out I have to give up on the book and go hug my kids. "Other People's Houses" is entirely different creature. The author allows herself to write about each experience as the child she was, instead of the adult she is. Even in the rockiest situations, there's a feeling of levity, if not pure humor, that Segal holds on to. Highly recommended, even for those who are not 'fans' of Holocaust memoirs.
This book is a "can't put it down" type of read. The authors tells the story of her experiences as a Jewish child during WWII. She was shipped from her parents to a safe house and forced to live with the possibility that her parents may not come to collect her at war's end. To deal with this trauma, she picks up odd little character traits that annoy her hosts and ends up being shipped around a bit.
