In this delightful historical novel by David Biro, a young boy from a small
town in Italy is discovered to have leukemia and can only be helped by a
bone marrow transplant. The search for a donor brings up secrets from
the past and stretches across the ocean to a rabbi in the USA. I found
this to be another one of those novels that I couldn't put down and wanted
to keep reading. It is also one where the characters come alive to the
reader and linger long after you have put down the book.
Characters from the Book
- Luca- A fascinating young boy who comes down with a dreaded disease. Luca has a wonderful imagination and a "friend" he talks to that only he can see. His parents were killed when he was very young and he lives with his grandparents in a small Italian village.
- Giovanni- Luca's grandfather who loves his grandson dearly, but is haunted by a decision he made years ago during the war when he found his son Paolo (Luca's father) and brought him home to raise him as his own.
- Nina- A young nurse who is very dedicated and helps to lead the search to find a donor for Luca. This search turns into a life changing event for her.
- Rabbi Joseph Neiman- A rabbi in Brooklyn, New York who is struggling with his faith. When he works to help a young girl in his community find a bone marrow donor, he has his own marrow tested and finds he is a match for a young boy in Italy. What secrets will be revealed to show how a young Catholic boy can have Jewish genes?
- Sarah- The wife of the rabbi who has very bad feelings toward anyone from Italy, where her grandparents were captured and sent to a concentration camp during the war.
- Samuel- The son of the rabbi. Samuel makes friends with the young boy from Italy.
The Book on Amazon
Lessons from the Book
The book is a work of historical fiction, which contains lessons for us
all. The book challenges our identities and shows how as humans, we
are really more alike than we are different. This is a wonderful novel
which I highly recommend.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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