Becoming Alice: A Memoir

Alice Rene
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595403394
Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (6/07)


First-time author Alice Rene puts her extraordinary childhood into a heart-wrenching memoir entitled, “Becoming Alice.”  Suspenseful and saddening, her story is not only an account of her past but it brings a horrific part of world history to life. 

“Becoming Alice” begins in Vienna, where six-year-old Jewish girl Ilse Fell watches Nazi troops parade down the street in front of her house.  This begins a frightening chain of events that take her family to Latvia via wild car ride in the middle of the night, through Russia via curtained train, then on to Japan and Seattle via long boat ride.  Barely staying ahead of the ever-advancing Nazis, the family makes it to America, but then struggles to make a living as immigrants.  As Ilse grows up, she must deal with finding her own identity in the midst of an overbearing father and a society she does not fit into. 

“Becoming Alice” is a child’s first-hand account of Jewish resilience during World War II.  Rene does a beautiful job describing the frightening uncertainty, her helplessness when it comes to her father, her ache for a true friend, and her hope for the future as she discovers her true self.  She tells her story from young Ilse’s innocent view, describing the events as a child would see them, which makes the story more heartbreaking.  She also mixes some German words and phrases into her text, giving it an authentically European feel as you read. 

Rene’s memoir would be of interest to anyone who enjoys autobiographies or World War II and Jewish history.  I also think anyone who can identify with not fitting in, or feeling trapped by their race or culture, would also find a friend in Alice.  Easy to read and relate to, the book describes in great detail a spectrum of emotions that no child should have to endure. 

“Becoming Alice” is the turbulent true story of Jewish childhood during World War II.  Chock full of the sad reality of the times, Alice Rene’s memoir reminds us how painful intolerance can be, especially to a child who can’t comprehend this relentless hatred.  Despite the myriad of painful events, Rene ends her life story on a hopeful tone full of strength and self-confidence – for herself and the culture she has finally found pride in. 

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