The Invisible Wall

A memoir written at 96 years old by Harry Bernstein. He was a Jewish boy growing up during World War I and his family lives on a street divided by an "invisible wall." This wall separates the Jewish side of the street from the Christian side. Harry's sister does the unthinkable, and falls in love with a boy from the other side. Harry finds out about this affair, and he is torn between what he knows is right in his heart (letting them be) or what is right in his head (telling his mother). It follows Harry through this moral conflict, and growing up while struggling to make ends meet. Since it is memories from 92 years ago, many have asked Harry, how does he remember the time from when he was four years old? He responds, "But how could I not remember them? How can you forget such things as my father's drunken roars when he came staggering home at night, and pulling the covers over my head in bed to shut out the sounds?...These are wounds inflicted on a young boy's mind that have left scars forever. There is nothing strange about my remembering such details." He wrote a sequel, The Dream: A Memoir, at the age of 97, about escaping poverty in England just to come to poverty in America. He also wrote a third memoir, The Golden Willow: The Story of a Lifetime of Love, about life with his wife, Ruby. Why did he start writing so late? The loneliness after the death of his wife, Ruby, in 2002 after 67 years of marriage. A real-life Romeo and Juliet story through the eyes of a four year old, you will be moved to tears by Bernstein's stories. Rating: ★★★★