For Solo Violin: A Jewish Childhood in Fascist Italy
Zargani was born in Turin, Italy, in 1933, and his memoir, first published in Italy in 1995, covers the years between 1938 and 1945 and chronicles the Fascist persecution of Italian Jews during World War II. Zargani, his parents (his father was a violinist forced by the Fascists to end his career), and his brother survived, but many of their relatives and friends were killed in the Holocaust. The family attempted--and failed--to emigrate, then fled to Asti in northwest Italy. Later the two brothers were hidden in a Catholic boarding school, where only the monsignor knew they were Jews, and in the last months of the war the family went into hiding in the Piedmont Valley, controlled by partisans. Although any memoir of the Holocaust is painful to read, the author describes some lighthearted moments, such as his first encounter with an American soldier, at a bumper car rink where "he let us win." A unique childhood memoir told with honesty and authenticity.George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved