To say the Holocaust was a dark moment in human history would be a understatement.  Not only did millions of Jews suffer in the hands of the Nazi’s, they were also betrayed by their countries, neighbors and friends.  In “It Happened in Italy” author Elizabeth Bettina leads readers on a journey of uncovering a different story; one of people who valued life above religion and ethnicity.  While the book is about the stories of Jews that survived the Holocaust because of the Italian people, the main story is of a series of what seems to be coincidental events that leads Bettina (an Italian-American) to discover that her own family is directly connected to these survivors.

I’m a huge fan of all things Italian (I was born in Italy) and I also tend to prefer non-fiction over fiction (truth is indeed stranger than fiction), so I was naturally drawn to this book as soon as I read the title.  If English is your only language, the author’s regular use of Italian may slow you down, but the added sense of culture is well worth the delay.  If you’re looking for a fact-book on the Holocaust, this is not the book for you.  If you appreciate culture, history and stories of how kindness and generosity can defy even the darkest of evil, you will enjoy “It Happened in Italy”.

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