October 2013

Elliot Rosenzweig is a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist in Chicago. One evening at the opera, he is accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek, the Butcher of Zamosc. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser, Ben Solomon, stands behind them. Solomon recognizes Rosenzweig as the child who was abandoned by his family and raised by Solomon's own family, only to betray them during the Nazi occupation. But has Solomon accused the right man? He finds an eager young attorney, Catherine Lockhart, and encourages her to help him bring Rosenzweig to justice.

I read ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS by Ronald H. Balson a few months ago, and it was the kind of story that I tore through as I was completely wrapped up in the characters. It gave me pause to think how easy it would be for a story like this to have happened. I can see this being a book that will generate buzz, and with good reason. We often talk about how many World War II veterans we lose each day due to their age. The same can be said about Holocaust survivors, though many were children when they were encamped, thus these survivors will be around for a decade or so longer than the veterans. A few weeks ago, there was a news story about another suspected Nazi being uncovered. I read that coverage differently after reading ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS.