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Reviewed by Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
A Tale of Two Soldiers by Max Gendelman is a thought-provoking memoir about a Jewish-American sniper and a German soldier during World War II. Gendelman finds himself lost during the Battle of the Bulge and he elects to run to the forest in hopes of finding an American unit while protecting his life. He is eventually captured by the Germans and placed in a prisoner of war camp. There, he elects not to disclose his Jewish heritage as he immediately understands he would not survive the camp. Instead, he becomes a leader, attempting to go between the harsh German guards and the starving and needy prisoners. While most of the prisoners leave the camp to do hard labor, Gendelman attempts to make things more tolerable for the prisoners by staying in the camp.
When the Allies move even closer to the prison camp, the prisoners are moved and Gendelman has a golden opportunity for escape in the unlikely form of a German officer who befriends Gendelman. While I initially had a problem with Gendelman failing to disclose his heritage, it became apparent later that this decision ended up helping many other prisoners as well as guaranteeing that the Gendelman line would continue. At times, I wished the author had disclosed more of his feelings about the experience but those affected by trauma in wartime often cannot do so. The simple writing of the experience was an act of courage and, perhaps, of healing as well. A Tale of Two Soldiers is a poignant read for those wanting to remember the valiant efforts of those who fought in World War II.
