Dr. Hemchand Gossai, Dean and Professor, Holocaust expert, and Multi-published Author
Brave Face, the remarkable and riveting true story of Meta Evenbly as recounted by her daughter Caroline Crocker will take the reader into the lives of Meta and her family from the ordinariness of everyday life and childhood innocence, to one of terror, fear and war, and then again to restoration, newness and homecoming. Hope finds it most intense meaning in the depth of despair and Meta’s journey is a testimony to this. It is a human story of resilience in the face of evil where one family’s existence teetered between life and death.
Now at age 87, Meta reflects on the brutality and murder that she witnessed at age six and which still remains with her. At the tender age of six where murder, hate, betrayal, hunger and the haunting language of suffering enter in her vocabulary! Witnessing at such a time of innocence the burning of a building by the Nazis killing 300 people trapped in it. One of the many such instances of the brutality seared into her young consciousness. Where in such innocence she could pose the question, “Mamma, where are the Liebowitz’s” not knowing that the very name and identity could lead to death.
Meta’s story is a striking reminder that memory with its indelible impact has not only shaped her life, but has also gifted the world her story, and in so doing has transformed the landscape of our hearts. What we experience in this moving and poignant narrative is the possibility of tenderness and care—as Meta’s father strokes the cheek of her mother—in the midst unimaginable terror. Where we weep at the beauty, grace and goodness that comes unbidden in the lifegiving act by Vera who daily breast-fed Ronald, Meta’s infant brother when Meta’s emaciated mother could not; Vera doing so even as she is grieving the loss of her own child. Such a deeply emotive and poignant moment is a reminder that life in in all its selfless generosity may still be possible in the midst of terror and death. A moment where heartbreaking generosity begets heartfelt gratitude.
The convention of everyday life, the rhythm that universally holds family together, the daily routine of the ordinary lost in the depth and darkness of war, have given way to a longing once again for the ordinary, a longing that feels elusive and far away. Terror does that, and in Meta’s life, it came to their door; where neighborly trust became a casualty; where suspicion and distrust replaced loyalty and neighborliness; where family are divided and are fighting against each other, and where there is displacement and a longing for the familiar, a longing for home.
It is impossible to read this compelling and captivating memoir without thinking of the current Russian terror and brutality in Ukraine, Meta’s story must be told and retold to ensure that it is not lost in time, not only as a reminder of the very dark and evil side of humanity, but of the buoyancy of the human spirit, where light pierces darkness.
This a memoir with universal human themes that touch our hearts movingly, a story deeply resonant in our time, and one that grants us a measure of hope that terror and evil do not have the last word. Meta gives us hope, and that is an act of grace. Brave Face is a memoir to be cherished.
Bruce Hann, Emeritus Professor, Creative Writing
Thank you for allowing me to read Brave Face before it is published as it surely must be.
I say that it “must be” published because it adds valuable information about growing up in a different time, a different country, and during a World War!
I have taught literature 39 years at many levels – middle school, high school, technical school, and community college. I believe that though this story might seem to be especially for elementary and middle school, both high school and community college students would enjoy it and learn from it. There are often details that are intriguing; however, there are also missing details that would lead to further research and discussion. For instance when Meta’s family is supposed to survive on 500 calories a day, many of the readers would not know exactly what that would mean and how it would relate to their own diets today. That part of the the book invites comparison/contrast between Meta’s life and the reader’s life here in the U.S. The comparison/contrast derives from the setting in a foreign country, from a time period long ago, and, of course, from living in a war-torn country under brutally deprived conditions.
Meta’s mettle and spirit is often demonstrated. It is such a personal narrative that most people will find themselves sometimes hurting with Meta and other times laughing with her. Indeed, I often was laughing with tears in my eyes. Yes, she is plucky, but she also is willful AND she is treated unfairly. I was rooting for her all the time while thinking sometimes – oops, Meta, that is not quite what you should do! Those various adventures lead, again, to good discussion possibilities.
I have a Masters Degree in English Literature, but my hobby has been to read about WWII; I was born 2 years after Meta and my dad served in the Navy Seabees for 2 and a half years during the war so I have read widely about WWII. I think that this book captures growing up – maturing – from 1935 through the war and after from a unique and appealing personal perspective that adds valuable insights for all of us.
I heartily recommend it!