Alias Anna Book Review by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson


Written by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson 

Published by HarperCollins in 2022

ISBN 978-0063083905

Plot Summary: The story is set in the Ukraine during World War 2. Zhanna (who goes by Anna to blend in) is a musical prodigy who falls in love with music and it is her escape from the world around her. Her musical gifts don't start out as planned as she despises going to her teachers house and throws all her sheet music into the stove. Zhanna must leave the conservatory when the Germans invade with her sister Frina. She is captured by the Germans but manages to escape with her sister who refuses to return back to their home which ultimately saves her life. She and her sister put on several concerts all around Europe during the war and ultimately tell their story to hear about the perseverance that comes when everything seems to be lost. 

Analysis: This story has heart wrenching details about life on the march towards the concentration camps and tales of the heroic efforts that Zhanna and Frina go through in order to escape and start new lives as Anna and Marina. The author sprinkles in quotations and thoughts throughout the prose and free verse poetry that dominates the storytelling which provides a human element as we get to know more about Zhanna and her life. There are many poignant moments in the book that will leave you feeling heartbroken but the ultimate trial that is the human condition shows that with some hard work and a little bit of divine intervention that anything is possible. Zhanna is not a natural at the piano but through hard work and determination she and her sister become world renowned and that allows her to tell the story of the march towards a concentration camp which might have been lost to history. 

Reviews: 
Kirkus Book Review
Sisters Zhanna and Frina Arshanskaya were piano prodigies in Stalin’s Soviet Union who survived against the odds.

The Jewish Arshansky family lived in the small Ukrainian city of Berdyansk until the sisters were 8 and 6, when growing antisemitism forced them to settle in bustling Kharkov. The sisters earned scholarships to a famed music conservatory and were happy for some time. But when the Einsatzgruppen, or Nazi death squads, arrived in 1941, the family was forced on a long death march to Drobitsky Yar where nearly everyone was killed. The two girls, then 14 and 12, escaped and made it back to Kharkov. Relying on the kindness of courageous people, Zhanna and Frina obtained false papers and established new identities as Christian girls named Anna and Marina Morozova. They went on to become renowned pianists, hiding in plain sight and entertaining German audiences and Nazi soldiers across Europe. Though constantly living with the risk of discovery, they survived the war with their secret safe. Using a variety of poetry styles and direct quotes from Dawson’s mother, Zhanna, the co-authors relate the siblings’ horrific and incredible lives. While some of the verse forms seem almost too frivolous for such a serious tale, this work offers readers the truth of the Shoah in a simple and accessible format.

A harrowing and remarkable story of strength and survival. (note on names, map, authors’ note, photographs, letters, afterword, list of music, historical note, places of note, poetry notes, sources, bibliography) (Verse biography. 10-14)

Connections: This book leads perfectly into a study of the horrific conditions of World War 2 and the atrocities that happened because of the terrible things that people will do to each other when guided by hate. Going to the Holocaust museum if you live in a big enough city or doing it virtually (https://www.ushmm.org/teach/online-tools-for-learning-and-teaching) would be an excellent opportunity to talk about the past so that we can learn from those mistakes. 

More Books to Consider
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ISBN 978-0547577098
The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood ISBN 978-1800198791
Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier ISBN 978-1596438736

  1. 978-0063083905

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