"There are places that I have never forgotten. A little cobbled street in a smoky mill town in the North of England has haunted me for the greater part of my life. It was inevitable that I should write about it and the people who lived on both sides of its 'Invisible Wall.' " The narrow street where Harry Bernstein grew up, in a small English mill town, was seemingly unremarkable. It was identical to countless other streets in countless other working-class neighborhoods of the early 1900s, except for the "invisible wall" that ran down its center, dividing Jewish families on one side from Christian families on the other. Only a few feet of cobblestones separated Jews from Gentiles, but socially, it they were miles apart. On the eve of World War I, Harry's family struggles to make ends meet. His father earns little money at the Jewish tailoring shop and brings home even less, preferring to spend his wages drinking and gambling. Harry's mother, devoted to her children and fiercely resilient, survives on her dreams: new shoes that might secure Harry's admission to a fancy school; that her daughter might marry the local rabbi; that the entire family might one day be whisked off to the paradise of America. Then Harry's older sister, Lily, does the unthinkable: She falls in love with Arthur, a Christian boy from across the street. When Harry unwittingly discovers their secret affair, he must choose between the morals he's been taught all his life, his loyalty to his selfless mother, and what he knows to be true in his own heart. A wonderfully charming memoir written when the author was ninety-three, The Invisible Wallvibrantly brings to life an all-but-forgotten time and place. It is a moving tale of working-class life, and of the boundaries that can be overcome by love.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Looking forward to reading the sequel:
A very touching story of growing up and having to face the harsh realities of life. Bernstein's writing is simple and easy to follow, yet draws you right into the story and clearly shares the feelings and emotions he faces (as if you were right there with him). Very insightful and eye-opening. It's wonderful, that after all this time, Mr. Bernstein finally put pen to paper and shared his touching memoir with us.
Great read:
This book was a gift to my Mother for Christmas. She loved it and is looking forward to reading his sequel "The Dream". My Husband is now reading it and can't put it down. I am told it does not have anything inappropriate such as sex or vulgarity which is always nice to know before you buy a book.
A Tale right Out of Dickens:
This tale of a hard scrabble childhood and a forbidden love was a compelling read. I couldn't put it down. Because the events are so tragic I began to think of it as fiction. When I came upon the inserted photographs of the author and his family I was shocked back to reality. Bernstien portrays his father as an unkind, selfish, violent brute. However, when he reveals his father's own tragic history the reader can understand why he behaves as he does. Married off to an unsuspecting kind, compassionate orphan... more info
Memoir of a 90-something young man. But it's a "10".:
The memory written down by Harry Bernstein in "The Invisible Wall" is of growing up in England, in a poor neighborhood with Jews living on one side of the street and Christians on the other. Between is the cobblestone territory of no-mans land much like what is happening on the French front in WWI. But it is a story about more than religious differences. It's about differences in all sorts of conflict, generations, politics, as well as beliefs. It is taken from the heart of a man who has just lost his... more info
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