The Number on My Arm

That's the title of Greta's first "novel," more a novella, really, produced in her 6th grade reading class under the guidance of the inimitable Mr. Pletman. There was a lengthy list of requirements that had to be met, including themes, symbolism, illustrations on every page, etc. Needless to say Greta took the project very seriously and wrote a thoughtful and moving story about a Holocaust survivor. Because I still occasionally accept beer and pizza money from The Associated Press to review books, I'm going to review Greta's here for posterity. Family and friends came to the classroom yesterday ostensibly to read and comment on the work, but it's 24 single-spaced pages and I barely had time to read two! I've now read it all and offer this review.

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"The Number on My Arm" (Self-Published), by Greta Merrill

There's an almost 12-year-old girl in Niskayuna, New York, who wants to make sure you don't forget the Holocaust.

"The Number on My Arm" is the latest in a long line of literary works that find hope and salvation in the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany. Narrated by 13-year-old Alisa Smith (not a super Jewish name, but we'll let it pass), it begins on a train as she's separated from her mom and baby brother. "You are 14 and alone. I'm not your mother, do you hear me?" Those are her mother's last words before she's pulled away.

The train rumbles on and Alisa disembarks at Auschwitz. She has no idea what a concentration camp is, why they're shaving her head, or what that burning smell is, but like all children, she comes up with coping mechanisms to survive. Greta writes powerfully here, blending Alisa's past memories and dreams with the present horrors. Here she is putting on her work uniform for the first time, subtly concealing an anklet made of out her own hair and a few beads salvaged from her mother's necklace: "I gently slip it over my bald head, tingling as the rough material cascades over my body. It trails on the floor and bunches up on my ankles, hiding my anklet perfectly. I always imagined myself a wedding where I would have a long white veil glistening in the sun. Instead I have a dusty blue and gray one."

The narrative pace moves quickly once we're at Auschwitz. You sense Greta had more to say and more scenes to tell if she had more time.

Eventually, Alisa meets Alona (go ahead, appreciate the symbolism), and the two form a friendship, bunking together, eating "glumps of soup" and resting in the shade of a dumpster, sharing their fears and remembering their previous lives, before they were identified as nothing but six digits.

About those numbers. They are frequently referred to throughout the novel. We're treated to their creation -- "almost a thousand wasps are stinging me" -- and to Alisa's ongoing efforts at removing or altering them somehow, as if in so doing she can reclaim herself. My favorite moment comes at the end of another long and drab day, as Alisa kneels and recites the prayer her mother taught her. As she mouths the last line -- "May God look on you with favor and grant you shalom peace" -- tears fall from her eyes and Greta writes: "The salty water touches my left arm and blurs the numbers so just for a second I am myself."

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say I'm glad it ended on a hopeful note. The Holocaust was hell on Earth for those who perished and those who survived, but it's encouraging that 6th grade Americans are still creating art more than 70 years later to help them come to terms with history.

As for constructive criticism, Greta would do well to focus on punctuation, reading her words aloud to note the pauses and insert commas where they belong. It's sometimes jarring to read a paragraph that doesn't quite make sense, all because of a run-on sentence that detracts from what she's trying to say.

But all things considered, there's no doubt Greta is a writer to watch. She should begin the discipline of journaling, either a public blog like this or a diary that is hers alone. If her "About the Author" portion of the book -- a novella of its own! -- is any indication, readers can look forward to many more stories.