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The Enemy Beside Me
The Enemy Beside Me: A Novel | Naomi Ragen
2 posts | 2 read
Inspired by true events, Naomi Ragen's The Enemy Beside Me is a powerful, provocative novel about two people fighting for reconciliation over unforgivable crimes of the past. Taking over from her father and grandfather as the head of the Survivors Campaign, an organization whose purpose is to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, Milia Gottstein has dedicated her life to making sure the voices of Holocaust victims will never be silenced. It is an overwhelming and heartbreaking mission that has often usurped her time and energy being a wife to busy surgeon Julius, and a mother and grandmother. But now, just as she is finally ready to pass on her work to others, making time for her personal life, an unexpected phone call suddenly explodes all she thought she knew about her present and her future. In the midst of this personal turmoil, Milia receives an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a Holocaust conference in Lithuania from Dr. Darius Vidas, the free spirited, rebellious conference head. Despite suspecting his motivesshe is, after all, viewed as a public enemy in that country for her efforts to have them try war criminals and admit their historic responsibility for annihilating almost their entire Jewish community, including her own familyshe nevertheless accepts, having developed a secret agenda of her own. But as Milia and Darius begin their mission, shared experiences profoundly alter their relationship, replacing antagonism and suspicion with a growing intimacy. However, this only ramps up the hostile forces facing them, threatening their families, livelihoods, and reputations, and forcing them into shocking choices that will betray all they have achieved and all that has grown between them.
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MonicaLoves2Read
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@Reecaspieces I finished this amazing book.

'The Enemy Beside Me' is a wonderful written Historical Fiction, but a hard read. Naomi Ragen is a descendant of Lithuanian Jews, and the daughter-in-law of two Holocaust survivors. She is an amazing author. In 'The Enemy Beside Me', she gives us a glance into what happened to the Lithuanian Jews during WWII.

Milia Gottstein-Lasker, director of the Survivors' Campaign, to be the key note speaker ⬇️

Reecaspieces Nailed it!! It is a hard read. And I had no idea about what happened in Lithuania. 1y
MonicaLoves2Read at Lithuania Holocaust Program by Dr. Darius Vidas, a senior lecturer at Algridas University. Her family has always been connected to the Survivors Campaign. Now as the head of it, she has to decide if she can bear to go to a country she hates, and talk to people she has despised. A personal problem helps her decide to go. Once there, she experiences things she never thought she would.

I gave this a 4 star instead of 5 because Milia got on my nerves. Yes, there were reasons to be angry about somethings, but Ragen took it too far at times. It just didn't make sense to me for her to be so angry about some trivial stuff.

If you enjoy Historical Fiction, WWII, or even family drama ( because that's in here, too), I think you would enjoy ready 'The Enemy Beside Me'. I actually think everyone needs to read it, because even though the Holocaust is in the past, if we don't educate ourselves, it or something worse could happen again.

Published September 12, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

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1y
See All 8 Comments
MonicaLoves2Read @Reecaspieces I didn't either. So terrible. It scares me what people are capable of doing. 1y
Reecaspieces @Monica5 this is true. 1y
TheSpineView Great job!🤩 1y
TheAromaofBooks Great review!!! 1y
14 likes8 comments
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Reecaspieces
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MonicaLoves2Read I'm currently reading this. 1y
Reecaspieces @Monica5 oh! Let me know what you think! 1y
47 likes3 comments