The Holocaust, the final solution for Jews, is infamous in history. Robert Dawson's Leaves in a Holocaust Wind is the story of another community that suffered in the Holocaust: the Gypsies. Told by Demeter Fox and Zuzzi, Leaves in a Holocaust Wind follows their journey to freedom in the German occupied territory of Slovakia. From the horrors of slaughter in the woods, the lies of a safe future, the concentration camp of Majdanek and the hiding away in the countryside, Fox and Zuzzi must come to terms with what they have witnessed and find the courage to survive until freedom comes. It is a novel of the playful mind-set and culture of the Romanies in the face of a most brutal regime, and in which most of the major events are based on real incidents.
Robert Dawson became interested in Gypsies at the age of 11. Evicted from education at the age of 14, he became a journalist and crime and police specialist. In 1977, he retrained as a teacher, retiring as a head. Since then he has written full time and is an acknowledged authority on British Romanies.
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18 reviews
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A gripping narrative and a must-read for all age groups, highlighting the injustices and plight of the Romani people throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. Hopefully, the first of many books by author Robert Dawson, raising awareness of a relatively unknown and overlooked crime of unimaginable cruelty and suffering.
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Set in Czechoslovakia and Poland during the midst of the Holocaust, the novel Leaves in a Holocaust Wind tells the account of two young Romany’s living through this time. It tells a story of one of the often-overlooked groups targeted by the Nazi’s: Europe’s Roma, and Sinti people.
It is both a historical and fictional novel. Robert Dawson deploys decades of research on Gypsies and Travellers to tell a story, centred around semi-fictional characters, which gives the reader an intimate look into the way of life, customs, and livelihood of the European Gypsies who lived through the holocaust. Therefore, it is both a brilliantly composed story, as well a point of reference for those wishing to learn more about the history of the Gypsies, and their persecution in the holocaust. At times it is difficult to read due to its subject matter; Robert Dawson does not flinch away from accounting for the horrors of the Holocaust. Despite this, the story is much more; it is a testimony to the human spirit, to resilience, and to love and compassion for life. Dawson pulls you into a story which is tragic yet leaves the reader with hope for humanity. If you want to learn more about Roma and Sinti peoples, as well as their persecution in the Holocaust, this is a book which you can not read. Alternatively, if you are looking for a good story, and are not sure what book to pick up next, this is the one for you; it is accessible to people of all ages/ level of background knowledge of the subject.
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