ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS by RONALD H. BALSON

After reading this Historical novel, I can't stop thinking of betrayal and friendship. In Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson, there are two men who grew up together as brothers. Elliot Rosenzweig is brought to Ben Solomon's home by his parents. Although Elliot is Christian, he grows up in this wonderful Jewish family. He is treated just like another member of the family.

Soon demeaning and horrific times will touch down in Poland. These unimaginable times with Hitler and The Third Reich will change every part of the Jewish man's life. To the Nazis nothing that is owned by a Jewish man is untouchable. To the Nazis a Jewish life is a waste.

The World War II days and years felt like man had fallen down a hole into a bed of nightmares. After the days of the war, people were stunned, dazed, shocked by what they had experienced. There were Nazi criminals walking around using assumed identities while the Jewish people had to deal with their memories of children and siblings who had been gassed or starved etc.

Ben Solomon's story narrative is told from the present, 2004. Then, the story shifts back to the 1940's. The time and setting  move back and forth throughout the novel giving a rhythm to these days of uncertainty.

After the war, Ben Solomon came from Poland to the states. He seems, in some miraculous way, to carry all his lost loved ones with him on a daily basis. It seems as though, in some way, they are guiding him in his choices and his decisions. He remembers Otto Piatek, a Nazi. Ben Solomon's memories, his persistence to see and hear the truths he already knows lead him down a long, hard road where it looks like there is no way to bring a rich businessman to justice. . He never gives up. Even when it looks like there is no such person still alive he continues to tell his lawyers, Catherine and Liam , about what he knows is true. Ben Solomon is a powerfully strong man. He still loves his wife, Hannah, deeply along with other members of his family and friends.

I do not wish to reveal the ins and outs of this novel. It is weaved in a magnificent fashion like an expensive Oriental rug. It is a must read. It is beautiful, sad, tragic, momentous. The question is, what am I willing to do in order to keep myself safe and secure? What is the cost of my integrity? Ben Solomon never sold his integrity. For this I will remember him. oncewewerebrothers