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LEX LESGEVER is the young Jewish boy whose story is unravelled within the book, a tough, resilient individual. After his ordeal in Amsterdam during the war, he spent forty years living in Leiden where he devoted himself to the Jewish community. He died on New Year’s Eve, 2019. The translators, BABETTE LICHTENSTEIN and JOZEF VAN DER VOORT, are professionals in their field, the former also being a retired cellist and the latter presently working in the German Historical Institute, London. Babette grew up in Amsterdam just after the war and feels an intimate connection with Lex’s story and able to bring colour in English to Amsterdam’s streets.
'This spellbinding book will take you on the streets of 1940s Amsterdam as a Jewish boy twists and turns to remain alive. Each page immerses the reader in the sights, sounds and experiences confronting Lex everywhere he looks. A captivating account of one boy’s survival through his wit, courage and nine lives.' -- Baroness Gillian Merron 'A vivid and moving account that offers a deeply personal reflection on the Holocaust in the Netherlands. Readers will be captivated … truly inspiring.' -- Olivia Marks-Woldman, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust ‘A compelling and devastating account that offers a profoundly personal and disarmingly honest insight into the human reality of the Holocaust. It deserves to be read widely, and repeatedly.’ -- James Bulgin, Head of Public History, Imperial War Museum ‘Conveys vividly and sensitively the reality of the war years . . . Evocative and memorable.’ -- Gaby Glassman, psychotherapist specialising in transgenerational Holocaust trauma
