• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

All That I Am

February 13, 2013 by Elizabeth

All That I Am, Anna Funder’s novel about the Hitler resistance, begins with a line sure to become a classic opener: “When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.” Somehow that line, with its implied layers of domesticity and grand-scale political, its vulnerability combined with dread, sent shudders up my spine.

All That I Am concerns the time between the 2 World Wars and the German resistance movement that watched in horror as their country turned into a madhouse, but it is very much a story of the personal, of the connections between people, of how individuals respond to terrifying events. Funder has taken actual historical characters, Ruth Becker and Ernst Toller (a celebrated revolutionary playwright), and the people they knew and loved, and filled in all the blanks to write a moving novel about their lives. It’s packed with details of the time and places they frequented. I’m rather embarrassed to admit I knew very little about life in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power–I just sort of thought there he was, invading Poland and shouting at the masses. This novel shines light on a period of history that shouldn’t be lost, and the courageous people who did what they could to turn the tide of events.

In addition to two voices, the novel goes back and forth between 3 main times. Ruth is now 94 and living in Australia, and she recounts her current situation as well as the main story line of the 1930s. Toller is writing in 1939, from a New York hotel room, and his story of the 20s and 30s in Germany dovetails that of Ruth’s–he’s older, for example, and fought in WWI. He protested that waste of life and was imprisoned, from where he wrote plays that electrified the opposition movement. Together they trace their personal lives, which intersected in one person.

The focal point of life for both Toller and Ruth is Dora, Toller’s lover, Ruth’s first cousin and like a sister to her. She is a passionate, dedicated individual, in constant motion, who wants nothing more than to wake the world to the threat posed by Hitler before its too late. Of course we know she’s going to lose, but somehow that doesn’t take away from the suspense and dread of the unspooling story. A small group of them has fled to London, where they are not particularly welcome in a country that has a national policy of appeasing Hitler and ignoring any warning signs. In fact, the British government has announced that any refugees who engage in political activity will be deported. Dora, Ruth, her husband Hans, Toller, and others work in secret, threatened with exportation back to certain imprisonment, torture, and death. The weight of fear, insecurity, and frustration takes a terrible toll on them all, and Funder explores human reactions to extreme circumstances with understanding, exactness and a clear-eyed sympathy.

All That I Am also examines closely the toll that fear can take on an individual. Ruth’s husband, Hans, a popular journalist famous for skewering Hitler and Goebbels in print, has a hard time adjusting to anonymity in London. Feeling useless, shunted aside, dealing with the mistrust inevitable in a small persecuted minority, he faces the difficult decisions of the soul.

Funder is a fantastic writer, giving us lush layers of imagery and statements that stay with us. She’s doing more than simply presenting a specific history–she’s pondering questions of willful blindness, both personal and collective, and wishful thinking, and inevitability. She shows us humans at their best and their worst, and shows us that the ways people and governments have responded to things in the past can still resonate today. A haunting, lovely novel that will stay with you for days.

I’m thrilled to announce that one of you can win your own copy! Leave a comment below to enter and tell me, what is your favorite historic period? Giveaway (US addresses only) will be open until Feb. 27th.This Giveaway is CLOSED.

We have a ton of current giveaways. Check them out. And make sure not to miss what’s coming up: Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

  • The winner of A Kiss Like This is # 2 Liz
  • The person who will be able to cozy up with a Honeywell Space Heater and a book is #28 Bethany.
  • The winner of Proof of Guilt is #1 DarcyO.

Filed Under: Elizabeth, Fiction, Historical

« Interviewing Author Nicholas Sparks about his book and movie SAFE HAVEN
Saturday Night Widows »

Comments

  1. diane says

    February 14, 2013 at 11:23 am

    My favorite era is during the second world war. Many thanks.

  2. Katie says

    February 14, 2013 at 11:23 am

    In terms of historical time periods, I love the Revolutionary War era. I just got back from visiting DC, and loved seeing Washington’s home, Mount Vernon.

  3. Anne says

    February 14, 2013 at 11:26 am

    Historical time that I would enjoy is the Edwardian Era.

  4. ellie says

    February 14, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    My favorite is post World War 1 since so much changes at that point.

  5. rica says

    February 14, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    WWII is fascinating

  6. amyc says

    February 14, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    I love all historical fiction but lean more toward Civil War period.

  7. Melissa Mc says

    February 14, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Hands down WWII — obsessed with it actually. Sounds like a book that’s right in my comfort zone!

  8. Chuck says

    February 14, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    I’d have to say WWII.

  9. Cindy Brooks says

    February 15, 2013 at 12:37 am

    I love reading historical fiction in the 19th and early 20th centuries…
    someluckydog at gmail dot com

  10. Barb: 1SentenceDiary says

    February 15, 2013 at 9:24 am

    Favorite historical period? Hmm…. I love them all! Recently I read a few books centered on the Space Race of the 1960s — fascinating stuff.

  11. Angel S. says

    February 15, 2013 at 5:55 pm

    My fav era is probably the 50-60’s. Thanks!

  12. Jenna Evans says

    February 15, 2013 at 7:49 pm

    This sounds like an interesting read! I don’t really have a favorite time period, but I do like 19th century/early 20th century literature in general.

  13. Heather J. says

    February 15, 2013 at 11:33 pm

    Thanks for being on the tour!

  14. Cindi says

    February 17, 2013 at 11:16 pm

    My dad is 94 and a WWII Veteran…
    Beside hearing his interesting stories,
    I enjoy reading historical books about
    WWII~
    Many thanks, Cindi

  15. Garrett says

    February 18, 2013 at 9:45 am

    My grandfather was in World war2 as a medic.

  16. Anita Yancey says

    February 19, 2013 at 9:37 am

    My favorite was during the Civil War. Please enter me. Thanks!

  17. June says

    February 19, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Would like to read this book, my father served during World War2.

  18. Angela E. says

    February 20, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    This is my kind of book.

  19. Don says

    February 21, 2013 at 9:26 am

    Great story line, grandfather was in WWII.

    • Jennifer says

      February 27, 2013 at 12:56 pm

      You won! Please reply to this email with your shipping address!

  20. Lori D. says

    February 23, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    Oh, how I want to read this!

  21. Van says

    February 25, 2013 at 10:59 am

    I like reading about the Civil war and WWII also.

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
  • The House of Eve
  • Bright and Deadly Things
  • Long Story Short
  • Stone Cold Fox

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316