The Invisible Wall

I finished yet another book recently.  And like the others I've finished recently, it was wonderful. The Invisible Wall, by Harry Bernstein, is a memoir of the author's own childhood upbringing in England during World War I.  Yes, I said World War I.  Mr. Bernstein wrote this memoir when he was 93 years old!!  I did some internet research on him and discovered that he is currently 98 and has written an additional memoir entitled The Dream, and is actively working on his third memoir due to be published soon.  Wow!

What makes this memoir so good, aside from the beautiful way the author describes his family and surroundings, is the unusual dynamic of the street on which he grew up.  On one side of the street the homes were completely occupied by Jewish families, while the other side of the street consisted entirely of Christian homes.  Although the families were civil and even friendly at times, there existed an "invisible wall" that divided the street right down the middle.  Jewish boys played games with other Jewish boys.  Christian girls were friends with other Christian girls.  The two sides didn't really mix at all.  That is until an unlikely love story evolves between a Christian boy named Arthur, and a Jewish girl named Lily.  Lily just happens to be the older sister of the author, Harry Bernstein.  Their love affair has been kept a secret for years, but when Harry discovers it, he must decide to remain loyal to his sister or to the traditions he has grown up believing--which is Jewish girls do not under any circumstances marry Christian boys.  Will this "forbidden" love divide the street even more?  Or will it finally join the two sides together?  

Read the book to find out!!