I Am David by Anne Holm: book review

Book review

I Am David by Anne Holm (1963)

This is a story about a young boy's epic journey across Europe, and his budding emotions and sense of the wonder of life.

The facts are simple. David is a 12 year old boy. He has lived all his life in a concentration camp somewhere in eastern Europe. He does not know anything about his parents or where he comes from, or why he is in the camp. All he knows is that he is David. One day, without any explanation, a guard arranges for him to escape. The electric current is switched off from the perimeter fence for half a minute, just long enough for David to climb over. He is given bread and water and a compass. He is told to head south for Salonica, stow away on a ship sailing to Italy, and then walk north until he comes to a country called Denmark. And that is what David does.

Now, what kind of person would you be if you had spent all your life in a concentration camp? The first thing you may notice about David is his extraordinary isolation. He has survived in the camp by never allowing himself to think further than the next meal. After the death of his friend and teacher, Johannes, he never permits himself to have any affection for anyone. Out of the camp and on the run he believes, not unreasonably, that 'they' are after him. Of all the people that he meets on his long journey, he doesn't feel able to trust anyone. And so he shoulders the burden of the journey alone. Consequently, of course, all the judgments he makes about other people and their actions, and his own actions, are governed entirely by his own moral standards.

He has very high moral standards. For instance, he refuses to accept payment for a small service that he renders voluntarily to a stranger. For him, I think, to chose to observe high moral standards is a symbol of his new-found liberty. And should anyone fall below his own exacting standards he is an unforgiving opponent:

Haven't you seen that David hates Carlo? Not like boys who fight and then forget about it because there is really nothing serious to fight over. David hates Carlo as a grown man hates. He talks to him only when he has to, and then he speaks politely and coldly and refuses to look at him.

But as David journeys across Europe he begins to comprehend that he cannot live life entirely alone. He does need other people, Maria, whom he saves from the fire, and the dog, and perhaps a mother of his own ... And it works the other way round - other people may need things from him. It is not good enough for David simply to hate evil when he finds it in others. If others say they are sorry for their evil acts then he must also learn to forgive, because relentless unforgiving is another kind of cruelty.

The book is not set in a real time or place. Although the circumstances seem real enough, David's background is a synthesis of all the terrible persecution that happened during the Second World War and the subsequent years of cold war communism. This helps to make David a very powerful and pure figure. I don't think he is particularly real. Anne Holm uses him as a blank canvas on which can be drawn the first experiences of life - beauty, knowledge, trust, religion, love, everything.

And what pleasure he discovers in the simple things of life:

Before he had come to the town he had known about nothing but death: here he had learnt to live, to decide things for himself; he had learnt what it felt like to wash in clean water in the sunshine until he was clean himself, and what it felt like to satisfy his hunger with food that tasted good; he had learnt the sound of laughter that was free from cruelty; he had learnt the meaning of beauty -

More of a discussion paper than an adventure story, but atmospheric and quite thought-provoking. If you want to know whether David eventually finds a place to settle down, you will have to read the book.

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What you say

What do you think about ‘I Am David’?

Zoheir Lebanon, boy, age 28, from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 5th December 2008. Rating: 8/10

A person may be more jelous to know how this creation of humanity has all this difference in life, I saw Sofia and her brothers life and family I saw the children sitting at the tables with their families happily, on the other hand I saw what i have seen in my society as well in the Lebanese War,young children whom they didnt have childhood life,they grown old in young age,they missed the meaning of being a child. David has experienced the prisoner life and lost the support of his teacher and i get my mind into another point what if this soldier was not caring for David,he would have passed out for taking a soap or what ever the silly reason was. Cruelty is growing in people mood and the war all over the world is making many people loose their beloved in fake reasons. Just wanted to show that the writer is someone great and even what she describes about David sure has its bases in her. If i have a request I would long to reach her to thank her for what has been written. Regards,Zoheir B.

♥Kat♥, girl, age 14, from Adelaide, Australia, on 4th September 2008. Rating: 5/10

The book "I am David" is a well written book and verry enjoyable. We were reading this book in English, the beginning of the book is slow but when i read more it became more interesting. We had to write a propper paragraph on the book, so i thought i would just tell you what i thought of it. so here i go... I am David By Kat The main character, David, in “Ann Holms novel, I am David” is a brave and smart person because he makes smart and brave decisions throughout his adventure. Firstly, David decides to travel at night for safety reasons. For example, “David gave his mind to hurrying along as fast as possible during the night, to stopping as soon as the darkness began to lift so that he could find a good hiding-place before day broke.” (Holm, 10.) This shows that David is smart because, sleeping during the day means that he would keep out of sight and have longer to sleep and wake-up at night refreshed and ready to continue his travels across Europe. Secondly, he shows courage and bravery when he runs in to the burning shed and saves Maria from burning to death. For instance, at the time when David saves Maria, he jumps in the river in front of the burning shed; he soaks his clothes and runs into the shed with his wet shirt tired around his mouth to stop inhalation of the smoke. “Shut your eyes” he said “and your mouth”. He wound his wet shirt around her face, taking care that she could breathe freely inside it. (Holm, 68). David is smart and brave because the average person would never have thought about winding the shirt around her face. David shows his bravery running into the burning shed to save Maria, even though he hurts himself in the process of saving her life. In conclusion any person would think that David is a smart and brave person; David is very intelligent and brave for his age of twelve. David has a heart of gold. In the end David has realised that he has many qualities that he has never had the chance to express before as he has been confined in a concentration camp for his whole life which he has had no-one to share his intelligence with, David has never had to prove to anyone that he is brave because he had no use for it until he escaped from the concentration camp with help from “the man”. David is a very intelligent person for his young age of twelve. The reader might also point out that in some cases that he has “survival instincts” which one could only have when they are in great danger, which throughout the novel “I am David” has many of these moments that leave you sitting on the edge of your seat and holding on so tightly to the seat that your knuckles will turn white. well there you go... i hope you liked it. Bye. xoxo

Miss Understood, girl, age 13, from Sofia, Bulgaria, on 29th June 2007. Rating: 10/10

1 word: Amazing. I loved this book so much. David is a very curios charechter and very wise. At first i thought he was dumb then i realized what such a kind, gentle, passionate and loving charceter he was. I loved the part when David met Maria, True love as i always say :) David is a very curios boy and so i became curios of the world just as he was. And the book inspired me to look onto studies of concentration camps. Mostly because the one in the book was in my country! I didn't realize how much inpact this book would have on me, i have red the book probley 5 times now. I red it twice on a saterday when i was bored. But there was somethings i didnt get; i meen the whole basic outline, it didn't make sense. But it was a very good book and i loved the movie just as much as i loved the book. This book simply touches your heart and never leaves. I now have more respect on other's.

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