The Island on Bird Street Quotes

“He crawled in among the bales of rope where I was hiding and wait for father to decide what to do. Father was thinking. He knew that they would take me, even though that meant splitting us up. Trying to resist would only make things worse so he made up his mind to hide too.”

“Then suddenly, one day, Alex hears the voices of intruders who have forced their way into number 78, and he is filled with terror and dread. Courage and bravery are not unusual in times of war, but Alex is only eleven, and his story is really about the will to overcome cruelty and injustice.”

“The Second World War is raging. Times are very hard in Poland, especially for Jews, and Alex is one of them. His mother has disappeared and his father is “selected” by the German army for an unknown destination. Alone, Alex is forced to take refuge in an abandoned building at 78 Bird Street. Here he hopes to wait out the harsh winter and the promised return of his father.”

“I can remember my mother refusing to go out into the street because she couldn’t stand the sight of all the children begging for bread when she had nothing to give them. Her first worry was for me and my brother, and every slice of bread she gave another child meant one less for us.”

“And then I couldn’t hear them anymore. I uncocked the pistol and put it back in my pocket, first wrapping it in my handkerchief to keep it clean. I drank a little water from the bottle and switched on the flashlight. It had a strong beam. I switched it off again. I would need it at night and mustn’t waste the batteries.”

“The windows and doors of the building have been boarded shut, and each day Alex lowers the rope ladder he has made, to forage for food and fuel. In the streets, he must always be on the alert for the enemy. At night he huddles in a dark cabinet; he’s desolate yet hopeful that soon life will be as before the occupation.”

“As it turns out the ghetto is not entirely empty, and that is where he comes across various people, from neighbors to robbers, some of whom even try to help him. He finds himself in an abandoned, bombed out building on Bird Street (Ptasia street) where he seeks refuge. ”

The only thing he has to pass the time away with is his pet mouse Snow, the novel Robinson Crusoe and other books, and a small window overlooking the town. He has to hunt for food on his own and still stay hidden from soldiers. It is a great test for Alex to see if he can make it through tough conditions, and also wait for the arrival of his father.

“The stores on the Polish side were hidden by the wall. Sometimes we looked longingly up at the windows above us, because we could have seen so much more from the. There was just no way to reaching them, though.”

“Another thing you won’t find is radios. There were forbidden at the beginning of the occupation. And, of course, television hasn’t been invented yet. The occupying army wants to take whatever is left in the empty houses for itself, and so it leaves the wall standing the keeps the guards stationed at the check posts.”