About the book:
In the Thessaloniki of the 40s, the Jewish community was one of the largest,
but the war and Nazi atrocities would destroy everything. A Holocaust story
little known to the world, but one that will steal your hearts.
11-year-old Niko Krispis has never told a single lie in his life. Therefore, his classmate, Fani, loves him very much. Meanwhile, his older brother, Sebastian, holds a great grudge against him for the two reasons above. As the Nazis arrive in the city, their lives, as well as those of all the other Jews, will take an inevitable course of destruction.
Niko's kindness and honesty will be used against his community when a German officer trades Niko's reputation for honesty with the promise of saving his family from a concentration camp. When Nikoja will understand the consequences of betrayal, he will never be able to tell the truth again. He will spend the rest of his life changing names, places and identities, desperately seeking forgiveness, for himself and for the people he loves most.
A novel that recounts the destruction that lies and deception can bring not only to an individual's life, but on a global scale. Our Little Liar speaks to hope in a story that will take your breath away and fill your heart with the power of the human spirit and the goodness found in each of us.
Narrated by the voice of Truth, The First Lie is a timeless story about the power of love to redeem us, no matter how much we blame ourselves for our mistakes.
Mitch Albom, the bestselling author beloved by all, comes with a powerful novel about hope and forgiveness. A story that begins on the shores of Thessaloniki during World War II travels to Auschwitz and then to the Golden Age of Hollywood, as the intertwined lives of three young Jews are forever changed by the dangers of deception and the grace of
redemption.
Who is the author?
Mitch Albom është autor i shumë librave, që kanë shitur më shumë se dyzet e një milion kopje, në dyzet e shtatë gjuhë të ndryshme në mbarë botën. Ai ka shkruar tetë vepra, të cilat janë renditur në vend të parë në New York Times bestsellers – përfshirë këtu “Të martat me Morin”, libri memuaristik më i shitur i të gjithë kohërave – ka shkruar skenarë filmash televizivë, të nderuar me çmime; drama; skenarë filmash kinematografikë; artikuj për një gazetë kombëtare të sindikatave si dhe një musical.
Nëpërmjet veprimtarisë së tij në Detroit Free Press, u pranua zyrtarisht në National Sports Media Association dhe në këndin e famës të Michigan Sports, ndërsa në vitin 2010 u shpall fitues i çmimit Red Smith për arritjet në jetë. Albom është themeluesi dhe mbikëqyrësi i SAY Detroit, një bashkim ky i nëntë shoqërive me veprimtari të ndryshme bamirëse në qytetin e tij të lindjes, së bashku me një ëmbëltore jofitimprurëse dhe një fabrikë ushqimore për të financuar programet e ndihmës për shtresat më në nevojë në Detroit.
Që nga viti 2010, drejton një jetimore në Port-au-Prince, në Haiti, të cilën e viziton çdo muaj. Jeton në Miçigan, së bashku me të shoqen, Janine.
Autori bestseller i New York Times-it, Mitch Albom, është një rrëfimtar magjik, që ngjall shpresë përmes rrëfimeve universale të dobësive tona njerëzore, si dhe të kërkimit të vazhdueshëm të kuptimit të jetës.
“Gënjeshtra e parë” na tregon se si një tragjedi kolektive mund të përkthehet në plagë individuale, secila prej tyre e thellë dhe e fshehur, të cilat ndikojnë në mënyrë të tërthortë më pas në jetët e qindra mijëra të tjerëve. Albom-i rrëfen se si dëmet dhe dhimbjet nuk mbeten kurrë të izoluara, ato shpërndahen nëpër njerëz e në kohë, për të prekur tinëzisht secilin prej nesh.
Kritika
"Inspired by what happened during the Holocaust to the 50,000 Jews living in Greece, Albom has created art that can be added to the long list of films, music, theater and books that are humanity's best hope for convey the words engraved on memorials everywhere in the world: "Never forget."
The Independent
"Although told quietly, almost conversationally, The First Lie is a brutal chronicle of the loss of Truth during the Second World War. But it also serves as a severe rebuke for the loss of Truth in today's world. Mitch Albom asks us to reevaluate our relationship with Truth: what it means to us and what choices we will make as a result. It's up to us whether we want to accept the Truth or not."
Book Reporter
"A fascinating allegory of evil, lies and forgiveness."
Kirkus Reviews
"Mitch Albom, in his characteristic style, leads us beyond the horrors of war, confessing that seemingly insignificant events have serious consequences. He will lead these unforgettable characters to a surprising finale. Truth be told, this is Albom at his most captivating".
Booklist
Excerpts from the book
1) ...it is easy to detect a lie told once, but one repeated thousands of times can resemble the truth so strongly that it could destroy the whole world.
2) Psychologists call them "pathological lies". By this they refer to those lies, which do not serve any purpose and do not help the person who tells them. They are only choices driven by disorder, a mental illness, or in Niko's case, the trauma of the truth that was so blinding that his eyes were blinded once and for all to me.
3) But I am the shadow from which you cannot escape, the mirror that bears your last image. You may avoid my gaze throughout every day you will live on earth, but let me assure you of one thing, the last word belongs to me. I am the Truth.
4) When in the thirties, the Wolf incited his followers, it did not work because the Germans were inclined to hate the Jews, but because of the very fact that all human beings are inclined to hate the other, if they believe that this is the cause of all
their misfortunes. The whole point lies in how to convince them of this.
5) The dead do not tell lies, but their truths must
come to light.
6) There is nothing that a person would not do in exchange for forgiveness.
