The Wind Knows My NameThe Wind Knows My Name
What it's about
In 1938 Vienna, after Kristallnacht, a Jewish mother puts her young son, Samuel, on a train to England, the Kindertransport, to save him. Eighty years later, in 2019, Anita, a seven-year-old girl from El Salvador, is separated from her mother at the US border. The two stories connect across time.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a moving novel about refugee children.
You'll love it if you liked
Violeta
The Book Thief
The Secret Book of Flora LeaGood to know
It deals with family separation and violence.
By the numbers
- Readers36 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is The Wind Knows My Name worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 57.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Wind Knows My Name about?
In 1938 Vienna, after Kristallnacht, a Jewish mother puts her young son, Samuel, on a train to England, the Kindertransport, to save him. Eighty years later, in 2019, Anita, a seven-year-old girl from El Salvador, is separated from her mother at the US border. The two stories connect across time.
How long does it take to read The Wind Knows My Name?
About 7 hours (273 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Wind Knows My Name?
If you liked it, try Violeta by Isabel Allende, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry.