If Not Now, When? Simon&Schuster, Inc., 1985, 349 pp., $6.99
Primo Levi ISBN 0-671-49336-1
Mendel is an enthusiastic, determined straggler Jew from the Red Army during the Second World War who wants to go back to the war and fight again. Together with his friend Leonid, he joins a couple partisan bands and experiences the difficulty of being both a Jew and a partisan, who is not officially recognized by the Red Army. And there are Dov and Gedaleh, both of which are experienced partisan leaders and are well loved and respected by their band members. They make a lot of tough decisions between their own nationality and ethnic identity and even their trust to every single individual of the band. We can see ups and lows, reunions and departures, love and hatred, during the Jewish partisans’ long struggle against the Nazi Germany and for their own independence in Palestine.
If Not Now, When? is one of the few novels describing from Jews’ point of view their tough fight against the Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Levi’s shrewd use of characterization, especially through dialogues and private thoughts, allows me to deeper understand the complexity and the dilemma each character faces. I was so carried away by the story that I sometimes couldn’t help identifying myself with Mendel and becoming part of it. Through his plain, sincere language, Levi visually creates a new aspect for us to see the Holocaust few people have ever thought of before.
If Not Now, When? is not just about Jew-German relationship, it is also about love, friendship, and lots more. I recommend this marvelous novel to anyone who is seeking for a good book to read and who wants to know more about the people and the world around them.
124 responses so far ↓
1
Anonymous
// Jun 1, 2006 at 6:43 am
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2
Nice
// Oct 17, 2006 at 2:38 pm
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3
Blog
// Oct 17, 2006 at 3:20 pm
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4
Blog
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6
Blog
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Blog
// Oct 17, 2006 at 5:18 pm
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8
Blog
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Blog
// Oct 17, 2006 at 5:38 pm
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Blog
// Oct 17, 2006 at 5:43 pm
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11
Blog
// Oct 17, 2006 at 5:52 pm
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12
Joseph
// Oct 17, 2006 at 9:57 pm
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I believe the technical term is “Oops!”
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13
Michael
// Oct 17, 2006 at 10:18 pm
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14
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15
Joshua
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16
Joseph
// Oct 17, 2006 at 11:01 pm
Readed…
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17
Madison
// Oct 17, 2006 at 11:19 pm
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18
Samantha
// Oct 17, 2006 at 11:43 pm
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The dark ages were caused by the Y1K problem.
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19
Daniel
// Oct 18, 2006 at 12:39 am
Readed…
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
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20
Joseph
// Oct 18, 2006 at 12:59 am
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21
Hannah
// Oct 19, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Look good…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
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22
Jacob
// Oct 20, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Good news…
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23
Samantha
// Oct 20, 2006 at 3:49 pm
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24
Ashley
// Oct 21, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Good news…
It’s not a bug, it’s tradition!
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25
Daniel
// Oct 21, 2006 at 3:06 pm
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I believe the technical term is “Oops!”
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26
Christopher
// Oct 21, 2006 at 5:32 pm
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27
Emma
// Oct 21, 2006 at 11:45 pm
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28
Olivia
// Oct 22, 2006 at 12:19 am
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29
Ethan
// Oct 24, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Yep…
Reboot America.
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30
Hannah
// Oct 24, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Readed…
Where do you think you’re going today?
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31
Olivia
// Oct 24, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Beatifully…
Weird enough for government work.
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32
Daniel
// Oct 24, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Good news…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
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33
Emma
// Oct 24, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Yep…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
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34
Anthony
// Oct 24, 2006 at 8:48 pm
Yep…
…and that is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.
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35
Jacob
// Oct 24, 2006 at 8:51 pm
Readed…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
36
Michael
// Oct 24, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Nice…
To boldly go where I surely don’t belong.
…
37
Olivia
// Oct 24, 2006 at 10:22 pm
Smile…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
…
38
Isabella
// Oct 24, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Yep…
Where do you think you’re going today?
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39
Abigail
// Oct 25, 2006 at 10:40 am
Nice…
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach him to use the Net and he won’t bother you for weeks.
…
40
Emily
// Oct 25, 2006 at 10:56 am
Readed…
…
41
Madison
// Oct 25, 2006 at 10:57 am
Smile…
Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
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42
Joseph
// Oct 25, 2006 at 11:29 am
Yep…
Weird enough for government work.
…
43
Hannah
// Oct 25, 2006 at 11:30 am
Yep…
There’s no place like ~
…
44
Ashley
// Oct 25, 2006 at 11:46 am
Smile…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
45
Samantha
// Oct 25, 2006 at 12:08 pm
Readed…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
46
Christopher
// Oct 25, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Beatifully…
The best things in life are free, but the
expensive ones are still worth a look.
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47
Michael
// Oct 25, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Beatifully…
…and that is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.
…
48
Anthony
// Oct 25, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Good news…
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49
Madison
// Oct 26, 2006 at 11:24 am
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I believe the technical term is “Oops!”
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50
Isabella
// Oct 26, 2006 at 11:26 am
Nice…
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
…
51
Joshua
// Oct 26, 2006 at 6:25 pm
Beatifully…
The dark ages were caused by the Y1K problem.
…
52
Joseph
// Oct 26, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Look good…
There’s no place like ~
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53
Andrew
// Oct 26, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Smile…
…and that is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.
…
54
Madison
// Oct 26, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Yep…
Reboot America.
…
55
Christopher
// Oct 26, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Look good…
It’s not a bug, it’s tradition!
…
56
Joshua
// Oct 26, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Beatifully…
If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed…
…Oh, wait a minute, he already does.
…
57
Daniel
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Look good…
There’s no place like ~
…
58
Emma
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:12 pm
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The best things in life are free, but the
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59
Isabella
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:25 pm
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60
Anthony
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:27 pm
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Actually, Microsoft is sort of a mixture between the Borg and the Ferengi.
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61
Ashley
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:28 pm
Smile…
I believe the technical term is “Oops!”
…
62
Christopher
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Yep…
Reboot America.
…
63
Jacob
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Smile…
It’s not a bug, it’s tradition!
…
64
Samantha
// Oct 26, 2006 at 9:50 pm
Beatifully…
It is easier to fix Unix than to live with NT.
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65
Abigail
// Oct 26, 2006 at 10:08 pm
Readed…
Actually, Microsoft is sort of a mixture between the Borg and the Ferengi.
…
66
Olivia
// Oct 26, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Readed…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
67
Christopher
// Oct 26, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Nice…
There’s no place like ~
…
68
Matthew
// Oct 26, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Look good…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
…
69
Andrew
// Oct 26, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Smile…
The dark ages were caused by the Y1K problem.
…
70
Samantha
// Oct 26, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Smile…
The best things in life are free, but the
expensive ones are still worth a look.
…
71
Emma
// Oct 27, 2006 at 3:00 am
Beatifully…
Where do you think you’re going today?
…
72
Abigail
// Oct 27, 2006 at 3:41 am
Good news…
Where do you think you’re going today?
…
73
Emily
// Oct 28, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Look good…
There’s no place like ~
…
74
Olivia
// Oct 28, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Readed…
To boldly go where I surely don’t belong.
…
75
Olivia
// Oct 28, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Look good…
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
…
76
Olivia
// Oct 28, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Good news…
Yes, I’ve heard of “decaf.” What’s your point?
…
77
Isabella
// Oct 29, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Good news…
Yes, I’ve heard of “decaf.” What’s your point?
…
78
Christopher
// Oct 29, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Smile…
Actually, Microsoft is sort of a mixture between the Borg and the Ferengi.
…
79
Abigail
// Oct 29, 2006 at 2:44 pm
Yep…
To boldly go where I surely don’t belong.
…
80
Abigail
// Oct 29, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Look good…
Intel: where Quality is job number 0.9998782345!
…
81
Joshua
// Oct 30, 2006 at 4:21 am
Look good…
If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed…
…Oh, wait a minute, he already does.
…
82
Isabella
// Oct 30, 2006 at 4:40 am
Readed…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
…
83
Ashley
// Oct 30, 2006 at 4:42 am
Smile…
…
84
Andrew
// Oct 30, 2006 at 4:43 am
Readed…
0 and 1. Now what could be so hard about that?
…
85
Jacob
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:21 am
Nice…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
86
Anthony
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:32 am
Look good…
Reboot America.
…
87
Matthew
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:32 am
Good news…
Press every key to continue.
…
88
Hannah
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:36 am
Look good…
Yes, I’ve heard of “decaf.” What’s your point?
…
89
Michael
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:53 am
Look good…
The computer revolution is over. The computers won.
…
90
Matthew
// Oct 30, 2006 at 5:58 am
Beatifully…
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach him to use the Net and he won’t bother you for weeks.
…
91
Jacob
// Oct 30, 2006 at 6:03 am
Good news…
Reboot America.
…
92
Ashley
// Oct 30, 2006 at 6:08 am
Readed…
…
93
Ethan
// Oct 30, 2006 at 6:11 am
Nice…
…
94
Emma
// Oct 30, 2006 at 6:14 am
Look good…
Weird enough for government work.
…
95
Jacob
// Oct 30, 2006 at 8:45 am
Look good…
If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed…
…Oh, wait a minute, he already does.
…
96
Christopher
// Oct 30, 2006 at 9:30 am
Beatifully…
Loose bits sink chips.
…
97
Ashley
// Oct 30, 2006 at 9:40 am
Smile…
The computer revolution is over. The computers won.
…
98
Jacob
// Oct 30, 2006 at 10:54 am
Yep…
Where do you think you’re going today?
…
99
Emma
// Oct 30, 2006 at 11:00 am
Look good…
The best things in life are free, but the
expensive ones are still worth a look.
…
100
Daniel
// Oct 30, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Yep…
It’s not a bug, it’s tradition!
…
101
Anthony
// Oct 30, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Yep…
Reboot America.
…
102
Anthony
// Oct 30, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Good news…
The dark ages were caused by the Y1K problem.
…
103
Emma
// Oct 30, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Smile…
“One world, one web, one program” — Microsoft promotional ad
“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer” — Adolf Hitler
…
104
Matthew
// Oct 30, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Nice…
To boldly go where I surely don’t belong.
…
105
Madison
// Oct 30, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Beatifully…
The three Rs of Microsoft support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.
…
106
Michael
// Oct 30, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Look good…
The dark ages were caused by the Y1K problem.
…
107
Madison
// Oct 30, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Yep…
If Bill Gates had a dime for every time a Windows box crashed…
…Oh, wait a minute, he already does.
…
108
Jacob
// Oct 30, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Nice…
Press every key to continue.
…
109
Hannah
// Oct 30, 2006 at 11:29 pm
Yep…
The computer revolution is over. The computers won.
…
110
Hannah
// Oct 30, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Look good…
Intel: where Quality is job number 0.9998782345!
…
111
Abigail
// Oct 30, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Good news…
Yes, I’ve heard of “decaf.” What’s your point?
…
112
Madison
// Oct 31, 2006 at 12:02 am
Smile…
0 and 1. Now what could be so hard about that?
…
113
Joshua
// Oct 31, 2006 at 12:04 am
Look good…
Loose bits sink chips.
…
114
Madison
// Oct 31, 2006 at 12:08 am
Look good…
The computer revolution is over. The computers won.
…
115
Isabella
// Oct 31, 2006 at 12:31 am
Smile…
Where do you think you’re going today?
…
116
Isabella
// Oct 31, 2006 at 1:18 am
Look good…
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
…
117
Joshua
// Oct 31, 2006 at 1:29 am
Nice…
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
…
118
Hannah
// Oct 31, 2006 at 5:55 am
Nice…
Secret hacker rule #11: hackers read manuals.
…
119
Abigail
// Oct 31, 2006 at 6:02 am
Beatifully…
There’s no place like ~
…
120
Olivia
// Oct 31, 2006 at 6:18 am
Beatifully…
To boldly go where I surely don’t belong.
…
121
Olivia
// Oct 31, 2006 at 6:38 am
Yep…
Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
…
122
Michael
// Oct 31, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Yep…
…
123
Leader
// Nov 20, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Leader – http://www.leader.ort.kiev.ua/8.alumni/2002/main.jsp, if it doesn’t open, try this leader
Come, and feel like at home! Thanks You!
124
Who Were the Real Terrorists in Kielce 1946? « Robert Lindsay
// May 25, 2009 at 7:39 pm
[...] and Ukrainian-Jewish relations is Primo Levi’s “ If Not Now, When?” (review here) about a group of armed Jewish anti-Nazi partisans operating behind enemy lines in Belarus, [...]
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