Nearly a 4*, just not quite. I did enjoy it and found the Jewish / Christian opposition a fascinating change from say, Irish / English. I can’t even quite pinpoint what I found « missing ». I think it’s the ending. Knowing the story is based on the author’s childhood memories, it’s hard to say I found the ending rushed, as obviously he had to decide on a cut off point; was it necessary to bring us up to date ? I can’t make up my mind whether the epilogue was really necessary. Nonetheless certainly well worth reading, lots of historical points of interest. ( )

At the age of 96, Harry Bernstein published this, the first volume of his memoirs, which he had started writing a few years earlier after the death of his wife. An impressive feat in and of itself. But equally impressive is the work itself, the story of Harry's childhood, told in a straightforward, gentle tone with incredible detail. My only quibble is with the subtitle: "A love story that broke barriers." In my mind, this sounds like a marketing gimmick and lessons the true value of the memoir, but that decision was most likely not the author's.

Harry Bernstein grew up on a narrow street in the English mill town of Lancashire during the first world war. It is an area of extreme poverty and segregation: one side of the street is inhabited by Christians and the other side by Jews. An invisible wall runs down the middle that is only semi-permeable. Harry's father is a brutal alcohol, and his mother struggles to keep Harry and his siblings fed and clothed. Her self-sacrificing nature is put to the test when an interfaith relationship strains the little community.

Although poverty, religious differences, and the impact of war are at the heart of the book, it is not all gloom and doom. There is love, friendship, and hope. Harry is both an observer and a participant in the dramas of the day, and his perspective has both the innocence of childhood and a calm reflective quality. I very much enjoyed reading this first volume, and may look for the second, The Dream, about his adolescence in America. ( )

This is the story of Harry Bernstein's life as a very young child growing up in early 20th century England on a street people by Christians on one side and Jews on the other. Despite their proximity and interdependence, there is an "invisible wall" that separates them. The Bernstein family was very poor (reminded me of "Angela's Ashes") with a loutish father who spent much of his income on booze and gambling. Then Harry's sister falls in love with a Christian boy across the street and things begin to change.

It was so interesting to read about something I knew absolutely nothing about and was amazed by how vivid Mr. Bernstein's memories were. ( )

This is the story of Harry Bernstein's life as a very young child growing up in early 20th century England on a street people by Christians on one side and Jews on the other. Despite their proximity and interdependence, there is an "invisible wall" that separates them. The Bernstein family was very poor (reminded me of "Angela's Ashes") with a loutish father who spent much of his income on booze and gambling. Then Harry's sister falls in love with a Christian boy across the street and things begin to change.

It was so interesting to read about something I knew absolutely nothing about and was amazed by how vivid Mr. Bernstein's memories were. ( )

This is a memoir written by a 96 year old man, looking back on his childhood in Europe centered around World War 1. Harry, a small child for most of the novel, tells of the anti-semitism on his street, and the occasional joyful joining of the two religions on it (Judaism and Christianity). The memoir also focuses on his sister falling in love with a Christian.

This book didn't grip me in the way that a great memoir could, but I'll be damned if it wasn't written superbly or made me tear up at the ending. It didn't bring much of anything new to the table, instead preferring to highlight the age-old theme of "We are all the same; do not let our divisions, religious or otherwise, separate us."

But for me, it was touching. I won't be racing to the bookstore to buy the sequel for this book, but I'm glad that I read it. ( )

Hard-to-forget story of a very poor neighborhood in early 1900s England where self imposed segregation between the Jews on one side of the street and the Christians on the other. Deals with a family with a deeply caring mother, a brute of a husband with very few redeeming qualities, and their 5 Children. A wonderful effort by the 93 year old author, Bernstein, who was the youngest of the clan he writes about. He brings to life all the ignorant bias and inhumanity brought about by ridiculous traditions and poverty and follows several generations though the despair and pain of two wars. This is my first 5 star review ( )

Harry Bernstein was a writer all his life, but didn't enjoy success as a writer until 2007 when he published his first memoir, THE INVISIBLE WALL. He was 96 years old when the book came out. It was translated into a few other languages and became an immediate sentimental favorite. It covers Harry's life from his earliest memories, ages 4-12. It is a compelling personal look at the divide between the Christian and Jewish families on one dirt poor street in an English manufacturing town. Harry's memories are acutely personal and often heartbreaking to read, as his family was desperately poor and his father was something of a brute. At first Harry was the youngest of five, then when he was ten, another brother was born. It's a coming-of-age story. It's a star-crossed love story. It's, it's ... Ah, what the hell. I could tell you more, but ... It's a memoir, okay? And one of the best I have ever read (and I've read a lot of 'em). My wife read it first, and zoomed through it in just a couple days. Got me curious. Me too. Two days. It's that good, it's that moving, it's that much of a page-turner that it will keep you awake into the wee hours wanting to know what happens next. And now that I've finished it, I still want to know what happened next. Because, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Harry wrote THREE MORE memoirs in the next few years. (Bernstein died in 2011 at the age of 101.) I've ordered the next two, THE DREAM and THE GOLDEN WILLOW, and can't wait to read them. The other one, as far as I know, has not yet been published, at least not in English. Harry Bernstein was one hell of a good writer. This is a TEN-STAR book. I give it my highest recommendation. ( )

Invisible Wall is about two groups of people living on a down trodden street in pre WW1 England. Jews on one side Gentiles on the other. Separating the two an invisible wall, that is breached on rare, but necessary occasions. That is until a Romeo and Juliet situation arises. The memoir is written by the now 97 year old brother. The writing style and number of characters took me a number of pages to get used to, but then I was hooked. Reading until late into the night, wanting/needing to see how it all went. I was not disappointment. I hope Harry Bernstein lives a lot longer and write many more books. ( )

Harry Bernstein, his family, and their life in Manchester, England were very interesting. For me, the most fascinating part of it was the amount of and kind of racism, bigotry, and intolerance they received from (and gave back to) their Christian neighbors, most of whom lived literally across the very narrow street (remember, these were the days of carriages). Harry achieved the American dream. The rest of his family, not so much.

I'm privileged to have the second in his three book memoir, which begins with the family moving to the U.S. I look forward to reading it in the next few months. ( )

Very interesting. Story of a town, Lancashire, in England before, during and after the first world war with an epilogue that describes what happened to it after the second world war. The ghetto like community had two sides/one Christian and one Jewish/ divided by an invisible wall. When the two sides mixed there was catastrophe, and once or twice joy. One of those times was when the entire community got together to celebrate the birth of Lily and Arthur's son. Lily was Jewish and Arthur was Christian. The story is Harry Bernstein, the author. ( )

When I got to the end of this book, I was thinking, "I really liked it, but that ending just wasn't believable. Never happen that way." And then I realized that I wasn't reading a novel, but a memoir. It did happen that way. This is a wonderful story that explores the wall between the Jewish and Christian neighbors on a street in an impoverished English town in the early 20th century. It's also a story of love: the central question of the book asks whether or not love can overcome that invisible wall. And in the meantime, it gives fascinating insight into the lives of real people in a place and time not really so far away. Highly recommended. ( )

The Invisible Wall, begins when Harry Bernstein was four years old.Harry was raised in the English mill town of Stockport. His father worked in a tailor shop, while his mother struggled to feed, clothe, and educate their children. Much of his father's meager salary went for his drinking and gambling, and the family was poorer than most. The family were observant Jews, whose life revolved around the Sabbath and Holy Days.

The street the family lived on was populated with similar families. The Jews lived on one side of the street, and the Christians lived on the other. Down the middle of the street runs the "invisible wall" of the title. Except for attending the same schools and frequenting each others' shops, the Christians and Jews had little to do with one another. When one Jewish girl fell in love with an unsuitable Christian boy, her family shipped her off to a relative in Australia. While there was some animosity between the two sides of the street, the families mostly co-existed in an uneasy peace.

Life changes, however, during the Great War. The families rely on each other for news of the war and of their sons. All mourn when a son is killed or wounded.

When the soldiers return from the War, the budding relationship between Harry's sister Lily and the Christian neighbor Arthur Forshaw blossoms. Harry becomes Lily's co-conspirator in her trysts with Arthur.

There are many poignant scenes in The Invisible Wall. This memoir reminded me of Angela's Ashes. The ignorance and poverty of both families was strikingly similar, but The Invisible Wall was much more focused on the relationships between the Christians and Jews than the fact of the poverty.

This book tells a very sad, but true story. As in Angela's Ashes, the redemption comes from the author's successful life in America, a stark contrast to its meager beginning ( )

I love Harry. Harry, at 96 years old, writes so beautifully not missing a moment in this memorable tale he is telling. It is so inspiring to see what a little courage did to change the lives of so many. Well done. A wonderful story of a life full of challenges and overcoming bigotry. ( )

Jewish non-Jewish scenarios near London in the author's home town of Stockport. Harry Bernstein died this week(6-4-2011?) at 101 having first been published at age 96. the book is a remarkable tale of antisemitism that he had to endure in his youth. This is a very wrothwhile book.

When Bernstein, who is in his 90s, was a boy, his older sister, Lily, was in love with Arthur. This would not have been a problem except that Arthur was Christian and Lily was Jewish, and in their pre-Great War mill town in northern England, an invisible wall ran down their street, separating them. Neighbors rarely crossed those few cobblestoned feet. In winter, the Jews built a snow slide on their side and the Christians built one on theirs. There was not much other frivolity in those hard times. Home was not a happy place for Harry, his mother, and his five brothers and sisters when his mean, alcoholic father was there. When 12-year-old Lily won a scholarship to grammar school, her father dragged her by the hair to work with him. Harry's mother started a shop in her front room to make ends meet, selling slightly damaged fruit and providing a place for socializing and gossip. She always hoped for better, having Harry write letters to their relatives in America, beseeching them on a regular basis to send passage for her family, and then, finally, only for Lily when the lovers were discovered. Barriers were finally broken as Lily refused to give up either Arthur or her mother. Readers will be taken with this memoir, reminiscent of Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes (Scribner, 1996). It will grab them from the start, drawing them into an intimate relationship with Harry, Lily, their mother, and the various neighbors who lived on their street. Family moves to Chicago--in the next book.

There are so many amazing aspects to The Invisible Wall, the first of three volumes of a memoir by Harry Bernstein, I am not sure where to start. I guess the most amazing fact I learned was that it is never too late to write your story. Mr. Bernstein started this first book at the age of 96. Almost unbelievable given the clarity of the story. His memory of the pain, poverty, and racism that prevailed in his early life is still as vivid in his writing as it must have been then.

He retells the story of his life as well as the lives of his families from his first memories of being brought up in a small mill town in England where the segregation is block by half block. Jews on one side of the street and Christians on the other side of the street. They seem to interact only on Friday evenings when the Christians will help them by coming into their homes to light their fires after sundown for the sabbath evening meal.

With the bleak weather, bleak living conditions, bleak education options for the Jewish children, this could easily be a very bleak story but it is in fact a story filled with love, a son's love for his mother, a daughter's love of her Christian neighbor, and a mother's love for her family that enables her to rise above huge obstacles, the largest being her alcoholic, abusive husband. The backdrop of all of these smaller stories is the story of England during World War I. The Great War seems to be a uniting factor in some ways for all the families of this small town but it is not enough to overcome many of the roadblocks between the different factions residing there.

I am ready to dive into the second volume of Mr. Bernstein's life as he immigrates to the United States and finds his way. Be uplifted and read this amazing story of life and how giving up was not in the vocabulary of the Bernstein family. ( )

Lovely autobiography written by a 96 yo man who grew up in early 20th c. working class England and confronted prejudice on his street

The invisible wall in the book title describes the division of peoples on the street where young Harry was boy. It divided the Jews living on one side of the street from the Christians living on the opposite side of the street. Of course, this line or wall was invisible because rather than being built of cement or wood, it was built by the prejudices of the two religions represented on either side of the street. Very enjoyable read!! ( )

Beautifully written memoir by Harry Bernstein at 93 years old recalling his life growing up (beginning at 4 years old) in the ghettos of England; the street was divided with Jews on one side and Christians on the other. The cultural divisions, dependencies, and interactions are so well described, you can envision the neighborhood and its residents. It takes a constant reminder that you're not reading a novel. ( )

This was a nice story. Not a terribly gripping novel, but so wonderfully descriptive. ( )

The Invisible Wall By Harry Bernstein The year is 1910, Harry is a young boy growing up in a small mill town in England. One side of the street is Jewish, the other Christian. They are all poor.They all struggle, war is approaching, they dream of America. There is an invisible wall. This beautifully written memoir details his family, with 6 children and a street full of characters. A lot has changed in the world and in other ways human nature has not evolved at all. Harry began writing this memoir at 93, published at 96. He is currently 100 and works on another. Enjoy this historical journey that is not to be missed. ( )

A simple lovely story of growing up in poverty. Please God I can write like that, and remember, when I am 93. I cried like a baby when he returned home after all those years. Harry will be 100 in 2 months, hope he will reach the 120 ( )

The Invisible Wall is a vivid portrait of a young Jewish boy and his life in England in the early 1900s. Beautifully written, this memoir by Harry Bernstein tells of his life in a working class mill town, on a street which is divided by religion. He and his Jewish neighbors live on one side; the Christians live on the other. A powerful tale of prejudice and tolerance, hatred and passion, poverty and the richness of love, the book is both heartbreaking and joyous. More than a glimpse of the author’s life, the reader is absorbed into his world and comes to know well all the memorable people in it. Highly recommended, this is a book that will be remembered. ( )

Somehow, the first pages didn't encourage me. The extremely simple voice made me wonder whether his writing style was going to become tedious. The opening paragraphs made me think "uh oh, another 300 page whine about oppression." I don't know why...just my mood, perhaps.

It didn't really matter. Within a few pages more those thoughts had flown and I was simply reading. The simple writing style did not become tedious. The whines about oppression never appeared—in fact, there was never any whining about anything in a life that held more than its share of hardship.

At age 95, Harry Bernstein wrote his first book, a memoir of his life in a poor Lancashire mill town. Part of the story is about poverty, about a family with so little money that buying any food was, sometimes, a major problem. Part of it is about the trap of too little education and opportunity. More of the story is about the invisible wall—the divide that stretched up the middle of his street: all the houses on one side rented by Christians, all the houses on his side rented by Jews.

What I liked most about this book was that he simply recounted the stories, not particularly taking sides or drawing "larger meaning" from things. We see that, yes, there was a lot of anti-Semitism in the neighborhood but, at the same time, we see bigotry directed against the Christians with equal clarity and force.

The subtitle of the book is "A Love Story that Broke Barriers" and the much of the story focuses on a romance that crossed that wall. The author doesn't try to create a lot of suspense in the story; the reader can predict much of what will happen long before it actually occurs. However, I didn't find this objectionable—he simply tells the story in the chronology that his young self was able to understand or realize things and allows the adult reader to see ahead.

I understand there is a sequel picking up the next phase of his life after his family came to America. I don't know if I'll read it or not; it might be better to just leave things where they ended, allowing the epilogue of the book to let us know how everything turned out.

Definitely recommended. I'm waffling between 3½ stars and a "strongly recommended" 4 stars. I'll start conservatively but may change my mind later. ( )

The Story

This is the first part of Harry Bernstein’s life story. It starts with his earliest childhood memories in a small English mill town, just prior to World War I. Harry lives on a street in which one side of it is occupied with Christian families while the other side houses Jewish residents. In the middle of the street is the “invisible wall” that separates the two “communities” that all reside together on this little street. Like many families at the time, they are faced with extreme poverty thus living a life with meals of bread and butter with tea.

Harry’s father works at a tailor’s shop and makes meager money. Of what he does earn, he spends most of it on drinks in a local pub. He is a ghost of a presence in the family home and, when he is there, his presence is ominous and scary for the family members. Harry describes his mother as the glue that held the family together and maintains enormous respect for her. He lives with several siblings in this little home including two sisters and three brothers. Of his siblings, he writes most about his older sister, Lily, who falls in love with a Christian boy from the opposite side of the “invisible wall.” Their love story is tragic as Harry’s family refuses to allow her to have any type of a romantic relationship with him. In fact, it is made known to her that if she pursues the relationship, that she will be considered dead to the family.

Admist their great poverty, lack of proper education, and sufferance of prejudice, they remain hopeful that relatives in America will eventually send them tickets for passage to America. The readers watch the small triumphs and great misfortunes to this family with a sense of being “a fly on the wall” to this story.

The Review

Harry Bernstein was 96 years old when this book was published and I believe now he is either 99 or nearing it. He has also written a sequel to The Invisible Wall entitled The Dream which details their eventual passage to and life in America. I am very interested in reading on to hear the outcome of their immigration and how their lives turned out. Thankfully, at the end of this book, the reader does get an understanding of Harry’s outcome when they are able to read about his travel back to England with his beloved wife, Ruby.

I read this book immediately after reading Angela’s Ashes. I’m not sure that this was a positive thing because the books are quite similar in nature, although completely different stories. But, the effect of the poverty, the diet, and the alcoholic father was repetitious to the prior read so I don’t think that it gave me the same impact that it would have if I had read them months apart. But, that’s not Harry’s fault… it was mine because I had no idea that the content of the two books were so similar. What sets them apart? The second half of this book (my favorite part, by the way) is focused on the tragic love story of Lily and Arthur as seen through the eyes of Harry. How all parties dealt with this “taboo” love was riveting and thought-provoking.

I think that Harry did a lovely job with the prose of this book. Not only was the book well written, but it kept me involved emotionally in the story. I can’t imagine accomplishing such a tremendous dream of publishing not one, but two books, in my ninties. That completely amazes me! Even more remarkable is its international acclaim and the accomplishment of being a New York Times Bestseller. After reading this book, which includes a chapter of The Dream at the end, I have found enormous respect for Harry Bernstein and thank him for sharing his remarkable tale.

Favorite Quotes:


This book had some memorable quotes that I’d love to share:

“I think of the slaughters that have taken place in the wars throughout history, the one that is being fought now in France, and I ask myself, why does God countenance all this? If God is our creator, the supreme, kind and benevolent being whom we all worship, why does he permit us to destroy one another? And why does he permit one religion to persecute another when both are his children? And so there came that terrible question - supposing, supposing it is all fantasy - is there really a God?”

“The war, it seemed, had almost completely destroyed the invisible wall that had separated us, bringing the two sides together.”

“…They’ve got us fooled with words like patriotism and duty and honor, and they’ve got us divided up into classes and religions so that each one of us figures he’s better than the other. But it’ll all change, ‘arry. Believe me, it will. People get smarter. The human brain has a potential for development. Someday it will grow big enough so that everybody will see and understand the truth, and then we won’t act like a bunch of sheep, and then that wall that separates the two sides of our street will crumble, just like the Wall of Jericho. Maybe Lily and I gave it a little push today. But one day you’ll hear a trumpet blow, and then it will be all gone. Oh yes, ‘arry, we’re going to have a better world. Things won’t always be the way they are now. I promise you, there’ll be a better world than the one we’re living in today.”

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

This is a book club read for me and I went into reading this book with a completely open mind. However, like I said in the review, being on the heels of Angela’s Ashes really made the timing of this read a little “off” for me. It’s like watching two World War II movies in a row… you’re going to have your favorite of the two. In addition, the second movie may not have the same impact as the first. I still have to give this my honest opinion in my rating and for the genre Non-Fiction:Memoir, I am going to rate this book an 8.5 OUT OF 10. ( )