The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia

Exiled to Siberia

In June 1942, the Rudomin family is arrested by the Russians. They are "capitalists -- enemies of the people." Forced from their home and friends in Vilna, Poland, they are herded into crowded cattle cars. Their destination: the endless steppe of Siberia.
For five years, Ester and her family live in exile, weeding potato fields and working in the mines, struggling for enough food and clothing to stay alive. Only the strength of family sustains them and gives them hope for the future.

However, Hitler was not the only one during this time committing atrocities which killed millions of people. The Soviets were guilty of this as well, though this is not as well known to Americans.

This is the story of a young girl who is a victim of the Soviet forced-labor camps. Her family did nothing wrong, but with the Russian invasion of Poland, her parents and grandparents were considered "capitalists" and therefore deported to Siberia.

This book is very well written. The characters are very well deveoped, which is especially important since this book is autobiographical. Reading this gives a real sense of how far out in the middle of nowhere these people were. There is the beauty of this pristine land versus the terror which haunts the people who have been sent here, as well as the true desolation of the place. In time, Esther, who is 15 by the end of the book, really feels that this is the place her life is, rather than Poland, where she lived before, even though this is the place of her imprisonment. Hautzig also does a good job of describing the constant suffering and scrabbling for humanity that these people went through as political prisoners. It was a hopeless situation, but the one thing that they could least give up was hope.

This is one of the very few children's (or young adult) books that does focus on what was happening in the Soviet Union during this time. There are many kids books which focus on the Germans and the Holocaust, but that was only part of the story, and to forget the rest of these people who suffered and died because of the same sort of tyranny is an affront to them.


I spoke to Esther. Her book has impacted me for 22 years.   April 7, 2003
17 out of 20 found this review helpful

Esther's wonderfully sincere and illustrative writing will hold even an adult's attention from cover to cover. I have read it over and over again for the last 22 years. As a child in 1979 at age 11, I found myself in my family's frozen garden pretending to be Esther herself, wandering through Siberia in search of frozen potatoes. When I would take a bath, after playing in the snow and getting chilled, I would revel in the marvelous heat of the water and imagine I had just been given a rare cake of soap. When thirsty, I would make myself wait for a drink of cool water from the tap until my throat was parched, so that the first drip of water on my tongue would be heavenly. I would then suck the water into my cheeks as Esther did and swallow very slowly, trying to make it last. My younger sister and I would walk into my dad's livestock truck and pretend we were on a cattle car headed for the Steppe, and we would make a makeshift hut under a log fort we had near the barnyard. Esther's life story filled my thoughts, my days and my head for years following, and reminded me to always care for others and not to take my life in rural United States for granted. Esther wrote in a way that made me feel as if I had somehow managed to form a personal friendship with her.

In 1995, I was able to speak with Esther on the phone, and I have never forgotten that wonderful conversation. Talking with her (she still has a very noticable accent) was as if the book itself came to life, because I realized I was actually visiting with the woman who was the couragous child in the book. Esther's writing encouraged me to be thankful, to be grateful, to be kind, and to never give up. I majored in journalism in college, and though I have never had such an extreme happening in my lifetime, I hope to eventually put down in words something that will touch other's lives as Esther Hautzig touched mine.


Adjusting in the Worst of Times   January 24, 2000
Alyssa D. (Summit, New Jersey)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

The Endless Steppe, by Esther Hautzig, is the true story of a young Jewish girl named Esther Rudomin, and her family living in Siberia. The Story takes place during World War II, when the wealthy Rudomin Family are pronounced capitalists. They're removed from their beautiful home and loved ones in Vilna, Poland. They are taken by train, along with peasant families to an endless steppe in Siberia where they are forced to work in various places, including a gypsum mine. Siberia lacks many necessities. The only way they are able to survive the harsh Siberian conditions is the thought that they must never be brought down. With the help of many friends along the way, the Rudomins eventually learn to fit into the Siberian puzzle. Every obstacle becomes part of their everyday life for five long years. I thought this was a great book because it shows how a wealthy family could survive in complete poverty during the worst of times. The book also showed how a once spoiled little girl, learned how to see life on the other side of the fence.


Must Read   June 18, 1999
8 out of 11 found this review helpful

The book, The Endless Steppe is a realistic story that keeps you turning the pages. It is worthwhile to read. The story was published in 1986. The author of this book is Esther Hautzig. Mr. Stevenson inspired her to write about her experience in Siberia. Hautzig wrote a few other books, which have no relationship with the Holocaust. The purpose of this piece of literature was to teach others the hardships people had to deal with during a war and how Jews felt during the Holocaust. It shows the problems the" prisoners" faced and how harshly they were treated. The Endless Steppe is a dramatic novel. The Endless Steppe is a novel that should be cherished.

The story line is very dramatic and full of sorrow. In the begging of the tale Esther, Tata, Raya and Grandma are forced out of their beloved homes in Poland by the Nazis. They travel in cattle cars for six weeks. The Rubomin family finally reach their destination, Siberia, where they are labors of the gypsum mine. Later Esther and her family move to the village, in the little city they find better jobs and attend school. In the end Esther, Tata, Raya and Grandma all return back to Poland.

The plot of this story doesn't have as much action as Tom Sawyer, but it is still intriguing. There are many problems the characters encounter during the course of the novel. The events that take place are very emotional and touching. Many of the events are melancholy. The drama gives the book more "life". Hautzig is descriptive. She describes every scene in the novel. The reader can imagine the places even though there are no pictures and all the people come to life. Unlike Tom Sawyer this book was simpler to read. There was rarely dialect. The vocabulary was mot very challenging in this story. The plot is easier to follow, because there were not as many mini- adventures like the other class novel. The reader got many events in the story mix up. There was too much happening at once, but The Endless Steppe is not nearly as confusing.

The characters were well developed. It was simple to comprehend their feelings. The audience immediately knew if they were down hearted, frustrated, or merry. Each person in The Endless Steppe was totally different. Everyone had a unique personality. Esther was very optimistic when her mom never had any hope. The fact that the characters in the story were real people who lived though the same torture help them seem more like they were from 1940's and they lived through this terrible time period. The character's physical description is not one of Hautzig strong areas, however. She gave a very brief portrait of the people. The reader could not picture what Tata or Nikita looked like.

The Endless Steppe is packed with themes and messages. One of the authors messages was to treasure all that you own. During a battle everything is rare. There is only a little bit of everything. Even paper and sugar seem like gold during war. Those who are well off should feel lucky and never waste anything. The Holocaust was a very difficult time for the Jewish society. They had to farm or work in factories for a small sum in order to support their families. They loved many loved ones and faced many problems. The Jews always felt insecure and frightened the Nazis would take them to Concentration camps. Esther shows the reader all the downs the Jews went though. The author takes the audiences through the same torture. She makes them feel sorrow and pity for the Jews. She wants us to understand that a slaughter, could have happen to any other race also, not only happened to the Jews but. Hauzing hopes that everyone will help those in need, by donating money and praying for those in war.

There was not a lot of symbolism in this novel. One symbol that was used however was that left foot first would start a bad day. On the morning the Nazi soldiers came and took Esther and her family always from Poland, Esther stepped out the door left foot first. That day turned out to be a day in inferno for everyone. The second example of symbolism is that a fine start is a wonderful end. The main character was transferred to another school. There she met fabulous teacher from rich Moscow. After that scene all went well. Esther fell and love and soon Tata, Raya, and grandma were back in Poland.

Many parts in the book were well written but two of them really stood out. The scene where Esther was trapped in a buran (natural disaster) is one of the few sections of the book which are loaded with excitement and engagement. It is very tense, too. The horrifying words made the scene more frightening. The reader would wonder if girl could survive such a powerful storm. When that part of the story ends and Esther is saved the whole audience feels a sense of relief and gladness. This part of the tale was full of emotions. The ending of The Endless Steppe was a meaningful section, too. It was prefect it tied the whole story together. The ending was a joyful and uplifting part in the novel.

The Endless Steppe was an intriguing novel that was thought provoking, and informative. This book would appeal to any group of young adults (12-17), who enjoy reading about tragedies or are interested in the Holocaust. The book is one of the best novels. The plot is capturing. The characters are developed and realistic. There is no way that this novel can be improved. All in all The Endless Steppe is a fine piece of literature.


For 26 years, this story has lived with me.   August 10, 1999
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

I was 12 years old when I read this book in Kingston Jamaica as part of my 8th grade English Literature Programme. It was my first introduction to the inhumanities human beings inflict upon each other. I have read Esther Hautzig's story at least 25 times over the years and each time I read it, my heart and soul is filled with compassion, fear, tears, joy, courage, and a whole gamet of emotions. Her ability to describe the events of her and her family's exile to Siberia in such explicit detail is one of the most incredible attributes I could bestow upon her. I believe that the greatest crime one can commit is a crime of the spirit, and Esther Rudomin, in spite of her ordeal, managed to find a way to hold on to her zest for life. Her spirit just completely explodes in every page, every word of her book. She lives within my heart, and her courage to live has been a guiding force in my life since I was 12 years old. I am now 38.