Remember Me

Author: Mario Escobar

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: September 15, 2020

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A glimpse into the Spanish Civil War bringing to light an often overlooked part of World War II.

Marco never anticipated the path that his life would take.  He was the oldest of three children, the two younger siblings being sisters.  His father owned a printing press and his mom worked at a theatre. They didn’t have much, but they had each other.  That all changed when the fascist party began to try to overthrow the Republic of Spain.  His parents were arrested, but released, and realized that they needed to keep their children safe.  Before the country was torn in two, Marco’s mother got them passage on a ship to Mexico, which was welcoming refugee children from Spain.  Sent to a school in Morelia, Marco and his sisters quickly realized that not everyone was happy that Spanish children were being housed in Mexico.  As the civil war raged on in Spain, a similar war was happening inside Marco.  He loved his homeland, but he hated what they were doing to it.

The Spanish Civil War of 1937 does not appear in mainstream books like Hitler’s war.  Historians refer to it as one of the bloodiest wars and it completely decimated the country.  In a war, no one really wins.  The opposing political views could easily be transposed into the today’s world.  Escobar does a fantastic job showcasing the war and how the aftermath affected the citizens.  Brothers were willing to kill each other over opposing viewpoints rather than find a compromise.  It’s hard to imagine such a time, but it needs to be remembered.

Marco became the story’s central character as he aged.  From boyhood on, he witnessed the hate in the world.  Hate between the fascist and the communist.   Hate between Spaniards and Mexicans.  I never realized how different the cultures between the two countries were and how faith and religion was viewed between the two.  There is a lot to learn in this book and if you pick it up, I hope you see it through.  It is very violent and includes some unfortunate horrors, such as homosexual rape.  Many people may get uncomfortable, but the read is worth it to understand history.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.