Suzy And Leah By Jane Yolen

I read the story, "Suzy and Leah," by Jane Yolen which is a wonderful short story about two young girls who are brought into each other’s lives by fate. The theme of this story is how a relationship between two friends can evolve over time. Leah is a Jewish refugee from Germany that was held in a concentration camp, while Suzy is a girl who was born in the United States and has the typical life of a child in their early teens. They first meet at the refugee camp in the United States, where Leah lives. Eventually, Leah comes to Suzy’s school and Suzy becomes Leah’s “tutor” to help her assimilate to her new life in the U.S. However, Leah becomes ill and is taken to the hospital. When Suzy comes to visit, she comes upon Leah’s diary and decides

Suzy thinks that she's creepy because she was staring at her when she had brought candy bars for the refugees. While Leah has almost the same opinion about Suzy. Leah thinks Suzy has come to the camp to laugh at the refugees and make fun of them. In the middle of the story, Suzy and Leah have to collaborate at school and Suzy says,"And she's so stuck up, she only talks in class to answer questions. The other refugees aren't like that at all. Why is it only my refugee who's so mean?" During this section of the story, Suzy decides that Leah doesn’t like her, but in reality, Leah is just angry at Suzy because she believes she is treating her like a pet. “She treats me like a pet, a pet she does not really like or trust.” Although, towards the end, when Suzy finds Leah’s diary, she realizes that Leah was held in a concentration camp in Germany by the Nazi's. Suzy then becomes more understanding of Leah and states,"I am sorry. I am so sorry. I did not understand." Suzy then gives Leah her diary so that she can better understand her and they can become close friends. When Leah receives the diary, she thinks that it’s strange that Suzy gave her her diary instead of apologizing; but she then hopes that they will become