One Hundred Saturdays

Reading is both work and pleasure for most writers. We have to read to keep up with our field, to research settings and plot issues, and in general to learn craft. In fact, sometimes the best way to kill ones joy of reading is to start analyzing every book for structure. Plus, there’s fun spill over into other ares of life. I can’t watch a movie without pointing out the plot beats, and let me tell you, theater patrons do not particularly enjoy being told that they are in the midst of the dark night of the soul. Sometimes, even I hate my brain for doing this to me, which is why I try and trick it with a book read for pure pleasure. Usually, this will be easiest with “escapist literature,” but on one occasion, it took the form of a historical memoir.

The colorful artwork on the cover of Michael’s Frank’s One Hundred Saturday’s sets the tone for the book that follows. This is the memoir of one hundred Saturday’s that Michel spent listening to the life story of Stella Levi and the friendship they built together. Stella is a holocaust survivor, but the story wisely chooses to being with her childhood in the Juderia of the Greek island Rhodes. The unique culture and customs that Stella remembers are the “lost world” referred to in the title, and as Stella often notes, it is possible they may have collapsed even without World War II. While Stella’s family lived in the Juderia, many wealthy Jewish families were moving outside its boarders and many modern influences were moving in. Stella attended school amongst gentiles, and her sister was up to date on all the philosophical movements of the era.

Stella’s memories are gorgeous, layered depictions of a way of life that no longer exists, but also a reflection on how we must change with the times. Indeed, I found Stella herself an incredibly relatable character with a wisdom that defies generational knowledge or age. For me, there was particular meaning in her thoughts about her relationships with others. Stella was open to meeting all types of people- of all religions, genders and orientations- and chose to focus her stories on the intellectual and spiritual aspects of these interactions rather than on whether they were sexual or romantic in nature. For her, the true meaning was in the connection she formed with others. The rest was superfluous. In this, she has a lesson to teach us all.

As with any memoir, questions about memory and story telling arise. Frank deftly takes us through these discussions by reminding both Stella and the readers that what is important is not the minutiae, but rather the overarching feelings and concepts – the community and culture that once lived in the Juderia and now exists in diaspora, as well as Stella’s personal philosophy.

For her part, Stella does not hold her punches. She is critical of herself, especially as relates to her later life and motherhood. I found I could relate to many of her struggles with self confidence and her business choices. It was a solid reminder that no matter how successful or educated, no matter how sociable and popular, we do not know what a person truly fears, how many opportunities they have passed up due to anxiety, and how lonely they feel at the end of the day.

Readers that cannot read holocaust literature for mental health reasons should simply skip over that portion of the story, which is actually not the bulk of the book, because missing out on Stella’s life and philosophy because of an aversion to Holocaust lit would be a travesty. If you can read it, I suggest trying. I have difficultly with these types of stories but Stella and Frank are both gentle and unique story tellers. Stella has an ability to lend fresh eyes to the time period and a truly generous world view as evidenced by her descriptions of those around her. I found it made the reading much easier without shying away from the travesty.

The Book is titled “One Hundred Saturdays,” but as the memoir progresses, it becomes apparent that the author spent significantly more time with Stella than those titular days. The book that resulted from these interactions was easily read by me in a single Saturday, however I wished it had lasted me for even longer. Because I truly did lose myself in its pages, and I too would love to spend more time with Stella.

Find It: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon