Review

Everyone Has Their Reasons: A Donvans Literary Service Review

Everyone Has Their Reasons

By Diane C. Donovan
Donvans Literary Service
October 2015

Everyone Has Their Reasons stands out in the world of novels partially because it’s based on the life of one Herschel Grynszpan, the ‘teen assassin’ whose actions helped create the ‘Night of Broken Glass’ when Jews in Germany were targeted as a group by Nazis.

The author wondered why this boy and his actions have largely been ignored by history, so he researched the topic for fifteen years, then wrapped his findings in a novel format which presumably will bring it to a far greater audience than a history or biography format would have achieved.

The story begins in 1935, when teen Herschel escapes Germany, and follows events leading into his trial, when Nazis used him to try to show that their campaign against the Jews stemmed from justifiable provocations. In fact his actions began when the Nazis rounded up his parents and forcibly sent them back to Poland, and his choice of shooting an official to bring world attention to their campaign only serves to backfire and result in a massive wave of outraged retaliation.

The author holds a background as a criminal defense lawyer, which helps him create a vivid, realistic saga that takes the legal process and embeds it with a realistic flavor that will delight fans of historical novels who want more than a touch of facts in their fiction.

Back to Joseph Matthew’s Author Page