Book Review: The Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe

The Librarian of Auschwitz is a very popular book, so I probably don't need to tell you much about it. It was a very difficult book to read.

I've only recently returned to war books after suffering some burnout, and The Librarian of Auschwitz is the first concentration camp experience book I have read in a long time.

Dita is definitely a hero. Her resilience is what impressed me most. I don't think we can really know how we would react after being treated so brutally- being worked to the bone and starved. Witnessing horrible atrocities and constantly worrying that you are the next victim. I tend to think I would have given up. I hope I never have to find out.

I found myself reading faster and faster, just wanting to get through it. I know these books are "good for me," but they really tear me up and affect me long after I've finished reading. I know that is supposed to happen. But I'll definitely wait a while before I read another tale of such inhumane experiences. 

Yes, The Librarian of Auschwitz is fiction, but Dita is a real person and is still alive! These experiences are true, even if some of the people are fictional. The endnotes were probably my favorite parts of the book because Iturbe talks about writing the book, meeting Dita, and life since the publication of the book.

The book was translated by Lilit Thwaites. The Librarian of Auschwitz is a book that everyone should read, but prepare yourself before you do.

Published by Henry Holt & Co. BYR, 2017
eBook purchased
432 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Orphan Monster Spy, by Matt Killeen @by_Matt_Killeen

Right before the holidays is probably not the best time to read Orphan Monster Spy, since it is a chilling tale about a child spying during World War II. It's a very compelling novel, but I'm glad I'm finished!

Sarah has nothing left. She's just witnessed her mother being shot as they were trying to escape. She's on her own, it is cold, she's hungry, and she has no papers. She gets some advice from a mysterious stranger as to how to get herself on the ferry to escape, but she ends up saving this stranger rather than saving herself.

An unlikely partnership begins, as she realizes this man is working for the resistance.  Sarah, although a Jew, is blond and blue-eyed, and she can help him.  After everything she's been through, what does she have to lose?

Orphan Monster Spy is an uncomfortable book. Sarah must decide to sacrifice--potentially everything--over and over again as she takes incredible risks to complete her mission. Her decisions are reckless and somewhat unbelievable, but they serve to mount the tension and danger to unbelievable heights.

Teens will get a different perspective of the war, and also see what a difference one person can make if committed to a cause. It is ultimately a story of triumph over all odds that is very satisfying. Orphan Monster Spy is written for teens but also recommended to adults who are interested in another perspective of WWII.

Published by Viking BFYR, March 20, 2018
eBook obtained from the library
432 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Girl in the Blue Coat, by Monica Hesse

Girl in the Blue Coat held my interest and added to my knowledge of affairs during World War II. I know it was supposed to be tense and exciting, but that's where I found it a bit lacking.

Hanneke is doing her best to survive and take care of her parents in Amsterdam after the German occupation. It's 1943, and Hanneke is lucky to have a job working for an undertaker. She also has a secret job locating things on the black market for people who can pay for them.

When one of her customers reveals she has been hiding a Jewish girl in her pantry and that the girl has disappeared, Hanneke's life changes. She doesn't know where to begin to find out what happened to this girl who was wearing a blue coat, but she can't help but try.  She ends up being unwillingly drawn into the Dutch Resistance and taking risks that she never believed she would take.

Girl in the Blue Coat is an easy, quick read. And it's historical fiction, my favorite, so I enjoyed the time I spent. I did learn about the role of the Dutch in Hitler's plans and how the people, especially the Jews, suffered under the occupation.

I just didn't really emotionally connect with Hanneke or her story. I found it informative, but not emotional. I can't say why, and other readers might have a totally different reaction. So I would still recommend Girl in the Blue Coat to my readers who want more Holocaust and WWII stories. 

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, April 5, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

I adored this poignant and chilling novel about two sisters in France during WWII, each fighting the war in their own way. Hannah has brought this time in history back to life in The Nightingale.

After Vianne's father came back from the war (the first world war) he wasn't the same. After her mother died, her father took Vianne and her sister, Isabelle to a small town in France and left them with a strange and cruel woman. Vianne has an easier time forgetting and falls in love and settles down and gives birth to a daughter, Sophie. Isabelle is sent to boarding school after boarding school, each of which she escapes from. As much as she longs for her father's love, he won't take her in.

It's 1939 and Vianne's husband, Antoine, gets called to serve in the French army, and is promptly captured by the Germans as they invade. Isabelle tries to escape Paris, but ends up on a long, deadly march with hundreds of thousands of people. On this march she meets Gaetan and completely and totally falls in love. She finally makes it to Vianne, is abandonded by Gaetan, and they try to scrape out a living as things get worse and worse. A German soldier is billeted with them which is awkward, but actually helpful since he brings them food when no one else has any.

This is a many faceted story. Vianne's best friend, whose husband is also captured, is Jewish. So you know that's not going to end well.

Isabelle can't keep her mouth shut and cannot stand by and do nothing, so she secretly joins the resistance and eventually goes to Paris. Her escapades get more and more dangerous. Gaetan is also in the resistance, but they rarely see each other.

While the first German soldier to live with Vianne is nice, the second one is a member of the Gestapo and, well, he mistreats Vianne in every way you can imagine.

Isabelle ends up being captured and is sent to Ravensbrock concentration camp. If you've read Rose Under Fire, this should sound familiar.

I cannot explain the hunger and cold and the general cruelty of the Germans, but Hannah had me shivering. What really stands out is the bravery of these women. Each in their own way. The sisters are very different and don't have a very good relationship. When Isabelle threatens Vianne's safety, she cannot understand. She thinks Isabelle is impetuous and immature. But eventually Vianne realizes that at some point you have to say "no." You have to stand up for something, even if you are putting yourself and those you love at risk.

I tend to think I'd be like Vianne. Be quiet and don't make waves. Accept your fate and just try to muddle through. But I hope, like Vianne, that I would reach a limit to my need for self-preservation and do something to stand up for what is right. I know it's difficult to predict how one would react in those exceptional circumstances.

It's a beautiful story that had me tearing up a few times. There is a present-day narrator (I won't say who) that is going to a reunion in France for those that were part of the resistance. She has never told her son, who is going with her, anything about her past.

The Nightingale is an adult book, but I would, as you can probably tell, recommend this book to anyone. I've read many of Hannah's books, but The Nightingale is by far the best. (Not that I haven't enjoyed her other novels.) If you enjoyed Rose Under Fire, or Carnegie Medal winner Tamar, I would recommend The Nightingale. And alternatively, if you're looking for something after reading The Nightingale, consider those books.

Published by St. Martin's Press, February 3, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
448 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Audio Book Review: The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom and Elizabeth and John Sherrill

What a wonderful, heartfelt story The Hiding Place is  I was captivated by this true story of real-life heroes.

Corrie ten Boom repaired watches in her father's Dutch clock shop. After the Germans invade Holland during WWII, her life changes. She becomes a leader of the underground, trying to save as many Jews as possible and keep them hidden and safe.

The story starts out and gives us the background for Corrie and her family's life. Family was always most important, and once blood relatives were gone, the ten Booms began adopting children in need. God was the center of this Christian household.

The activities that Corrie participated in after the occupation are dangerous and fascinating. She and her sister eventually end up in a prison camp for their part in the resistance, and this section of the books is heartbreaking. It wasn't just the Jews who suffered under German occupation.

Their steadfast belief in the Gospel, and their commitment to spread the word of God under dangerous conditions is truly unbelievable. I consider myself a Christian, but I'm not sure I could dig deep enough under circumstances like these, to not only become stronger in my faith, but actually give thanks for my predicament and the opportunity to minister to others! I readily admit - I'm not that good.

But I was fascinated by the attitude of these characters and the difference they made in so many lives. Even after the war, Corrie ten Boom continued to minister to those who were suffering from its effects.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about WWII and how it affected Holland. The Hiding Place would be a good one to pair with Rose Under Fire because it is about strong women using every means available to survive and assist others.

As far as the narrator, Bernadette Dunne, she was really slow. I must admit, I listened at 1.5 speed. It made her voice a little funny, but still very understandable. I just couldn't stand how SLOW it was read.

Published by Chosen Books, 1971, audio by Christian Audio
Audio book obtained from Sync YA Literature
272 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Rose Under Fire, by Elizabeth Wein

I can't believe how much I loved Rose Under Fire. You see, I really didn't like Code Name Verity at all.

Rose Under Fire is a companion novel, so it isn't necessary to have read Verity. One of the characters in Rose is a friend of one of the characters in Verity.

Rose is a U.S. civilian pilot in England, ferrying planes around for the Air Transport Auxiliary. She would love to be flying in combat, but in WWII, of course that isn't possible. The beginning of Rose Under Fire gives us the feel of the war in Europe. Although there is always the danger of the flying bombs, Rose's life is pretty exciting but mostly safe. Rose wants nothing more than to fly to Paris.

Her Uncle Roger, who got her this job because he's high up in the Royal Engineers, gives Rose her chance. He manages to get her assigned to fly him to Paris. On her way back, Rose runs into trouble, ends up in enemy territory and is captured by the Germans. She is sent to a concentration camp -- Ravensbrück, and that's where the story takes off.

Ravensbrück is where many young Polish women were experimented on by crazy doctors. They would deliberately infect them with gangrene, cut out muscle and bone, and do all sorts of other horrible things. These women were called "rabbits" and Rose became friends and somewhat of a protector to some of these women.

Life in the camp was horrible -- I'm not going to spend a lot of time on those details, but it's a special kind of society that you really need to read about. These women made so many sacrifices for each other, and plotted and schemed to save each other and really to keep their sanity. Rose recites and writes poetry. Another lady in the compound makes paper airplanes. Getting the paper was not an easy challenge! Rose Under Fire is such a multilayered story, it's impossible to explain everything in a review.

Rose Under Fire is written in a diary format, which works well for the subject. Rose is a hero, but there are many heroes in this story. The story is not totally linear, but is very easy to follow (unlike the experience I had with the disjointed narration in Verity.)

I would recommend Rose Under Fire to anyone, teen or adult, who is interested in women in the war, concentration camps, and just the resiliency of the human spirit. The book ends on a more upbeat note, and does include the Nuremberg trials of these horrible doctors.

Reading over this review, I just really didn't do this book justice. But I don't want to say more, because you have to read it to understand. Wein does a lot better job of writing than I do (hah!  Big surprise!) This book should be added to the WWII/Holocaust book lists at all of your libraries.

Published by Miramax, September 10, 2013
eARC obtained from NetGalley
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Sarah's Key

I hesitate sometimes to read any more Holocaust books.  They are so emotionally draining, and I'm not sure I want to hear it again.  But this book, Sarah's Key, adds yet another aspect to this story that I had previously not explored.  The story is about Sarah, a young child that was part of the Vel' d'Hiv' when the French police in 1942, under orders from Germany, rounded up all the Jews in Paris, and kept them under horrid conditions for six days in the Velodrome.  They were then shipped to work camps, and children were separated from their parents.  They all ended up in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

There is a contemporary story to go along with Sarah's story that makes the book much easier to read.  Julia, the narrator, is a reporter for a French newspaper and an American.  Her French husband is remodeling his grandmother's house for them to move into.  Julia, while on assignment to write about the Vel'd'Hiv', finds out that a Jewish family lived in this house prior to this event.

The two stories weave together, and it is gripping.  The author, Tatiana de Rosnay, deals with complex emotions in an effective way.  There is anguish and heartbreak.  Many people's lives are changed because of this story -- and lives in the contemporary story are still affected.  The overall message, which is easily understood, is that these events cannot be forgotten.  This book will be a hard one to forget too.