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
