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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dita Kraus has an incredible story. I also really loved Freddy Hirsch. “A book is like a trapdoor that leads to a secret attic: You can open it and go inside. And your world is different.” ― Antonio Iturbe, The Librarian of Auschwitz
I read Dita Kraus´ autobiography A Delayed Life before this book, which flavored my experience with this one. The first half of the book is not about the Holocaust per se, but is a story of romance and betrayal and mystery set in Auschwitz. The second half of the book is about the Holocaust, more along the lines of Night. It doesn´t focus as much on interpersonal relationships, for reasons which are clear in the novel. The writer pulls no punches--the descriptions are graphic and there is no subtlety regarding Dr. Mengele and his work. Certainly adult content or older adolescent. The description of Bergen-Belsen, a name familiar to anyone who has read Anne Frank, is stomach-churning
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“It wasn’t an extensive library. In fact, it consisted of eight books… But they were books. In this incredibly dark place, they were a reminder of less sombre times, when words rang out more loudly than machine guns…”
Based on the real-life of Dita Kraus, Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau. But Dita becomes the secret librarian of the camp, tasked with taking charge of the small collection of precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards. But books are extremely dangerous as they make people think… ✨
As a lover of books, I was amazed to find out there was a secret library within Auschwitz. I was in awe of Dita and the risks she took in order to provide escapism to the imprisoned. I found parts of the book to be confusing and hard to follow as it jumped to different time periods. This book will stay with me for a long time. 3
Based on the real-life of Dita Kraus, Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz-Birkenau. But Dita becomes the secret librarian of the camp, tasked with taking charge of the small collection of precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards. But books are extremely dangerous as they make people think… ✨
As a lover of books, I was amazed to find out there was a secret library within Auschwitz. I was in awe of Dita and the risks she took in order to provide escapism to the imprisoned. I found parts of the book to be confusing and hard to follow as it jumped to different time periods. This book will stay with me for a long time. 3
I received this ARC through a MacMillan/Shelf Awareness giveaway:
This Librarian of Auschwitz is marketed as a novel but it reads as creative nonfiction in the journalistic style of Susan Orlean. Interviews with the real Dita Kraus and information from the interviews with Rudolph Rosenberg (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11361327/Rudolf-Vrba-The-man-who-revealed-the-horror-of-Auschwitz-to-the-world.html) make the novel more true than not. Anne Frank and her sister show up in the book as well. The narrative quality of the writing makes it a little difficult to ascertain what portions of the book are fictitious (but we can assume that specific conversations, some scenes, character actions and reactions have been embellished for the story). I would have liked an author's note that makes clear to teen readers what is true and what is not.
The specifics of the Holocaust is horrendously and horrifically true, yet teenager Dita's amazing story as protectorate of books for the children of the "family camp" (http://www.holocaust.cz/en/history/events/the-terezin-family-camp-in-auschwitz-birkenau/) school was new to me. Her strength and the strength of those around her in the face of their inhumane treatment is inspiring and humbling. Dita, the other children, and their teachers find refuge in the stories and facts from the few illicit books they have and hide. It is this refuge, it seems, that allows Dita to hold on to her own humanity and to stand up for others. The novel is truly an ode to the power of books. If you liked "The Book Thief," "The Librarian of Auschwitz" will keep you up all night reading.
Henry Holt/MacMillan has a teacher's guide here: https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9781627796187TG.pdf
This Librarian of Auschwitz is marketed as a novel but it reads as creative nonfiction in the journalistic style of Susan Orlean. Interviews with the real Dita Kraus and information from the interviews with Rudolph Rosenberg (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11361327/Rudolf-Vrba-The-man-who-revealed-the-horror-of-Auschwitz-to-the-world.html) make the novel more true than not. Anne Frank and her sister show up in the book as well. The narrative quality of the writing makes it a little difficult to ascertain what portions of the book are fictitious (but we can assume that specific conversations, some scenes, character actions and reactions have been embellished for the story). I would have liked an author's note that makes clear to teen readers what is true and what is not.
The specifics of the Holocaust is horrendously and horrifically true, yet teenager Dita's amazing story as protectorate of books for the children of the "family camp" (http://www.holocaust.cz/en/history/events/the-terezin-family-camp-in-auschwitz-birkenau/) school was new to me. Her strength and the strength of those around her in the face of their inhumane treatment is inspiring and humbling. Dita, the other children, and their teachers find refuge in the stories and facts from the few illicit books they have and hide. It is this refuge, it seems, that allows Dita to hold on to her own humanity and to stand up for others. The novel is truly an ode to the power of books. If you liked "The Book Thief," "The Librarian of Auschwitz" will keep you up all night reading.
Henry Holt/MacMillan has a teacher's guide here: https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9781627796187TG.pdf
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No