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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
It doesn't feel right to give this book a rating, somehow, since it was a true story of someone's life, even if it was written as a narrative. Also, I'm not entirely clear about how I feel about the book in general. It would be lying to say I enjoyed it, and that would somehow feel cruel to me. It would also be lying to say I'm sorry I read it. What I can tell you is that, mostly, this book stirred my heart at the same that I found myself wishing I liked it better.
I had a hard time connecting to this book at first. I listened to the audiobook, and I think part of the problem was that I was caught off guard by the heavily accented English the performer read with, and it took me out of the story somewhat at first even though I'm sure she was going for authenticity.
I also struggled because, honestly, I thought this book was going to be fictional at first. A dear friend recommended this book before her passing a few years ago, and all I had was the title scribbled down and a memory that she said I'd like it. I came into this book expecting a cohesive, linear plot, probably full of intrigue and mystery - essentially a gripping and even heartbreaking fictional tale of adventure inspired by a love of books and set in a concentration camp. Because this book is a true story (with a few creative liberties, I'm sure), there...wasn't exactly a plot. Any time I thought, "Ah, there it is!" about some mystery, event, villain, or occurrence, it was fairly swiftly dealt with and put away. That makes complete and total sense given that this was someone's real life, but it does not feel the same as a fictional story because the events are not as defined. There is not one overarching plot - it's a narrative biographical memoir of the life of someone truly remarkable who lived in Auschwitz. If this were fiction, it would be a boring book. However, remembering that these were real people and real events was so sobering that, as I listened, I often sobbed into my hands or dripped tears onto the laundry I was trying to fold.
I would recommend not going into this book lightly. It's not a quick, easy read, it isn't a feel-good story, and it's not gripping in the way that fictional books are. This would be an excellent book for perhaps a late high school or college student to read alongside studying about WWII, or for someone who understands fully what they are getting into, but it shouldn't just be casually picked up for your summer reading list. It is appalling, painful, and hard to read, but it taught me much I did not know and still cannot fully comprehend about life inside Auschwitz and the realities people endured at that time, and for that, I'm glad I read it.
I had a hard time connecting to this book at first. I listened to the audiobook, and I think part of the problem was that I was caught off guard by the heavily accented English the performer read with, and it took me out of the story somewhat at first even though I'm sure she was going for authenticity.
I also struggled because, honestly, I thought this book was going to be fictional at first. A dear friend recommended this book before her passing a few years ago, and all I had was the title scribbled down and a memory that she said I'd like it. I came into this book expecting a cohesive, linear plot, probably full of intrigue and mystery - essentially a gripping and even heartbreaking fictional tale of adventure inspired by a love of books and set in a concentration camp. Because this book is a true story (with a few creative liberties, I'm sure), there...wasn't exactly a plot. Any time I thought, "Ah, there it is!" about some mystery, event, villain, or occurrence, it was fairly swiftly dealt with and put away. That makes complete and total sense given that this was someone's real life, but it does not feel the same as a fictional story because the events are not as defined. There is not one overarching plot - it's a narrative biographical memoir of the life of someone truly remarkable who lived in Auschwitz. If this were fiction, it would be a boring book. However, remembering that these were real people and real events was so sobering that, as I listened, I often sobbed into my hands or dripped tears onto the laundry I was trying to fold.
I would recommend not going into this book lightly. It's not a quick, easy read, it isn't a feel-good story, and it's not gripping in the way that fictional books are. This would be an excellent book for perhaps a late high school or college student to read alongside studying about WWII, or for someone who understands fully what they are getting into, but it shouldn't just be casually picked up for your summer reading list. It is appalling, painful, and hard to read, but it taught me much I did not know and still cannot fully comprehend about life inside Auschwitz and the realities people endured at that time, and for that, I'm glad I read it.
4.5 stars
Okay, this book was actually incredible. I had to read it for school and I do not regret it. There were so many amazing and devastating quotes that made me just stare at a wall for a second.
But I am not going to lie, the first 200 pages were somewhat boring but picked up towards the end, especially the last 50 pages.
Age rating: 14+
Okay, this book was actually incredible. I had to read it for school and I do not regret it. There were so many amazing and devastating quotes that made me just stare at a wall for a second.
But I am not going to lie, the first 200 pages were somewhat boring but picked up towards the end, especially the last 50 pages.
Age rating: 14+
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Un libro muy bien informado y detallado, que en las descripciones te traslada a Auschwitz y a los otros campos de concentración con sus horribles sucesos. Es una de las muchas denuncias de los campos de concentración nazis, que siempre te impresionan con un punto diferente en el que a la vez defiende la cultura y el conocimiento como arma del pueblo contra las dictaduras.
Structured in a way reminiscent of epics: there are a lot of characters over a large period of time. The titular librarian, Dita, serves as the connective tissue for all of the people suffering at Auschwitz. At first, this book's crosscutting of time and of people can be an adjustment. It doesn't take too long to understand it, and this choice works well — the people of Auschwitz live in the camp but their minds wander to the solace of memory. Books serve as a balm to the suffering; books are an act of defiance. Everything decays in the camp but the books ignite a spark within to keep them alive.
Humans living under one of the most inhumane, evil regimes ever. They want these people to die and their refusal to die is their greatest rebellion. The book succeeds in spades in dramatizing the lives and culture lost by the actions of Germany and the complicity of the world. This evil consumed millions. It's on us to stop these rising flames of hatred and bigotry again.
Are we the last ones left alive?
Are we the only human beings
To survive?…
Humans living under one of the most inhumane, evil regimes ever. They want these people to die and their refusal to die is their greatest rebellion. The book succeeds in spades in dramatizing the lives and culture lost by the actions of Germany and the complicity of the world. This evil consumed millions. It's on us to stop these rising flames of hatred and bigotry again.
Are we the last ones left alive?
Are we the only human beings
To survive?…
Difficult. Important. Emotional. Necessary. These are just a few words that describe this book. While it was a sometimes painful read, we must keep reading. We must remember the horrors real people experienced during the Holocaust and never let it happen again.
I feel bad for only rating this three stars, because I think the story itself is important. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. The dialogue was a bit choppy and didn't seem natural, though that may have been due to the translation. For a book loosely based on real events, the story was a bit slow at times. I don't feel like it truly did justice to the horrors that occurred at Auschwitz.
I struggled with what to rate this book. I really liked it, for a lot of reasons: I really liked the fact that it was based on a true story about a side of Auschwitz I didn’t know anything about - the family camp created for propaganda to show to international observers, the school for children within the family camp, and the young woman who lovingly protected their library of 8 forbidden booms. I really liked that (unlike the truly terrible book The Tattooist of Auschwitz and many other YA Holocaust novels) this book didn’t flinch away from the true horrors of the camp and described the pain, suffering, terror, and death that the prisoners, even those in the “family camp” were subjected to. I really liked that it told stories of successful and unsuccessful resistance. But, the story felt choppy to me. I think the book tried to do too much, tell too many stories, and be too expository all at once. I think using the omniscient narrator didn’t help, the writing style seemed to swing between factual and prosaic too quickly without any reason. This is also a translated book, so perhaps some of the choppiness is due to the translation. Overall, though it was a really good read and a really important addition to YA fiction about the Holocaust. If this is a continuing trend in the field, I look forward to more successful offerings in the genre.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced