The Librarian of Auschwitz
The Librarian of Auschwitz is my most recent read and boy was it something!
Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz. Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.
In high school, WWII was one of my favorite topics to study, not because I am a sadist, but because my grandfather was in the navy at that time and because my grandma lived during that time, I felt some what of a connection to the story. No they were not Jews or in camps, they lived here in America and had their own sufferings but none the less, I have enjoyed learning about this time in life and have taken seriously the lesson of what madness can drive people to.
In this day and age, books are taken for advantage. We forget how sacred and what jewels they are. We can so easily walk into a book store or into a library or order on line or on our devices any books of our choosing.
This book reminded me that not everyone has that luxury. During the war, kids and adults were starved for books and Dita Kraus made it possible with Fredy Hirsch to deliver books to the children and teachers there. This young girl was willing to risk her life for her few precious books.
This book also reminds us how horrid Auschwitz was and what suffering people went through. They weren't just adults that were locked up and enslaved, they were old people and children, families torn apart.
I think it is so important for this novel to become school reading material. Like Anne Frank was there to connect with kids, so was Dita.
Again, at times this book is very slow paced but I do highly recommend it to everyone.
