Synergy: The Holocaust

The Holocaust was the systematic murder of millions of Jews during World War II. This genocide occurred between 1941 and 1945 across German-occupied Europe. Although primarily focused on the Jewish population, mass-killings of other relatively small, targeted populations also occurred during the Holocaust era.

Read the three recently published books for youth, then learn more at the websites:

THE BOY WHO FOLLOWED HIS FATHER INTO AUSCHWITZ by Jeremy Dronfield is a work of nonfiction narrative adapted for young readers. Based on primary resources including a diary and interviews, readers learn about the challenges faced by two brothers who experienced the Holocaust very differently. ARC courtesy of Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

HARBORING HOPE by Susan Hood tells the true story of Henny Sinding who saved Danish Jews during the Holocaust. Written for middle grade and young adult readers, the nonfiction novel-in-verse shares the essential role of resistance fighters during Germany’s occupation of Denmark. The book includes primary sources, photographs, and additional information to extend the experience. ARC courtesy of HarperCollins.

QUESTIONS I AM ASKED ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST by Hedi Fried is a young reader’s edition of an autobiographical text for adults. The book is organized around dozens of questions that provide young people with unique insights into the challenges this Auschwtiz survivor faced during and after the Holocaust. The book concludes with background information and context. ARC courtesy of Scribble US, an imprint of Ingram Publisher Services.

The HOLOCAUST ENCYCLOPEDIA is a reference database from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This searchable resource provides access to thousands of articles and primary source documents.

To search the database, go to https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.

YAD VASHEM: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center is a website sharing information about the Holocaust, digital collections, and a database of victims.

To explore the website, go to https://www.yadvashem.org/.

Timely Take-Aways for Life-Long Learning: Auschwitz

 

The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters’ Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory

Roxane van Iperen, August 2021, HarperCollins

Themes: history, Jewish, World War II, Holocaust

The Auschwitz Photographer: The Forgotten Story of the WWII Prisoner Who Documented Thousands of Lost Souls

Luca Crippa, Maurizio Onnis, Jennifer Higgins (translated by)

September 2021, Sourcebooks

Themes: history, biography, survival, World War II, Holocaust

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive

Lucy Adlington, September 2021, HarperCollins

Themes: history, Jewish, World War II, Holocaust

Since the end of World War II, many nonfiction works have shared the horrific atrocities of Auschwitz. However, three recent titles explore the Holocaust from unusual perspectives including a photographer, dressmakers, and sisters. These powerful stories chronicle the variety of ways prisoners were able to survive.

THE SISTERS OF AUSCHWITZ shares the story of two sisters who joined the Dutch Resistance. From publishing an underground newspaper to hiding refugees, they were working at a resistance center when betrayed and sent to Auschwitz.

THE DRESSMAKERS OF AUSCHWITZ examines the experiences of seamstresses who survived the gas chambers by creating high fashion dresses for elite Nazi women. At the same time, these brave women played a role in camp resistance.

THE AUSCHWITZ PHOTOGRAPHER tells the true story of Wilhelm Brasse who recorded the horrors of the deadliest concentration camp in WWII. He was first assigned to the photographic identification unit and later to Josef Mengele’s horrific laboratory. He survived by taking 50,000 photographs over a five year period.

Let’s explore seven timely take-aways for life-long learners:

1. Jewish sisters Janny and Lien Brilleslijper were active in the Dutch resistance. They were with Anne Frank and her family on the train to Auschwitz.
2. The High Nest is an example of a secret refuge near Amsterdam that served as an important safe house during World War II.
3. The Upper Tailoring Studio was a fashion workshop housed at Auschwitz and created to cater to the wives of SS officers and Berlin’s wealthy Nazis.
4. Two dozen women prisoners sewed elegant gowns from fabrics and clothing plundered from across Europe.
5. Wilhelm Brasse was able to save thousands of photographs that provided evidence of Nazi atrocities including human experiments.
6. Upon entering Auschwitz, identity portrait photographs were taken of each prisoner including from the front and each side.
7. From nurses and dressmakers to photographers, those who were selected to work at Auschwitz were more likely to survive than other prisoners.

Timely Take-Aways for Life-Long Learning

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb, Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals

Synergy: Grand Prix Racing

Grand Prix racing is a motorsport competition that began at the turn of the 20th century in France. Today, it’s known as formula racing.

Read the recently published books, then learn more at the websites:

THE RACERS by Neal Bascomb is a young readers’ adaptation of the adult title FASTER. It tells the true story of how an outcast driver, an American heiress, and a legendary car beat Hitler’s best. The combination of fascinating characters, world history, and racing will appeal to a broad audience. This well-research title incorporates historical photos, maps, and detailed race information. Teens with an interest in racing may prefer to read the adult edition.

To learn more about Rene Dreyfus, go to https://bit.ly/3j0YMCX.

To learn more about Lucy O’Reilly-Schell, go to https://bit.ly/2YtvZNO

To watch a video from the 1938 Grand Prix de Pau, got to https://youtu.be/LgiYUlEcTlE.

To watch a discussion with the author, go to https://youtu.be/5wUXihroUEk.

ARC courtesy of Focus, an imprint of Scholastic.

Technology Review: Yiddish Book Center

The YIDDISH BOOK CENTER is a comprehensive website providing information about language, literature, and culture.

The website contains access to collections, information sources, educational programs, and more.

The Digital Library and Collections area provides over 11,000 titles including oral histories, lectures, audiobooks, and other materials in Yiddish. Of particular interest are 800 children’s literature titles.

The Language, Literature, and Culture section provides articles, podcast interviews, and short films.

Librarians will find this to be a useful resource for students interested in exploring Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture.

To visit the website, go to https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/.

Book Review: The Hired Girl

THE HIRED GIRL by Laura Amy Schlitz is an engaging work of historical fiction aimed at tweens.

Set in 1911, fourteen-year old Joan runs away from her oppressive home in rural Pennsylvania hoping to reinvent herself as a hired girl in the city of Baltimore. Pretending to be an eighteen-year-old named Janet Lovelace, she lands a job as a housekeeper in a Jewish home. As she strives to learn more about her Catholic heritage, she also becomes familiar with Jewish tradition.

Most young readers will enjoy the conversational style of the diary format. With a hint of flirty romance and a focus on period clothing, librarians will find that the book is of more interest to girls than boys. However, it will have a wide readership among youth who enjoy reading the classics and are attracted to a protagonist who has a passion for reading.

Many works of fiction for youth avoid conversations about religion, however this novel is filled with thought-provoking discussions of culture, philosophy, and religion including concerns about anti-semitism and the role of religion in society.

Published by Candlewick on September 8, 2015.

Book Review: Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army

UNLIKELY WARRIOR: A JEWISH SOLDIER IN HITLER’S ARMY by George Rauch is a fascinating memoir tracing a teen’s experience as a soldier and prisoner-of-war during World War II.

As a young adult in Nazi-occupied Austria, Georg was forced to serve in the German army. Hitler needed able-bodied soldiers to fight his war, so Georg was drafted despite his Jewish ancestry and opposition to the war. As a radio operator in the infantry, Georg was determined to stay alive while facing gunfire, starvation, illness, and often brutal weather conditions.

Organized into three sections, the book explores his life in the trenches, as a prisoner-of-war, and as a refugee heading home. The compelling story moves quickly containing enough action to keep young adults at the edge of their seats. Without getting deep into the social and political aspects of the war, the memoir does a masterful job helping young readers understand the fear and frustrations Georg experienced while being caught between countries and cultures.

The story is told through a combination of the author’s recollections along with the many carefully archived letters he sent to his mother. This use of primary source documents will be particularly appeal to history teachers. Personal photographs, a map and timeline also provide useful information to readers.

Intended for youth ages 12 and up, this first-person account will be popular with students interested in learning more about war from a non-traditional perspective.

Librarians will find this young adult memoir to be an excellent addition to the library collection. Consider working with English and History teachers to build the book into literature circles related to World War II.

Published by Farrar, Stauss & Giroux on February 24, 2015. A publisher ARC was used for the review.