Book Review: The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World by Eliza Boxer and Alianna Rozentsveig

The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World
by Elisa Boxer (author) and Alianna Rozentsveig (illutrator) (j 940.531 Box)

This is an attractive little non-fiction historical book for youth readers, done in picture book format, written by Elisa Boxer with illustrations by Alianna Rozentsveig. It tells a story that begins during World War II in the Terezin concentration camp but which has repercussions through today.

 

Jewish teacher Irma Lauscher risked breaking protocols in the camp by asking one of the other prisoner workers to smuggle in a tree sapling, which she could use to give the children in the camp a project to occupy their time. That fellow worker managed to conceal a small maple tree sapling in his boot as he returned to the camp one evening. Irma and her illicit class of students planted the sapling and each child shared part of their meager daily allotment of water to help the small tree flourish.

 

The book details how the tree survived, and its seeds have been shared around the world, to create other trees that are offspring of the original — to show that even during the worst possible hardships, it is possible to keep something alive through love and concerted efforts.

 

This was a moving story, and one I’d never heard about before reading the book. It provides a marvelous introduction to children on a difficult subject. And the art is terrific. Strongly recommended.

 

( official Elisa Boxer web site ) | ( official Alianna Rozentsveig web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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The Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

The Prisoner of Night and Fog
by Anne Blankman [YA Blankman] 

1930’s Munich is a dangerous place for most, but Gretchen Müller has grown up in the National Socialist Party, and is protected from those worries by her “uncle” Dolf. Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler, who became Gretchen’s sort-of-guardian when Gretchen’s father traded his own life for Adolf’s, and she is now his favorite, his pet. When Gretchen meets a Jewish reporter named Daniel, who has crazy ideas about the Party and uncle Dolf, Gretchen does not want to listen, but in curious when some of Daniel’s stories seem to make more sense than what she has always been told. Gretchen must examine her heart, and decide who to believe.

I really appreciated this book, because most of the books which are based off the Holocaust are from the viewpoint of Jews, or those who were sympathetic to them. This book is different in that Gretchen is German, and part of the National Socialist Party. It gives an insight into what life may have been like for Germans who were not in agreement with everything that was done during that time.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke, also by Anne Blankman, The Tyrant’s Daughter, by J.C. Carleson or Code Name: Verity, by Elizabeth Wein.]

[ official Prisoner of Night and Fog page on the official Anne Blankman web site ]

Recommended by Marie P.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition (on CD)

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl – The Definitive Edition
by Anne Frank [Compact Disc Biography Frank] 

Despite the fact that Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl shows up on a lot of lists of required reading at various schools, I had some reached my mid-fifties without reading this historically noteworthy book. So, when I found the audiobook (Book-on-CD) format of this “Definitive Edition” on the New Items display at the downtown library, I figured it was finally time to check this one off of my must-read list.

I’m glad I did — this is a compelling and thought-provoking book, and one which I recommend to everyone interested in history and the personal impact that large-scale events can have on each of us. This definitive edition reprints the classic work, but includes portions that have been edited out of previous releases. Anne’s diary effectively reveals the claustrophobic fear of a group of people thrown together under extremely stressful conditions and having to remain hidden, or risk losing their lives. It also highlights the dangerous heroism of the helpers they had in the outside world, who provided them with food and supplies and helped to keep them hidden. On top of that, it is a coming-of-age story of a young girl, dealing with the typical issues that a 13-15 year old might face, including personal relationships, rapidly fluctuating emotions, and difficult connections with parents.

While listening to this audiobook, I did some online research to find out the fates of the main individuals in Anne’s story. Even though it was fully expected, it was appalling to learn how many of them did not survive the war, mostly dying or being executed in the concentration camps. The fact that Anne’s diary survived, and can be shared, is a testimony to the courage and resourcefulness of those who found and hid it, and then returned it to Anne’s father after the war.

This audiobook version is extremely well done, however I do have one complaint. Selma Blair is fine as an audiobook narrator, but she would have been in her late 30s at the time this was recorded prior to its 2010 release. This book should have been audio narrated by a teenager, to provide more of a sense of authenticity. Hearing an obviously mature woman speak some of Anne’s personal and private thoughts just rings a bit false. Otherwise, however, I found this to be compelling reading/listening, and highly recommend it.

[ Wikipedia page for Diary of a Young Girl ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Denial (on DVD)

Denial
[DVD Denial] 

Denial is an excellent film based on true-life events as recorded in the book “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier” by Historian Deborah Lipstadt, portrayed by actress Rachel Weisz. The story itself is a fascinating look at the British Judicial system as seen through the eyes of a Jewish-American Professor who must prove in court that the Holocaust really did happen after being slammed with a lawsuit by British Historian David Irving. Timothy Spall, a veteran English actor, plays the part of David Irving who represents himself in this riveting trial about the Holocaust in World War II. Spall does an incredible job of showing Irving’s point of view throughout the trial, even when pitted againt Lawyer Richard Rampton as portrayed by the excellent British actor Tom Wilkinson. My favorite role in this film was played by Andrew Scott, the actor who played Moriarty in the TV series “Sherlock.” It was interesting to see him in a different role as the lawyer Anthony Julius who represented Princess Diana in her divorce from Prince Charles. All in all, this is one of the best movies I have seen so far this year. I highly recommend it!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the DVDS of Schindler’s List, The Book Thief.] [Also available in traditional print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Denial web site from the BBC ]

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Maus: A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Maus: A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History
by Art Spiegelman [940.531 Spi]

Maus I is the first of two graphic novels (the second being Maus II: and here my troubles began) detailing the life of Art Spiegelman's father, Vladek, a Polish-Jewish holocaust survivor. These are extremely important books in terms of what they do for the medium of comics as well as the history of the holocaust. As a cartoonist, Spiegelman's prior work had been extremely avante garde, experimental, and difficult to parse, but Maus marks a change towards something more concrete. The style is rough but straightforward, opting to deliver its story efficiently. To contrast this, however, Spiegelman has chosen to depict the various European ethnicities as having the faces of different species of animals. The most poignant example being: Jews are depicted as mice, Germans as cats. This achieves two aims. 1) It highlights the racist/anti-semitic attitudes of mid-century Europe, and 2) it simplifies the face of each character to the point where we are able as readers to put ourselves in that place. Maus is a necessary read for anyone wishing to understand the narrative power of comics, as well as any student of history. Each page is a carefully diagrammed account, taking us step-by-step through Vladek Spiegelman's ordeal as told through a series of interviews with his son. These accounts are punctuated with scenes of the present, detailing the complicated and infuriating relationship between Art and his father. I'll say it again more simply: you need to read this book right now. -- recommended by Ben F. - South Branch Library

[Also available : The second volume Maus II: A Survivor's tale - And Here My Troubles Began.]

[ Wikipedia page for Art Spiegelman ] | [ official Art Spiegelman and the Making of Maus web site from PBS ]

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New Booktalk Booklist - Never Again

Jim W., from the Gere Branch Library, presented an all-new booktalk at Bethany Branch on October 22nd, 2010 and and will be presenting the same talk at Gere Branch on April 18th, 2011, which includes both fiction and non-fiction for adults and youth, related to the Jewish Holocaust during World War II.

His list of titles -- Never Again -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Check it out for some good reading and/or research suggestions!

Paper Clips

Paper Clips
[DVD 940.531 Pap]

This is an out of the ordinary documentary, about a rural high school class in Tennessee and how they set out to collect 6 million paper clips, representing the 6 million Holocaust victims of World War II. When the news spread on the internet about this project, paper clips came pouring in. Some paper clips came individually. Some came in by the box loads. People, who sent paper clips, often wrote stories about the memory of a loved one that had died in the Holocaust. The climax of this project to me was when they invited Holocaust victims from New York to come to their school and talk about their experiences. The stories brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience, and created a special bond between the young students and the aging victims. The fact that the students were able to acquire a rail car that transported thousands of people to the concentration camps, and used that rail car to display all of the paperclips, was the culmination of the project. -- recommended by Patty L. - Walt Branch Library


[ Internet Movie Database page for this film ] [ official Paper Clips web site ]
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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.