The Librarian of Auschwitz

First book of 2018!!! And why I decided to pick a book that would pull my heart out of my chest and stomp on it, I’ll never know! I got this book for Christmas and I couldn’t wait to pick it up. The cover is gorgeous, its based on a true story, and its all about books. As much as I’ve studied the Holocaust and Auschwitz, I don’t think I’ve ever read about the family camp or the children’s school. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve read an account of day to day life in Auschwitz, other than the constant stream into the gas chambers. This book does a great job of capturing the feelings of the prisoners. In other accounts, it seems that all you can feel is the fear and despair. But in The Librarian, there’s a sense of hope that never seems to be extinguished. Dr. Mengele could easily fit in as the villain in any horror story and be completely believable and terror-inducing. Yet Dita refuses to be cowed. Fredy, instead of looking out for his own interests and well-being like most leaders of that time did, successfully ran a school for hundreds of kids, in the middle of the most deadly extermination camp the Nazis ever set up! How our youth of today manage to “survive” in this world of mean, offensive people, I’ll never know! *cough*sarcasm*cough* There were so many feelings in this book! I was inspired, heartbroken, excited, scared, frustrated, angry . . . I thought I was going to burst. This is another fiction book that reads like non-fiction. Iturbe researched extensively and spent a lot of time with Dita before writing. The Postscript was actually my favorite part of the whole book because it was wonderful to hear about what kind of person Dita grew up to be. Pretty sure she is my new hero and will remain in that position forever! I would save this for slightly older teens, keep it in high school classrooms and libraries. But every single high school history teacher should have this book on their shelves. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, history, or just an inspiring story. I would also suggest that every single high schooler read this book. An easy 5 stars! “Books are extremely dangerous; they make people think.”

Very moving book. Held my interest to the last page.

I liked this book. I just didn’t love it. I have read numerous WWII books and this one just seems a little slow for me. It got very interesting towards the end but I just felt like majority of the book was just okay.

It is beyond the imagination how people could survive their hellish life in such a horrid place as Auschwitz. To survive is miraculous. To go on to live a “normal life” is just the proof that they won against the evil Holocaust. A very excellent story of survival. I highly recommend this excellent book.

Where this book took a few chapters to really reel me in, I settled in and let the book get in my bones. The reason this book might feel a bit choppy or random at times, is because it's written as a firsthand account of a young teen. It's really a coming-of-age story of a girl figuring out the tough facts of life as she goes through the most senseless acts of violence and murder in history. This book not only follows her life, but the life of some of her family members, friends, and other children and Jewish leaders and Resistance members in the camp. It's written bluntly and to the point, just like a teen would react. I had never read a perspective like this and learned so much about the children, and family camp, which I hadn't known before. I appreciated how she delved into the character and bravery of so many different people. Some showed this bravery in incredibly daring ways, and others in quiet, peaceful ways. This book reads like a YA novel, but is compelling and heartbreaking throughout, yet it made my heart sore to celebrate this girl's undying spirit that brought hope to so many. Amazing book.

Super good book!!

Good graphics and great story.

“Brave people are not the ones who aren’t afraid. Those are reckless people who ignore the risk; they put themselves and others in danger. That’s not the sort of person I want on my team. I need the ones who know the risk—whose legs shake, but who carry on.” Some consider running a secret school and library inside of Auschwitz an act of useless bravery. I am more inclined to agree with the author of this book who found the real-life story of Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus to be one that can inspire and challenge us to think differently. Though a work of fiction, this novel is based on facts and will both educate and deeply move you.