This past Monday, Jan 27, commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of prisoners from the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. I thought this would be an appropriate time to share some stories of incredible courage set in Auschwitz. Two of them are biographies/autobiographies of actual survivors, and two are fictional stories based on extensive research. Click on the titles to see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings.
Broken Strings by Eric Walters & Kathy Kacer
In a nutshell: A school production of Fiddler on the Roof leads middle school students and their families into unexpected growth and connections, learning to become better people, addressing incidents of racism, and processing the recent 9/11 attacks nearby.
More info: Shirli is hunting in her grandfather's attic for costumes and props for her middle school's production of Fiddler on the Roof. Shirli has mixed feelings about landing the role of Golde. On the one hand, it is the most important female role and her stage husband is the super popular Ben Morgan. But she really had her heart set on singing Hodel's solo. As she wrestles with her feelings, she sorts through her Zayde's attic and hits gold. Which isn't too surprising. Her family is Jewish, and her Zayde's mother actually lived the time period Fiddler is about. But at the bottom of one of the trunks Shirli finds something startling. An old violin and a poster in a foreign language showing a group of musicians and she thinks her Zayde is one of the kids holding a violin. Shirli knows her father never got to develop his musical skills like he could have because Zayde banned music from the house. When she brings down the poster and violin, Zayde reacts in surprising ways. She knew he lived through the Holocaust, but what could cause a person to react like that? Will Zayde open up, and when the production hits rocky times, who can save the show?
Extra thoughts: This is a beautiful story that will leave you with feel good tingles. It's about an old man learning to let go of past anger by sharing with his family what he experienced. It's a story of a girl connecting with her grandfather in even deeper ways. And it's a story of how an old man who lived through Auschwitz can teach some very important lessons to some middle school kids shook by 9/11 just months prior. There are also lots of great details about the musical production, and how an unlikely hero swoops in to save it when it seems destined for failure.
Target readers: Musical Fans, Historical Fiction Fans, Grandfather/Granddaughter Story Fans, Theater Story Fans, Intergenerational Friendship Story Fans, Middle School Story Fans, Feel Good Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers
The Butterfly and the Violin (Hidden Masterpiece, #1) by Kristy Cambron
In a nutshell: The hunt for an original copy of a painting of a bald woman playing a violin uncovers the story of a professional violinist sent to Auschwitz and has people contemplating life choices.
More info: In the present, Sera is somewhat consumed with finding the original painting of an Auschwitz prisoner playing the violin. Her search has led her to the Hanover estate, but she has no idea what her inquiry will set off there. It seems finding the painting is at the core of a messy inheritance settlement. She also finds herself attracted to the head of the Hanover estate, William. But she doesn't know if she can risk trusting someone with her heart again.
In early WWII Europe, Adele is Austria's sweetheart. Her amazing musical talent on the violin has landed her many appearances with the Vienna Philharmonic, and she's become somewhat of a celebrity, something her parents are thrilled with. Her father is high up in the Third Reich and he's using her to entertain at state functions, while her mother is set on her catching the eye of a nice Nazi officer. Adele, however, finds her heart leading her in other directions. A path that may have dire consequences.
As Sera and William search for the current location of the painting, they also start uncovering the history of Adele, how she ended up in Auschwitz, and what happened to her there. And the search for the painting may well teach them a thing or two about the trajectory of their lives.
Extra thoughts: The chapters in this alternate between the present, Adele's time in Auschwitz, and Adele's years leading up to that. It's a beautiful tale, and both Adele in the past and Sera and William in the present go through a lot of important personal and spiritual growth through the story. This is the first WWII story I’ve read about a musician who ended up in Auschwitz and was forced to play in the orchestra there. It was definitely a different perspective of life in the death camp.
Target readers: Dual Time Setting Fans, WWII Story Fans, Character Growth Fans, Christian Fiction Fans, Musician Story Fans, Love Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)
Impossible Escape: a True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin
In a nutshell: A biography of the first man to successfully escape from Auschwitz and make it to the Allies to report what was really going on there.
More info: A biography of Rudolf "Rudi" Vrba and Gerta Sidonová who were Jewish teens in Slovakia. Rudi was caught trying to sneak his way to Britain and is eventually sent to Auschwitz. Once he learns what is really going on there, he makes it his duty to try and escape to let the world know what is really going on. The Nazis are telling Jews they are just relocating them, they aren't telling anyone they are murdering Jews by the thousands in gas chambers. But escape from Auschwitz is well nigh impossible. Rudi himself has witnessed numerous escapees get hauled back to camp and murdered in front of the prisoners as warnings.
Gerta and her family have snuck over the border into Hungary which so far isn't under Hitler's rule. But as the days of WWII go on, the situation becomes more dangerous and Gerta may also be headed for deportation to Auschwitz.
Extra thoughts: This is a crazy true story, and it is shocking to think that without Rudi’s escape, the Nazis would have likely continued to fool the wider world even longer about what they were doing to the Jews.
Target readers: WWII Story Fans, Prison Break Story Fans, Biography Fans, Well-Written Nonfiction Fans, Crazy True Story Fans, YA Readers (though definitely of interest to adult readers too).
The Twins of Auschwitz: the Inspiring True Story of a Young Girl Surviving Mengele's Hell by Eva Mozes Kor with Lisa Rojany Buccieri
In a nutshell: An autobiography of a girl who with her twin survived Dr. Mengele’s horrible experiments in Auschwitz.
More info: Eva Mozes Kor had a charmed childhood until the Nazis came. Her father ran a big farm that produced many fruits and vegetables. Their mother doted on her girls, especially her youngest twins, Eva and Miriam. The arrival of Nazi propaganda started making their life in Romania progressively more unbearable until the day they were forced into a train car and taken to Auschwitz. Upon their arrival, Dr. Mengele noticed the twins and saved them from the gas chambers that the rest of their family were sent to. But their lives were spared only for Dr. Mengele's twisted medical experiments. Eva shares how she survived that experience.
Extra thoughts: This is a moving story of sisterly love and tenacity of spirit in the face of horrible circumstances. It is told from a child-like voice, so it isn’t as awful as it could have been. It is moving and sobering without being overly grotesque. The larger font size also means it is a fairly quick read. I imagine it would have been difficult for Eva to tell her story, but it sounds like she wanted her story out, even early on so it wouldn't be repeated. (I recommend reading the notes at the back.)
Target readers: Autobiography Fans, WWII Story Fans, Quick Read Fans, Sisterly Love Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers/YA Readers
