A
friend and I were recently discussing Holocaust books for young adults. During
our conversation, she mentioned The
Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. I told her that I dislike The Devil’s Arithmetic. In fact, I wish
that my son’s middle school did not offer it as an option for literature
circles. Of course my friend asked me why I felt this way. It occurred to me
that my answer might make a good blog entry.
To
begin, let me state that there are other of Yolen’s books that I enjoy and
believe are worth teaching. The Devil’s
Arithmetic just isn’t one of them. The novel is an odd combination of historical
fiction and fantasy that tells the story of a Jewish girl named Hannah. At the
start of the novel as her family shares stories during a Seder meal, Hannah
feels the ennui typical of teenagers. During the evening, Hannah opens the door
of her home and is transported back in time to 1942 Poland. The reader follows Hannah
through the remainder of the novel as she attempts to survive as a Jew under
Nazi occupation. Absurd premise? I thought so. Reading the book didn’t sway my
opinion.
I
wouldn’t stop a young person from choosing The
Devil’s Arithmetic for pleasure reading, even though I think there are
better choices. My primary objection to the book stems from the fact that some
schools choose it for instruction; this lends legitimacy to the novel it
doesn’t deserve. The time-travel element of The
Devil’s Arithmetic s is contrived and trivializes the subject. The
Holocaust and fantasy do not mix well.
For
upper elementary readers, Lois Lowry’s novel Number the Stars is a fine choice. Generally speaking, however, my
position is that there are so many excellent Holocaust memoirs, biographies,
and non-fiction options, I simply don’t see why a novel is necessary or
justified as an instructional choice. A sampling of my non-fiction favorites
for grades 7-9 are listed below. I invite you to respond to this blog with
suggestions of your own favorite books for teaching the Holocaust to secondary
students.
Dry Tears: The
Story of a Lost Childhood by Nechama Tec
This is the true story of how
eleven-year-old Nechama and her family were hidden by Polish Christians.
Because Nechama could most easily “pass” as Christian, she was sent out to sell
bread to help support her family. This is a suspenseful story that illustrates
the dangers for Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland and the conflicting motivations of
Poles who chose to help their Jewish neighbors.
Behind the Secret
Window: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood During World War Two by Nelly S.
Toll
Nelly was only eight-years-old in 1943
when she and her mother went into hiding with a Polish couple. To keep Nelly
occupied and quiet during the long and boring days, she was supplied with
materials to paint and keep a diary. Twenty-nine of these childhood paintings
illustrate this memoir.
Four Perfect
Pebbles: A Holocaust Story by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan
I don’t feel that the Holocaust should
be taught to students as young as sixth grade. If your school’s curriculum
mandates that instruction begin at that age, this book would be a good choice.
The book tells the story of the Blumenthall family and features two sections of
historical photos, family photos, and photos of family documents. The
Blumenthals are German Jews. Like Anne Frank’s family, they sense danger when
Hitler comes to power and emigrate to the Netherlands. Eventually, of course,
they are trapped. This is a “happy” Holocaust book in the sense that all four
family members manage to stay together throughout their ordeal and survive to
liberation. The story follows the family members through their resettlement to
life in the United States. There is a companion video called Marion’s Triumph.
Surviving
Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by Andrea Warren
This book is a favorite because it tells
the story of Jack Mandelbaum, a Kansas City area Holocaust survivor and a
co-founder of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. The award-winning
author, Andrea Warren, lives in Prairie Village, Kansas. Jack endured several
slave labor camps and the loss of almost all of his family members. However, he
does not lose his humanity. His love of people suffuses the text and makes it a
wonderful choice for middle schoolers. Jack’s testimony is available on video
from MCHE.
All But My
Life: A Memoir by Gerda Weissmann Klein
A striking characteristic of this memoir
is the elegance of the language. Klein wrote it in English – her third or
fourth language. Gerda endures imprisonment in her own home, relocation to a
ghetto, and slave labor in several different camps. Toward the end of the war,
Gerda is forced on a death march. This is a compelling story and has a
companion film titled One Survivor
Remembers which won an Academy Award.
In My Hands:
Memoirs of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opduke with Jennifer Armstrong
Irene Gut was a seventeen-year-old
Polish girl when WWII began. She was forced to work for the German army as a
waitress and eventually as a housekeeper for a Nazi major. Against all odds,
she successfully hid twelve Jews in the basement of the major’s home until the
end of the war. In My Hands is the
story of the sacrifices Irene made to save these lives.
The Life and
Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin
I realize this may seem like an odd
choice. Every year I have at least one middle school student who is fascinated
with Adolf Hitler; you may also have students with this interest. This is the
book I would recommend you hand to them. Giblin won the Robert F. Siebert Medal for this text which is given annually to the author(s) and
illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the
United States in English. The book is even-handed and does not glorify
Hitler in any way. It dispels many common myths about the man and addresses his
destructive legacy.
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