Making better literature choices

I having been teaching the Holocaust in my 8^th grade language arts classes. During our unit, many students have come to class brimming with excitement to tell me and each other about “the best book” they read or “the best movie” they watched. In both cases, the title was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. While I appreciate their enthusiasm and willingness to learn something about the Holocaust outside of class, in my opinion, this is the worst book or film they could choose read or watch. I realized that if I was going to tell them why I didn’t like this choice, I had better be prepared with alternatives to suggest. Thus – the list below. The list contains titles of books and films I recommend for middle school students – mostly for 8^th graders. I have a bias that 8^th grade is the most appropriate age to begin a child’s Holocaust education and that it should not be taught to students younger than 7^th grade. The texts I recommend for 7^th graders are specifically noted on this list. I have not listed any title that I have not personally read or viewed. I have listed books that students would find interesting for personal reading and have excluded books that serve better as instructional or reference texts. There are a couple of R rated films on the list that I suggest parents watch with their children. Each title includes an annotation, Lexile score if available, and a note about whether the title is available from the Johnson County Public Library and the Resource Center at the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. I hope you find this list useful for offering recommendations to your middle school students.          

Laura Patton’s List of Recommended (and Not Recommended)
Holocaust Books and Films for Middle School Students

Key to Codes: F= Fiction                    JCL= Available at the Johnson County Library NF= Non-Fiction         MCHE= Available at the Midwest for Holocaust Education Resource Center L (Ex. 760L)= Lexile Score (See www.lexile.com for more information)

This list began because so many students came to my classes during our Holocaust unit brimming with excitement to tell me and each other about “the best book they read” or “the best movie they had seen.” In both cases, the title was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In my opinion, this is the worst book and film my students could read or watch about the Holocaust. I realized that if I was going to tell them what not to read or see I had better be prepared with suggested alternatives. Thus – the list. This list contains titles selected for middle school students - mostly 8^th graders. I have a bias that the Holocaust should not be taught to students younger than 7^th grade; I believe 8^th grade is more appropriate. The texts I would recommend for 7^th graders are specifically noted on this list. I have not listed any title that I have not personally read or viewed. I have listed books that students would find interesting for personal reading and excluded books that serve better as instructional texts.                                                   - Laura Patton, Indian Woods Middle School, SMSD  1-2014

BOOKS AND FILMS TO AVOID

Boyne, John

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

F

1080L

JCL

The subtitle of this novel states that it is a fable. If readers read it as a fable, I wouldn’t have such a strong objection to this book or the film based on the book. However, I have middle school students who arrive to class and tell me with great enthusiasm that they “read the best book/saw the best movie.” This has happened so many times that I am now willing to take bets with them that they are going to tell me they read/saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. My concern is that my 8^th graders do not have the background knowledge and critical thinking skills to discern the historical inaccuracies of this film. They don’t read or see it as a fable; they generally tend to accept what they read in a book or see in a film as the truth. For starters, children did not survive the initial selection to become inmates in a death camp. Therefore, no character like Shmuel would have existed in reality. Secondly, Shmuel has time to sit at the fence and talk with Bruno; no camp inmate would have been so poorly supervised. Thirdly, if Bruno can sneak into the camp underneath the fence, then the inmates would have been able to escape out of the camp. My largest objection to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is that the author and film-maker toy with the reader’s emotions. Learning about the Holocaust often produces feelings of sadness for students; I don’t know that this can or should be avoided. However, falsely representing the history just to manipulate the reader’s/ viewer’s emotions is self-serving and even unethical. As a Holocaust educator, I want my students to learn compassion for the victims of genocide, but The Boy in the Striped Pajamas takes a cheap shot at accomplishing that goal.

Yolen, Jane

The Devil’s Arithmetic

F

730L

JCL

This is the summary for The Devil’s Arithmetic you will find on the Johnson County Library website: “Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village in Nazi-occupied Poland.” Here is my spin on the book: “Snotty Jewish teenager experiences an attitude readjustment when she steps through a doorway and suddenly finds herself in Nazi-occupied Poland. When she returns home, she is magically appreciative of her Jewish ancestors and religious traditions.” Don’t all parents wish we could time-travel our self-absorbed teenagers back to the good-old-days when we had to walk to school five miles through the snow uphill both ways? Yolen is generally a talented writer; her research in this novel is fairly solid. My objection is the time travel premise; it is ridiculous. There are so many excellent non-fiction Holocaust books. Why waste time with this nonsense?

Life is Beautiful

1998

PG-13

JCL

This film is about an Italian Jewish family who are deported to a Nazi camp late in the war. To protect his young son, the father makes the entire experience a game. These are some of Roger Ebert’s comments on the film:

“And Benigni [director and lead actor] isn't really making comedy out of the Holocaust, anyway. He is showing how Guido [main character] uses the only gift at his command to protect his son. If he had a gun, he would shoot at the Fascists. If he had an army, he would destroy them. He is a clown, and comedy is his weapon.

The movie actually softens the Holocaust slightly, to make the humor possible at all. In the real death camps there would be no role for Guido. But "Life Is Beautiful" is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future.”

My objections to Life is Beautiful are much the same as my objections to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. If you want to view it as a piece of art, fine. However, the film lacks historical accuracy, and I fear that students who watch it will not have the background knowledge or critical thinking skills to understand that. A teaching colleague of mine showed the film to her middle school history classes. Therefore, I am not sure some adults understand that this film is not an accurate depiction of the Holocaust. If an adult can’t figure this out, how could a teenager be expected to do so? I don’t recommend this film, even if Roger Ebert does.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell

The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth

F

760L

JCL

When Bartoletti was doing research for her award-winning non-fiction book, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, she came across Helmouth Hϋbener’s amazing story.  Hubener was convicted of treason against the Nazi government and executed at age 17.  This novel is meticulously-researched historical fiction with primary sources to back it up.  Gripping; I couldn’t put it down.

Bretholz, Leo with Michael Olesker

Leap Into Darkness: Seven Years On the Run in Wartime Europe

NF

---

JCL MCHE

Leo Bretholz was a Jewish teenager living in Vienna when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938.  Not long afterward, his mother insisted that he leave home because she feared for his fate under Hitler’s rule.  Little did she know that most of Europe who soon become a death trap for Jews.  Leo spent the years of the WW II living in Jewish transit camps, hiding in attics, and literally running for his life.  This memoir is as action-packed as a suspense novel.  Leo Bretholz visited Kansas City in 2000.  One of my students and I attended Leo’s presentation at the Johnson County Public Library; we both read Leo’s book afterward and loved it.  

Giblin, James Cross

The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler

NF

1100L

JCL

This is a complete and balanced biography of Adolf Hitler – from his childhood to his suicide.  The final chapter deals with the Nuremberg trials and the rise of neo-Nazi groups in modern times.  The book answers the questions that students always ask about Hitler, but does not glamorize him in any way.  Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal.

Klein, Gerda Weissmann

All But My Life: A Memoir

NF

---

JCL MCHE

Gerda Weissman Klein’s memoir of her Holocaust experience is remarkable because of the eloquence of her language.  This book is a beautiful piece of writing in addition to being a powerful and important story.  This is the book upon which the Academy Award Winning documentary One Survivor Remembers is based.  In my work for the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, I have helped develop book club materials for All But My Life.  If you would like to check out a book club bag for your group to use, please contact MCHE (www.mchekc.org). 

Klein, Gerda Weissmann and Kurt Klein

The Hours After: Letters of Love and Longing in War’s Aftermath

NF

---

JCL MCHE

This book continues the story of Gerda Weissman and Kurt Klein where All But My Life ends.  Kurt and Gerda decided that he should return to the United States with his military unit and then send for Gerda as soon as possible so that they can be married.  The Hours After is a collection of Kurt and Gerda’s love letters exchanged during the year they spent apart from each other.  The book tells many of the details of their romance that are left out of All But My Life.  Getting Gerda to the United States was no easy feat.  As a Holocaust survivor, she was a stateless person with no documents to prove her identity.  The book provides a fascinating look into the lives of survivors immediately following the war.  The Hours After has romance, heartache, angst, a daring escape, and a happy ending.  What more could a reader want?  

Levine, Karen

Hana’s Suitcase: A True Story

NF

730L

JCL MCHE

In March 2000, a suitcase from Auschwitz arrived at the Tokyo Holocaust Education Center.  Working with only the few clues painted on the outside of the suitcase and a long list of questions from the children who visit the center, Fumiko Ishioka set out to discover as much as she could about Hanna Brady.  This book tells the story of her research, how it brings together people from three continents, and honors the memory of a young girl who perished in the Holocaust. Recommended for 7^th graders.

Opdyke, Irene Gut

In My Hands: Memoires of a Holocaust Rescuer

NF

890L

JCL MCHE

This is the true story of a Polish Christian woman who was only seventeen-years-old when WWII began. She was forced to work for the German army, but because she was attractive she secured a relatively safe job as a waitress in an officer’s dining room. As she worked, she overhead bits of useful information that she passed on to the Jews in the ghetto. She raided a warehouse for food and blankets. She smuggled people out of the work camp into the forests. Later, Irene was asked to work as a housekeeper for a Nazi major; she hid twelve Jews in the basement of his home until the end of the war. This is the story of how Irene Gut Opdyke did what she did. 

Perl, Lila & Marion Blumenthal Lazan

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story

NF

1080L

JCL

Four Perfect Pebbles is an excellent book for introducing the Holocaust to middle school students.  The Blumenthal family’s story is very unusual because all the family members are able to stay together throughout their imprisonment by the Nazis.  As Holocaust stories go, it has a relatively “happy” ending.  Because of the family’s unusual circumstances, they were able to keep many documents and photographs; these are used liberally to illustrate the book. There are great links to sources of additional information on the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education website (www.mchekc.org).  The Lazans also maintain a website with information about Marion (www.fourperfectpebbles.com). Recommended for 7^th graders.

Sutin, Jack and Rochelle

Jack and Rochelle: A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance

NF

N/A

JCL

Jack and Rochelle fell in love while they were hiding from the Nazis in the woods of Poland. This story is a fascinating look into the lives of the partisans; I did not know anything about them and their resistance before I read this book. It is also a great love story. 

Tec, Nechama

Dry Tears: The Story of a Lost Childhood

NF

L

MCHE

Nechama Tec and her family were Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust by hiding with Polish Christians. Nechama’s story is remarkable because, as the person in her family most able to “pass” as Christian, she had the responsibility to sell the bread that the family baked to support itself – even though she was only eleven years old. This autobiography is a good choice if you want to learn about how a family lived in hiding during the Holocaust and if you want to understand what life in occupied Poland might have been like during WWII. 

Toll, Nelly S.

Behind the Secret Window: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood

NF

L

MCHE

When she was only eight years old, Nelly Toll and her mother were hidden in the bedroom of an apartment in Lwów, Poland. During especially dangerous moments, Nelly hid in a space within a wall – behind a secret window. To keep her young charge occupied and quiet, the woman who owned the apartment brought Nelly a journal to write in and art materials with which to paint. The text of this book is based upon Nelly’s journal and it is illustrated with the paintings that she created during her time in hiding. I have had the opportunity to meet Nelly Toll and view an exhibition of the artwork that she created when she was in hiding. 

Volavková, Hana, Editor

…I never saw another butterfly…: Children’s Drawing and Poems from the Terzin Concentration Camp 1942-1944

NF

---

JCL MCHE

The Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia was remarkable among the Nazi camps. One of the reasons for this is that a large number of artists, musicians, writers, and teachers, were imprisoned there. Many of these people took it upon themselves to defy the Nazis and create cultural activities such as concerts and plays and also to teach classes for children. This book is a collection of artwork and poetry created by children at Terezin during these clandestine classes. Most of the children did not survive, but their creative work stands as a testament to their spirits. 

Warren, Andrea

Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

NF

820L

JCL MCHE

Surviving Hitler is the true story of Jack Mandelbaum, who started his life over again in the Kansas City area after surviving the Holocaust.  It is written by Johnson County author, Andrea Warren.  Jack’s story is compelling and supported by Warren’s meticulous research.  The text is filled with historical photographs.  This is an excellent book for middle school students to begin learning about the Holocaust.  A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.  Those who wish to learn more about Jack after reading the book should contact the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education ( www.mchekc.org ), which Jack co-founded with fellow survivor Isak Federman.

RECOMMENDED FILMS

Defiance (Film)

2008

Rated R

JCL

This film is based on the book "Defiance: the Bielski Partisans" by Nechama Tec. It tells the true story of the Bielski brothers who led a Jewish partisan group in the forests of Poland and Belorussia. The unique characteristic of the Bielki partisans is that the group included women, children, and the elderly. This film is rated R for violence and language but I recommend it because it realistically depicts a historically violent period of time. I do not feel that the use of violence or offensive language in the film is egregious or inappropriate considering the story the film is telling. I recommend that students age 18 and under watch this film along with their parents.

Escape From Sobibor (Film)

1987

Not Rated

MCHE

This film was made for TV and won Primetime Emmy Awards in 1987 and Golden Globes in 1988. It is “Hollywoodized;” what I mean is that the people in the film look much healthier and cleaner than prisoners in a death camp would really have looked. There is also an improbable scene where a dance happens in the camp. Nonetheless, this film tells the true story of a prisoner uprising and escape at the death camp Sobibor. I use clips from this film in my classroom, but the whole film is worth watching.

One Survivor Remembers (Film)

1994

Not Rated

MCHE

This short documentary film is based on Gerda Weissmann Klein’s autobiography, All But My Life. The film and book tell of Gerda’s gradual separation from the members of her loving family, her years spent working in slave labor camps, The death march she endured, the tight-knit group of friends who helped her survive, and the American soldier who rescued her. The film won an Academy Award in 1995. 

Schindler’s List (Film)

1993

Rated R

JCL

Schindler’s List, directed by Stephen Speilberg, is a classic among Holocaust films. It is rated R because of violence and nudity; however, it is difficult to tell a true story of the Holocaust without these things. Students under age 18 should watch the film with their parents. The film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, an industrialist who swindles the Nazis and saves the lives of more than 1,000 Jews. The film contrasts Schindler with Amon Goeth, the Nazi officer who has control of the Krakow ghetto and later the Plaszow concentration camp.