World War 2 is undoubtedly one of the darkest times of human history and the Jewish holocaust is a part of it. Its dictionary meaning is a situation where many things are destroyed and a great many people die. During world war 2 a Jewish holocaust was started by the German leader and Nazi army between 1941 and 1945. In this, over 6 million Jews across Europe were killed systematically. They were first taken to concentration camps and then killed. A lot of people lost their lives while a few were lucky enough to escape that hell. World war 2 and its different aspects interest a lot of people. And if you want to know about it reading books is one of the best ways.
Today, Podium School has bought some really incredible books about that dark time. Some of these are work of fiction while some are first-hand account written by people who were lucky enough to escape.
Best and must-read Books about Holocaust
The Diary of a Young Girl
First, we have a very famous book The Diary of a Young Girl. It was written by a girl named Anne Frank when she was in a hiding from the Nazi army. She was in hiding for two years in the Netherlands. It is written on a day-to-day basis and is in a form of a diary. It has a lot of emotional incidents about how some of her relatives and friends were killed. She was forced to leave her house and go to a secret place. But at her complete family was caught. And different members were taken to different concentration camps. She lost her life in Auschwitz camp.
Her father was the one who survived and later published her diary in a form of a book. Now it is considered as one of the most credible resources about world war 2. She still used to believe that people are really good at heart.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ond6r5pafjw?feature=oembedWho was Anne frank?
Lily’s Promise
Lily’s promise is a life-affirming story of a holocaust survivor. Lily Ebert was liberated from a concentration camp in 1945 after spending a long time in it. At the time of her liberation, an American-Jew soldier gave her a slip with ‘Good Luck and happiness written on it’. Indeed that message changed her life. The main theme of the book is the power of love to see us through the darkest of times. It is truly a very inspiring and optimistic book. It was published in September 2021 and is 330 pages long. This book will show that darkness might be hard but light will come.
The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellowbird sings is a beautiful book about the bond of a mother and her daughter. After her parents and husband die all she has is her daughter. But now it is important for them to be safe. They both are in hiding in a farmer’s barn and spend their day-night there. It is a very emotional story inspired by the true stories of Jewish children hidden during world war 2. Jennifer Rosner has done an amazing job in writing this gem of a book.
In The Midst of Uncivilized Europe
This book begins with the turmoil of the Russian revolution and is carried till World War 2. It shows how between 1918 and 1921 over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine and Poland. They were killed, robbed, assaulted, and ripped apart. Aid workers already predicted that European Jew can face complete extermination. This prediction came true 20 years later. Everyone must give this book a read.
A Garden of Eden in Hell
Next, we have A Garden of Eden in hell by Melissa Muller and Reinhard Piechocki. It is all about the life of Alice Herz-Sommer who was born in 1903 in Prague. She is one of the best pianists in Paragus in her mid-teen but soon anti-jewish feelings start spreading all around. It is a beautiful and emotional book. The main theme of the book is “No matter how many odds are there truth and beauty will still prevail.”
The Happiest Man on Earth
Auschwitz was one of the biggest concentration camps of the Nazi army. A lot of people lost their lives in that camp. Very few were lucky enough to escape that place. The Happiest man on earth is the story of one such survivor Eddie Jaku. He was in that camp for a lot of time but stepped out of it alive. That day he promised himself that no matter what happens he will always keep a smile on his face. Therefore, he became the happiest man on earth. However, this book is still very heartbreaking. But powerful in its own way.
Tattoist of Auschwitz
Tattooist of Auschwitz is a work of fiction. It is about Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov. He was imprisoned in a camp in 1942 and was assigned the duty of tattooing other prisoners. But he fell in love with a girl he was tattooing. It is a painful book but will still teach it, readers, about things like survival as resistance, faith, and the power of love and compassion. It will show you how much courage is required to survive in adverse conditions.
Final Thoughts on Books about Holocaust
If you are also a world war 2 nerd then these books are a must-read for you. Some of these are based on real-life stories while some of these are a work of fiction. They will make you feel the pain of Jews and all the people who were killed in that holocaust. All of these books will definitely take you to one of the darkest times of human history that is world war 2 and mass killing of Jews by the Nazi government and army.
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