First sentence: The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a gravedigger.
Premise/plot: Though it is a work of fiction, The Librarian of Auschwitz is based on a true story: the story of a super-small library and its young librarian, Dita. Block 31 is different, special, almost miraculous and too good to be true. Here Jewish children come together every day while their parents labor under the watchful eyes of their guards. School is forbidden; learning is forbidden. But. A school it is. There are teachers and teenage helpers. Dita is one of the helpers or assistants. She's also the librarian. For what is a school without a library? This library collection, like the school, is completely forbidden. It consists of EIGHT books plus additional living books. Dita's job is risky, but important. Block 31 exists for one reason only: to fool the world in case someone comes looking for answers. The Germans mistreat Jews? You've got to be kidding. Just look! Here's a camp of families. We even see that the children are taken care of during the day and laugh and play and sing. The prisoners are not fooled for a minute, but, the children are fortunate in some ways.
The book is an intense, important read.
My thoughts: I would definitely recommend this one! It is a powerful, memorable story. It is well-written. Here are two of my favorite quotes:
"A book is like a trapdoor that leads to a secret attic; You can open it and go inside. And your world is different" (193)
"Life, any life, is very short. But if you've managed to be happy for at least an instant, it will have been worth living" (289)© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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