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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne | 2006 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
An important and terrifying fable still relevant
It's probably quite important to understand that this is a novel and so there is a lot of artistic license taken with it by the author. That being said the main protagonist, nine-year-old Bruno was brilliantly written, a great juxtaposition of unwaning innocence and extreme cruelty in a time of brutality.

Having visited Auschwitz myself, the naive descriptions of the young boy is gut churning especially as he is so unaware of his fate. The reader does a great job in performing the role of an innocent child.

It is a moral story about complacency and how easy it is to fall into patterns, so it is essential to read with an open mind.
  
The Midwife's Child (WW2 Resistance Series #3)
The Midwife's Child (WW2 Resistance Series #3)
Amanda Lees | 2023 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Midwife's Child is an emotional rollercoaster that although is work of fiction, it's based on things that actually happened and real people with the love story element between Maggie and Jamie being based on the true story of a Scottish Commando who met a young woman in a displaced persons camp who had survived the death march.

This is the third in this series but I think it works successfully as a standalone because whilst there are recurring characters, each book is a separate story which focusses on one of those recurring characters.

The Midwife's Child centres around Maggie, a former SOE Special Operations Executive) but now incarcerated in Auschwitz following her capture. There she finds herself working in the camp hospital where the devil incarnate, Joseph Mengele, practised his infamous experiments and where Maggie is determined to save the life of her friend Eva and new born, Leah. The end of the war is fast approaching and the Russians are getting close, Eva is too unwell to go on the forced march so she begs Maggie to save her child and reunite her with her father. A seemingly impossible task but one which Maggie vows to complete.

Told from two timelines, from her time as a doctor working in the 'hospital' at Auschwitz towards the end of the war and the period afterwards, The Midwife's Child is a story of exceptional courage, duty, love, friendship and hope and a story that I highly recommended to those of you who enjoy this genre and I have to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Midwife's Child.
  
Denial (2016)
Denial (2016)
2016 | Drama
9
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Great acting (0 more)
Story is vital especially after recent events
A very important film given the spate of holocaust denial in recent days. This is about the renowned libel case brought by the Holocaust denier and self- proclaimed historian David Irving against American academic Deborah Lipstadt. Lipstadt referred to Irving as such in a book and was subsequently sued and taken to court in the UK. It's a powerful account of how such bogus offensive claims about the Holocaust are allowed to be published without any accountability. Having visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, watching this film was emotional enough for me let alone the survivors which I can't even compare or imagine. So it's great that a film can counteract such ludicrous claims in this day and age. Fabulous acting all round.
  
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris | 2018 | Biography, History & Politics, Religion
8
8.7 (74 Ratings)
Book Rating
Truly gripping book that I had to stay up late to finish. (0 more)
There is a bit of contion as to the facts in this biography when you look into it. If you take his story with a pinch of salt however it still makes for a great read! (0 more)
An extremely interesting read to be taken with a pinch of salt
Lale's story as a jew who's job it was to tattoo new inmates at Auschwitz is a very interesting one. He has a unique perspective of life at the concentration camp, as his job allowed him a level of status not experienced by others of his background. The story however is quite dry at times and some parts are an effort to get through. I would say its worth reading, although I would question how accurate it is.