Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Gallery Books (2016), 336 pages
Description
The "extraordinary and gripping account of Irena Sendler--the "female Oskar Schindler"--who took staggering risks to save 2,500 children from death and deportation in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II"--Dust jacket.
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobynELee
Excellent story with lovely writing that is such a great addition to rounding out students' education about the heroes during the horrific events during World War II. I'm so happy to have this title to recommend to my students and their parents. It is amazing that I had not heard this story before
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and hope it reaches a wide audience! Show Less
LibraryThing member Darcia
Books like this one are not easy to read, and they shouldn't be. But, when well written, books like this can teach us a lot about how and why average men and women either went along with the masses, silent in the face of atrocities, or stayed true to their values, fought against the tide, and
Tilar Mazzeo writes an engaging narrative. This is absolutely not a dry, textbook type of read. Mazzeo gives us emotion, passion, and insight. She lets us see and feel what the people involved experienced. We don't tackle the whole of WWII or even the whole of the Holocaust, but instead we witness the destruction of Poland and its people from the perspective of a handful of people.
This story feels personal. This story hurts. But it also offers hope, because people like Irena are quietly living their lives all around us, and maybe, if we pay attention, we can learn something from them.
*I was provided with an advance copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*
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became heroes. This book is exceptionally well written.Tilar Mazzeo writes an engaging narrative. This is absolutely not a dry, textbook type of read. Mazzeo gives us emotion, passion, and insight. She lets us see and feel what the people involved experienced. We don't tackle the whole of WWII or even the whole of the Holocaust, but instead we witness the destruction of Poland and its people from the perspective of a handful of people.
This story feels personal. This story hurts. But it also offers hope, because people like Irena are quietly living their lives all around us, and maybe, if we pay attention, we can learn something from them.
*I was provided with an advance copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
In the midst of Warsaw during WWII, Irena Sendler set up a network to rescue Jewish children. She not only smuggled children from the ghetto, she sets up an extensive network to house the children and provided money for their support. This was an absolutely fascinating book. I had never heard of
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Irena before, and I read a lot of WWII novels. Despite great risk to herself, imprisonment and torture she never betrayed anyone around her. I hope that many will take inspiration from her determination and desire to help people. Overall, highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lisa2013
Before reading this book, I had heard of Irena Sendler. I’d read two children’s picture books about her: Irena's Jars of Secrets and Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto. Because they were written for children, they were sanitized and did not reveal the worst of the atrocities or
I’ve read hundreds of Holocaust books, non-fiction and fiction. This one is non-fiction and it’s one of the very best books of its kind that I’ve read. I had no qualms about giving it 5 stars. It’s a splendid book, well written and brilliantly organized and expertly constructed. It’s incredibly dense with information, but always readable and engaging. I found it hard to put down, though at times it was extremely painful to read.
I cannot stress enough how much I learned from this book. I got a better feel for the scope of the conditions inside the Warsaw Ghetto, Warsaw and Poland during WWII than I have from reading most other books about it, perhaps more than from any other book. I learned so much about Irena and her background that it made sense why she was as she was and why she did what she did. Many people I’d known about from reading other books make appearances and it was interesting to see how they were connected to each other, including to Irena.
The book is well researched, with a fine explanation from the author about what few liberties she took (I found her and the book’s contents trustworthy!) and how she conducted her research. There are extensive notes and an impressive bibliography. I appreciated what photos were included and wish that there had been even more of them.
It was a good time for me to read this book. Despite its serious and sometimes heartbreaking subject matter, I was fine with reading it over the holidays. I took courage from what these people went through. They and their situations made what trepidation I feel for what we’re facing later this month doable. I got courage from their willingness to do the right thing. This book could have been titled Dozens (maybe Hundreds) of People’s Children. So many participated in trying to save lives and so many were incredibly brave. I hope I would have the courage to do what's right, as might be required, over these next few years! Irena’s bravery and the bravery of those she worked with and the bravery of many other Poles, non-Jewish and Jewish, is so inspiring. They were remarkable people, and ordinary people. I could hope to be only a fraction as brave. There were so many heroes. Unfortunately, there were obviously a huge number of victims, but also so many that were saved, and that is inspiring.
While it turned out that none of them were actually safe, they could certainly have protected themselves better than they did by not trying to help. I was particularly touched by those who had children of their own and risked so much to help other people’s children; their actions were life threatening for them and for their entire families.
I did learn a lot about Warsaw throughout WWII and I’d never realized quite how in danger the Catholic and other non-Jewish Polish people were in, especially toward the end of the war.
How could so many people be so brave (this book must be read to see just how almost superhuman bravery was exhibited time after time!) and how could so many people have acted so evilly? I was left more uplifted than in despair.
One example of what fine storytelling this book has is one of the chapter titles led me to assume one thing, as does the way this book begins (with Irena’s arrest by the Gestapo) and because of that I’d assumed something, until I looked at the photos section in the middle of the book. But why that was done makes perfect sense. The reader follows Irena over time (through her triumphs and tragedies and challenges – with the full gamut of thoughts and emotions and experiences) and the presentation was not done gratuitously but in a way that I as a reader got a real sense of how it was for Irena and all the others, adults and children, non-Jews and Jews, people of all persuasions in this time and place.
I honestly can’t imagine going through what Irena and many of her contemporaries did, and obviously what the Polish Jews had to endure in the ghetto and being sent to Treblinka or otherwise murdered, well I cannot imagine coping. Yes, there is much real life tragedy in this account, but the truly amazing efforts of so many who did what they could to save lives, of adults as well as a large number of children, left me feeling in awe.
There is horrific content and there is a lot of suspense but it also has sweet and lovely and joyful parts.
This is a timely book, telling a story that needed telling, and an excellent effort, and I highly recommend it.
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many of the details of Irena’s life and the lives of her collaborators or the lives of the victims. I did not get even close to a full picture, though I’m glad there are books for children about this heroine. They were fine introductions and inspired me to learn more.I’ve read hundreds of Holocaust books, non-fiction and fiction. This one is non-fiction and it’s one of the very best books of its kind that I’ve read. I had no qualms about giving it 5 stars. It’s a splendid book, well written and brilliantly organized and expertly constructed. It’s incredibly dense with information, but always readable and engaging. I found it hard to put down, though at times it was extremely painful to read.
I cannot stress enough how much I learned from this book. I got a better feel for the scope of the conditions inside the Warsaw Ghetto, Warsaw and Poland during WWII than I have from reading most other books about it, perhaps more than from any other book. I learned so much about Irena and her background that it made sense why she was as she was and why she did what she did. Many people I’d known about from reading other books make appearances and it was interesting to see how they were connected to each other, including to Irena.
The book is well researched, with a fine explanation from the author about what few liberties she took (I found her and the book’s contents trustworthy!) and how she conducted her research. There are extensive notes and an impressive bibliography. I appreciated what photos were included and wish that there had been even more of them.
It was a good time for me to read this book. Despite its serious and sometimes heartbreaking subject matter, I was fine with reading it over the holidays. I took courage from what these people went through. They and their situations made what trepidation I feel for what we’re facing later this month doable. I got courage from their willingness to do the right thing. This book could have been titled Dozens (maybe Hundreds) of People’s Children. So many participated in trying to save lives and so many were incredibly brave. I hope I would have the courage to do what's right, as might be required, over these next few years! Irena’s bravery and the bravery of those she worked with and the bravery of many other Poles, non-Jewish and Jewish, is so inspiring. They were remarkable people, and ordinary people. I could hope to be only a fraction as brave. There were so many heroes. Unfortunately, there were obviously a huge number of victims, but also so many that were saved, and that is inspiring.
While it turned out that none of them were actually safe, they could certainly have protected themselves better than they did by not trying to help. I was particularly touched by those who had children of their own and risked so much to help other people’s children; their actions were life threatening for them and for their entire families.
I did learn a lot about Warsaw throughout WWII and I’d never realized quite how in danger the Catholic and other non-Jewish Polish people were in, especially toward the end of the war.
How could so many people be so brave (this book must be read to see just how almost superhuman bravery was exhibited time after time!) and how could so many people have acted so evilly? I was left more uplifted than in despair.
One example of what fine storytelling this book has is one of the chapter titles led me to assume one thing, as does the way this book begins (with Irena’s arrest by the Gestapo) and because of that I’d assumed something, until I looked at the photos section in the middle of the book. But why that was done makes perfect sense. The reader follows Irena over time (through her triumphs and tragedies and challenges – with the full gamut of thoughts and emotions and experiences) and the presentation was not done gratuitously but in a way that I as a reader got a real sense of how it was for Irena and all the others, adults and children, non-Jews and Jews, people of all persuasions in this time and place.
I honestly can’t imagine going through what Irena and many of her contemporaries did, and obviously what the Polish Jews had to endure in the ghetto and being sent to Treblinka or otherwise murdered, well I cannot imagine coping. Yes, there is much real life tragedy in this account, but the truly amazing efforts of so many who did what they could to save lives, of adults as well as a large number of children, left me feeling in awe.
There is horrific content and there is a lot of suspense but it also has sweet and lovely and joyful parts.
This is a timely book, telling a story that needed telling, and an excellent effort, and I highly recommend it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member -Cee-
This book goes a long way in answering the question I have heard many times ... "Why didn't more people help the Jews who were so badly persecuted and executed?" Of course there were several outstanding stories of those who understood the reality and risked everything to save many. But this book
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emphasizes that the heroes didn't act alone. Highly recommended reading - even if you feel like you have already read too much on this subject. Show Less
LibraryThing member joannemonck
This is a very sad book about a very sad time in the lives to the Polish people. With WWII came the Germans and he holocaust. Warsaw was the city the Germans were going to use to hold back "the enemy" and it is the story of one woman, with the assistance of many other Poles, and he Jewish children
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they saved. The saved them in boxes from the Warsaw ghetto, from the streets, from the sewers. Wherever they could and hid them in convents, neighbors houses and out in the countryside. Irena kept a list showing the original Jewish names of the children and their new names. These children had to deny they were Jewish and learn the ways of their benefactors, Some had to become Catholic with did not sit well with the Orthodox Jews. Irena survived the drama, being beaten by the Gestapo and was considered for the Noble Peace Prize. She denied that she was a hero. In her mind she just did what had to be done. Show Less
LibraryThing member billsearth
Outstanding biography if Irena Sendler by a very good biographer who writes with clarity and suspense. This biography transcends history and even personality, to highlight morality and ethics.The author seamless intertwines these three themes perfectly.
Since the author interviewed Irena, she had
There are abundant memorable statements by Irena throughout the book, many are standouts for quoting. Many were also life-changing for Irena.
Although most of the main story ends in 1945, parts of it extend to 2016. Several events occurred during those later decades so it is worth reading past 1945 because those events reflect on the morality and leadership of those earlier years.
Since the author interviewed Irena, she had
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the option of writing in the first person instead of the third person. That brings the book to life without downgrading it to a historical fiction.There are abundant memorable statements by Irena throughout the book, many are standouts for quoting. Many were also life-changing for Irena.
Although most of the main story ends in 1945, parts of it extend to 2016. Several events occurred during those later decades so it is worth reading past 1945 because those events reflect on the morality and leadership of those earlier years.
Show Less
ISBN
1476778507 / 9781476778501