Mark Saha's Blog - Posts Tagged "holocaust"
A Holocaust Memoir Adapted to Graphic Novel for Young Readers
Freedom Means Living Without Fear
By Ha Metsajeret
When I heard about this book, I admit being a little skeptical that adapting a Holocaust memoir to graphic novel for young readers would work. I was given a copy by the author, a neighbor who lives down the block, and found it powerful and compelling.
From the Amazon page:
“This graphic memoir is an ode to high school sweethearts Sonja and Herman Rosenstein. In 1943, the Nazis ordered them to board a train in Holland bound for Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. They were 20-years old, newly married and madly in love. There were rumors, but they had each other and knew no fear. They were told that they were going to work for just a few months and so they decided to enjoy their adventure.”
The book is intended for young people in grades 5 - 12, but this adult was deeply moved. The work is a hybrid; the story is mostly told as graphic novel but switches to prose when we get to Auschwitz. Again, it's hard to believe such a boldly experimental presentation could work. For me it totally delivered, and seems to me a uniquely effective way to tell this true story. I highly recommend it to anyone with children or grandchildren.
The book is available from Amazon or Seasidepress.org. Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature offers a generous preview.
By Ha Metsajeret
When I heard about this book, I admit being a little skeptical that adapting a Holocaust memoir to graphic novel for young readers would work. I was given a copy by the author, a neighbor who lives down the block, and found it powerful and compelling.
From the Amazon page:
“This graphic memoir is an ode to high school sweethearts Sonja and Herman Rosenstein. In 1943, the Nazis ordered them to board a train in Holland bound for Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. They were 20-years old, newly married and madly in love. There were rumors, but they had each other and knew no fear. They were told that they were going to work for just a few months and so they decided to enjoy their adventure.”
The book is intended for young people in grades 5 - 12, but this adult was deeply moved. The work is a hybrid; the story is mostly told as graphic novel but switches to prose when we get to Auschwitz. Again, it's hard to believe such a boldly experimental presentation could work. For me it totally delivered, and seems to me a uniquely effective way to tell this true story. I highly recommend it to anyone with children or grandchildren.
The book is available from Amazon or Seasidepress.org. Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature offers a generous preview.
