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Boys of Courage: A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor
He’ll do anything to save his family… but what will he do when the time comes to save himself?
Poland, 1939. Kadish is barely more than a boy when war breaks out. Forced to grow up fast, he takes it upon himself to provide for his family in the ghetto – stealing through the sewers under the cover of darkness to smuggle food and supplies back to his helpless parents and younger cousin Robbie, who’s always looked up to him.
Until one night, Kadish disappears.
Years later, Robbie, who remembers his brave cousin Kadish as his savior, is now an old man. He’s never known what happened to his hero after that terrifying day – until a phone call startles him in the middle of the night.
A stunning revelation unravels an incredible story about two young boys long ago, who with courage and strength, survived against the odds. A story that has waited decades to be told.
Poland, 1939. Kadish is barely more than a boy when war breaks out. Forced to grow up fast, he takes it upon himself to provide for his family in the ghetto – stealing through the sewers under the cover of darkness to smuggle food and supplies back to his helpless parents and younger cousin Robbie, who’s always looked up to him.
Until one night, Kadish disappears.
Years later, Robbie, who remembers his brave cousin Kadish as his savior, is now an old man. He’s never known what happened to his hero after that terrifying day – until a phone call startles him in the middle of the night.
A stunning revelation unravels an incredible story about two young boys long ago, who with courage and strength, survived against the odds. A story that has waited decades to be told.
255 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2023
926 people are currently reading
514 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 28, 2021
It is a a loud voice of courage crying into the past, present and future about survival in a WW2 world of pain and death.
The plot has many different twists and turns but overall it explains the rule Polish Jewish survivors during and after WWII.
Exceptionally strong characters that brought many feelings to me as I read along. In particular, I enjoyed the story of Kadish, who’s journey was long, painful and without the return love of a woman. His relationship with his Sonya middle of the book broke my heart.
Throughout the depths of one story, broad feelings of frustration with the Nazis, compassion towards Jews who are forced to escape to Israel when they could finally, strong bereavement for those who have lost their lives in the prison camps. It contrasts the beauty of love and the face evil in humankind.
High Recommendation
The plot has many different twists and turns but overall it explains the rule Polish Jewish survivors during and after WWII.
Exceptionally strong characters that brought many feelings to me as I read along. In particular, I enjoyed the story of Kadish, who’s journey was long, painful and without the return love of a woman. His relationship with his Sonya middle of the book broke my heart.
Throughout the depths of one story, broad feelings of frustration with the Nazis, compassion towards Jews who are forced to escape to Israel when they could finally, strong bereavement for those who have lost their lives in the prison camps. It contrasts the beauty of love and the face evil in humankind.
High Recommendation
July 1, 2023
Worth reading
This is an amazing story of resilience and luck. It’s truth makes it invaluable. I learned pieces f the Holocaust I never knew before.
This is an amazing story of resilience and luck. It’s truth makes it invaluable. I learned pieces f the Holocaust I never knew before.
October 23, 2020
This story is a very powerful and emotional story. It is a must read for all as it is a true story of what human beings can do to one another in the name of religion. I am a Jew and I read everything I can get my hands on when it comes to this subject. Our family lost people at that time. This book gave me a better understanding of how the people that went through that horror felt, saw and think. I truly remarkable story.
May 3, 2023
Boys if courage
One can not begin to comprehend what happened in the concentration camps of the Germans. Books like Boys of Courage give us the reader a small glimpse into the horror that the Jewish prisoners experienced. And the long term consequences that survivors still live with. Thank you for giving me a small glimpse into your experiences. I admire your courage to be able to share those experiences with all the pain and sorrow of sharing the memories you shared.
One can not begin to comprehend what happened in the concentration camps of the Germans. Books like Boys of Courage give us the reader a small glimpse into the horror that the Jewish prisoners experienced. And the long term consequences that survivors still live with. Thank you for giving me a small glimpse into your experiences. I admire your courage to be able to share those experiences with all the pain and sorrow of sharing the memories you shared.
March 4, 2021
So close, yet far away
First thought reading this book was a mistake, but as the lives of the people in this historic book unfolded with their experiences it became hard to put down. The boys we so close when they were young in the Warsaw ghetto, yet after all the atrocities and life threatening horrors, they miraculously survived. Kadish was told his cousin was alive, after being told he was dead. Kadish took steps to reunite with him. However, the tear jerking journey ends when both time and distance keeps them far away from each other.
My mother told me about the concentration camps . She told me about the war. She also showed me pictures taken of the concentration camps after they were freed. The mounds of bodies, the huge open graves, the freed prisoners who looked like skeletons, the huge storage sheds filled with the property taken for those gassed, including their gold filled teeth. There were even photos of the giant ovens. I was horrified by these photos, to this day I do not know what happened to the sea chest she kept them in, but mom told me “it wasn’t just Jews that we killed, there were many people of different religions. I am showing this to you because I do not want people to forget or say it didn’t happen.” I can still see those pictures in my mind.
First thought reading this book was a mistake, but as the lives of the people in this historic book unfolded with their experiences it became hard to put down. The boys we so close when they were young in the Warsaw ghetto, yet after all the atrocities and life threatening horrors, they miraculously survived. Kadish was told his cousin was alive, after being told he was dead. Kadish took steps to reunite with him. However, the tear jerking journey ends when both time and distance keeps them far away from each other.
My mother told me about the concentration camps . She told me about the war. She also showed me pictures taken of the concentration camps after they were freed. The mounds of bodies, the huge open graves, the freed prisoners who looked like skeletons, the huge storage sheds filled with the property taken for those gassed, including their gold filled teeth. There were even photos of the giant ovens. I was horrified by these photos, to this day I do not know what happened to the sea chest she kept them in, but mom told me “it wasn’t just Jews that we killed, there were many people of different religions. I am showing this to you because I do not want people to forget or say it didn’t happen.” I can still see those pictures in my mind.
October 20, 2020
Holocaust
Interesting. Story told by one man to another. Biography. Some difficulty understanding who. Is the narrator and who is the story about.
Interesting. Story told by one man to another. Biography. Some difficulty understanding who. Is the narrator and who is the story about.
May 8, 2023
Life During the Holocaust......and Beyond
My aunt was a political prisoner in Bruchenwald and I read her memoirs of her experiences as a French Underground conductor, her capture, deportation and then life in s German work camp. She described the privationand vicious treatment at the hands of the guards. So I was somewhat prepared for what the characters in this book experienced.
What I never thought seriously about was the destruction of faith that resulted from the Holocaust. Jew or Christian, there is no satisfying answer to why/how God could allow his people to be destroyed.
Challenging and uncomfortable to think about. But I'm glad I read it.
My aunt was a political prisoner in Bruchenwald and I read her memoirs of her experiences as a French Underground conductor, her capture, deportation and then life in s German work camp. She described the privationand vicious treatment at the hands of the guards. So I was somewhat prepared for what the characters in this book experienced.
What I never thought seriously about was the destruction of faith that resulted from the Holocaust. Jew or Christian, there is no satisfying answer to why/how God could allow his people to be destroyed.
Challenging and uncomfortable to think about. But I'm glad I read it.
June 5, 2023
Riveting
Amazingly moved. I can say that my knowledge of the human history of the Holocaust has been very valuable and soulful. I can’t really say I have understanding but I have a great deal of empathy and compassion for the survivors and their families. I cannot understand why there are people who are able to do this to anyone without conscience or guilt. Their reasons are simply unacceptable to humanity. Thank you for opening my eyes and human empathy
Lydia
Amazingly moved. I can say that my knowledge of the human history of the Holocaust has been very valuable and soulful. I can’t really say I have understanding but I have a great deal of empathy and compassion for the survivors and their families. I cannot understand why there are people who are able to do this to anyone without conscience or guilt. Their reasons are simply unacceptable to humanity. Thank you for opening my eyes and human empathy
Lydia
July 25, 2023
excellent historical information
I most certainly was enthralled with this Historical novel about Boys who had survived the Holocaust! I could not put it down! The most interesting thing to me was the intertwining of the lives of the boys as they grew up and their lives as they went through the good parts of their lives and the horrific parts! It was a very emotional novel to read!
I most certainly was enthralled with this Historical novel about Boys who had survived the Holocaust! I could not put it down! The most interesting thing to me was the intertwining of the lives of the boys as they grew up and their lives as they went through the good parts of their lives and the horrific parts! It was a very emotional novel to read!
January 5, 2024
Harrowing story of boys who become men during the height of the Holocaust. Courage, grit, loss, and survival. It dragged a bit in the middle for me but had a satisfying ending. Many memorable thoughts : Is it possible that the gods of the many and varied religions use the faith of their followers as a drug? Is faith an addiction necessary to muster the strength to overcome discouragement created by the human condition? Unique and worthwhile story
October 23, 2020
Boys, and the men they became
Beautifully done; the author calls it a novel based in truth. How true the events are I leave to others, but the truth in the heart of this book is clear. Many philosophical excursions into the relationship of God and man and the Holicaust. Very compelling.
Beautifully done; the author calls it a novel based in truth. How true the events are I leave to others, but the truth in the heart of this book is clear. Many philosophical excursions into the relationship of God and man and the Holicaust. Very compelling.
November 6, 2020
A difficult book
Memoirs like this are difficult but valuable to read. We need to remember what happened 75 years ago can happen again if we allow it. The people to whom terrible things happen may change, but the origin of the hate that exists is still in other human beings. The courage of the children who made survival possible gives us all hope.
Memoirs like this are difficult but valuable to read. We need to remember what happened 75 years ago can happen again if we allow it. The people to whom terrible things happen may change, but the origin of the hate that exists is still in other human beings. The courage of the children who made survival possible gives us all hope.
November 14, 2020
A must read
This book is a complicated and sometimes disjointed story with many people's experiences both during and after World War 2. It brings up difficult questions about fate, faith and fortitude. A must read for anyone wishing a greater understanding of the days when the devil walked the earth.
This book is a complicated and sometimes disjointed story with many people's experiences both during and after World War 2. It brings up difficult questions about fate, faith and fortitude. A must read for anyone wishing a greater understanding of the days when the devil walked the earth.
October 26, 2021
Remember the past
At a time when schools want to abandon teachings of the past, it is more and more important for families to pass on this information. Many say, without knowledge and understanding, history will repeat itself. We must learn from mistakes and the inhumanity that some are capable of so that it can never happen again
At a time when schools want to abandon teachings of the past, it is more and more important for families to pass on this information. Many say, without knowledge and understanding, history will repeat itself. We must learn from mistakes and the inhumanity that some are capable of so that it can never happen again
May 20, 2023
A book that says a lot ...
I read a lot of books on the Holocaust, but found this less engaging than usual. This book needed a good edit: there were missing words, assorted typos, etc. which drew me out of the story. Also, I found the story to be a bit choppy, and was left wondering what was truth and what was fiction.
I read a lot of books on the Holocaust, but found this less engaging than usual. This book needed a good edit: there were missing words, assorted typos, etc. which drew me out of the story. Also, I found the story to be a bit choppy, and was left wondering what was truth and what was fiction.
July 18, 2023
I read several books about the Holocaust. I like historical novels because the author will often consider the political, social, and economic atmosphere of the time in a more in depth manner than most memoirs do.
Considering and exploring doubt into the rigid beliefs of both the Jewish and Christian communities is not often presented. This topic was intelligently presented in such a way that no one, no matter your religious stance, should be offended. Interesting story and well written.
Considering and exploring doubt into the rigid beliefs of both the Jewish and Christian communities is not often presented. This topic was intelligently presented in such a way that no one, no matter your religious stance, should be offended. Interesting story and well written.
March 3, 2024
a different approach to the Holocaust
I have read many Holocaust books. This was following the horrible events. Living in forests, traveling on foot to eventually get somewhere that you would not be taken into custody or shot. Then we follow survivors to other countries including the U.S. Finally a burial in Israel. Very moving.
I have read many Holocaust books. This was following the horrible events. Living in forests, traveling on foot to eventually get somewhere that you would not be taken into custody or shot. Then we follow survivors to other countries including the U.S. Finally a burial in Israel. Very moving.
May 24, 2024
The content is truth and very factual, but I found it hard to follow and stay interested. Truly enjoyed learning different views on the Jewish religion after the war ended by the survivors. Kadish was a true hero in so many ways and it was good to see how he took a horrible life experience and helped as many people as he could that were suffering the aftermath like he had.
April 25, 2025
Valuable information however I think I’d need to reread to be clear on who was who in the story. At the beginning the author started he is going to tell the story from Robbie’s perspective and would use I for Robbie. That changes throughout the book. So a bit hard to follow but the story felt more real than most of the ww2 books I’ve read.
November 10, 2020
Outstanding
I have read many books about the Holocaust. This by far one of the best! It describes in clear detail the manner in which several different means of survival was achieved. It is not morbid or preachy. The book left me in awe.
I have read many books about the Holocaust. This by far one of the best! It describes in clear detail the manner in which several different means of survival was achieved. It is not morbid or preachy. The book left me in awe.
April 28, 2023
Holocaust.
I have read many accounts of the holocaust but this telling about the courage of the survivors dealing with life after survival was told with heart breaking reality of mans cruelty, a must read book!!
I have read many accounts of the holocaust but this telling about the courage of the survivors dealing with life after survival was told with heart breaking reality of mans cruelty, a must read book!!
May 10, 2023
Heartbreaking.
This book is so well written and clearly shows what was left of the "survivors", and their struggles throughout their lives. Such courage to dredge up struggles so deeply buried so the world never forgets.
This book is so well written and clearly shows what was left of the "survivors", and their struggles throughout their lives. Such courage to dredge up struggles so deeply buried so the world never forgets.
June 14, 2023
Wow
This book was incredible. Stories that told different perspectives, the way in which family members found one another and the "kindness of Kadish" after surviving such unimaginable horrors that our minds cannot even put together.
This book was incredible. Stories that told different perspectives, the way in which family members found one another and the "kindness of Kadish" after surviving such unimaginable horrors that our minds cannot even put together.
June 19, 2023
one of the best Holocaust books I have ever read
I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the subject. It is a very well written, nuanced and thoughtful examination of this complicated and tragic subject.
I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the subject. It is a very well written, nuanced and thoughtful examination of this complicated and tragic subject.
July 1, 2023
Boys of courage
I chose this heading because I want everyone to never forget! To never let this happen again! To pay attention to what leaders are doing and saying! This was the saddest book I have ever read! It really moved me!
I chose this heading because I want everyone to never forget! To never let this happen again! To pay attention to what leaders are doing and saying! This was the saddest book I have ever read! It really moved me!
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July 10, 2023Life
This is a remarkable presentation of Jewish life and the devastation caused by the holocaust its beginnings and end that destroyed but did not defeat an entire family of Jewish people.
This is a remarkable presentation of Jewish life and the devastation caused by the holocaust its beginnings and end that destroyed but did not defeat an entire family of Jewish people.
December 11, 2023
Good book
What a perfect name for a book for indeed these were Boys of Courage. This book has tried to delve into the deeper meaning of the holocaust. When looking for deeper meaning and reasons there does not seem to be one answer. God Bless these poor people.
What a perfect name for a book for indeed these were Boys of Courage. This book has tried to delve into the deeper meaning of the holocaust. When looking for deeper meaning and reasons there does not seem to be one answer. God Bless these poor people.
December 19, 2023
Heartbreaking heroic tale
The children who became adults through the toughest of times. This book chronicle’s several children’s tales of survival. I was engulfed in history and touched by the heartbreaking stories of survival and heroism. Highly recommend!!
The children who became adults through the toughest of times. This book chronicle’s several children’s tales of survival. I was engulfed in history and touched by the heartbreaking stories of survival and heroism. Highly recommend!!
February 20, 2024
a book many should read
To read about the atrocities that were forced upon them and the humanity lost at the hands of Hitler. To understand the undertakings of the nazis who attempted to purge the world of Jews. May this help stop such hatred to occur again.
To read about the atrocities that were forced upon them and the humanity lost at the hands of Hitler. To understand the undertakings of the nazis who attempted to purge the world of Jews. May this help stop such hatred to occur again.
October 27, 2020
Lots of reality
I chose the rating of the very highest as I consider that this book was based on true happenings of the Holocaust.
I chose the rating of the very highest as I consider that this book was based on true happenings of the Holocaust.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews