The War Within These Walls

by Aline Sax, Caryl Strzelecki (Illustrator)

It's World War II, and Misha's family, like the rest of the Jews living in Warsaw, has been moved by the Nazis into a single crowded ghetto. Conditions are appalling: every day more people die from disease, starvation, and deportations. Misha does his best to help his family survive, even crawling through the sewers to smuggle food. When conditions worsen, Misha joins a handful of other Jews who decide to make a final, desperate stand against the Nazis.Heavily illustrated with sober blue-and-white drawings, this powerful novel dramatically captures the brutal reality of a tragic historical event.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Holocaust, War, World War II, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2011

Reviews

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so pleased that I stumbled upon this while scanning the library shelves, but surprised that I had never heard of it before.

Told in first-person, with lots of illustrations that are both simplistic but powerful, The War Within These Walls tells the story of Misha, a young Jewish man in 1939 Warsaw. From his fictional lens, we learn about the Nazi invasion of Poland, the creation of the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw, onward through the uprising of 1943.

It was a very short read, but powerful, bringing up a lot of emotions and questions. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but especially to middle & high school teachers, to include in their WW2 curriculum.

[Tarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard-hitting look at one family's survival in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland. In fact, it's told from first-person perspective, so it's exactly like seeing it through young Misha's eyes.

Yes, there's some gruesome/graphic scenes. Yes, there's pain and hurting on these people's faces. Yes, you're going to see and feel the pain for yourself.

The Nazis have taken over Warsaw, but the ghetto is uprising. The Jews in the area are being persecuted (the book fills the reader in on what the Jewish people could and could not do). As Misha in the story says, “I had never felt so Jewish before.” Because it never really mattered before the Nazis arrived. But the ghetto will not be downtrodden forever...

It's a fairly short read. I finished it in just a couple of sittings. But there's a big story behind these words and between these pages.

I'd recommend it for anyone 10 and up, but with a warning on some gruesome or violent content.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book; I was not required to post a positive review.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the experiences of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. The book is considered teen fiction, and is only 175 pages. Though it's fiction, it isn't written in the style of a typical novel. With minimal text, the author superbly conveys the horrors of the people during this time. Misha (the main character) displays courage throughout the book, putting himself at great risk in order to secure food for his family. Misha is aware of a tragedy that happens to his sister, but he can't bear to tell his mother the truth about it, which creates a terrible weight upon his shoulders. This is another example of how he tries to take care of his family - not telling his parents the truth, knowing it might destroy them.

Ultimately Misha becomes a member of the Jewish resistance, literally taking on the Nazis. This is a crucial part of the book, and it sets it apart from other novels about the Holocaust. The Jewish resistance is a heroic effort in the face of evil, and it's not deeply addressed in traditional social studies units. I definitely recommend this for students of middle school age or older.

[Elizabeth Westlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

The War within These Walls follows Misha, a young Jewish teen during the time of World War II. His family is relocated into a crowded ghetto where conditions are deplorable. The format of this book is shorter passages of text accompanied by black and white drawings that depict the events of the story, such as his daring escapes through a manhole or the funeral cart that passes through each day. Eventually, as Misha loses more and more of what is important to him and he learns of the death camps, he makes the decision that he must to something to fight back against the Nazis.

The sensory details that the author presents evoke an immediate response of anxiety and horror for what those who really experienced such events went though during this time period. The colorless drawings accurately reflect this feeling of despair and add to the mood of the story.

Though this novel is not traditional in structure and has briefer text and illustrations, that does not mean that the content is necessarily appropriate for younger readers. This book may be best utilized at the eighth grade level or above due to some of the graphic nature. It would definitely work with a unit on the Holocaust/WWII. There would be much to explore with students, such as what the parakeet represents, and how Misha changes as a character.

[Geert van Rooijen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soms zijn weinig woorden en een aantal indringende zwart-wittekeningen genoeg om drie jaar gruwelijkheden tot leven te wekken. In dit geval niet per se een prettige ervaring, wel een af en toe noodzakelijke!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. that is all..

*tw for graphic scenes*

[Dorcas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel about the ghetto uprising in Poland WW2.

It is a difficult book to rate. By giving it two stars I'm not saying its a bad book but it definitely wasn't for me. It's also a difficult book to classify. I would put it as YA but the subject matter and illustrations are quite violent at times and I'm not sure I could recommend it to any young adult I know.

The illustrations themselves are finely executed and there's tons of them. They did help to tell the story but ultimately it is a very dark and depressing one. Yes, WW2 was dark and depressing but this book seems to focus on the violent imagery: starvation, brutality of soldiers, people being incinerated in the sewers by "Nazi pigs" with flame throwers etc. Not something I could recommend.

CONTENT:
VIOLENCE: Strong
PROFANITY: D's and "Nazi Pigs"

MY RATING" PG-13

*I received a free ebook from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

We know a bit about the Warsaw Ghetto, and the walling up of Jewish citizens during the war. We know a little...but this book forces us to SEE. To watch children slowly starve to death, to see families crammed into one room, to see people rounded up and taken away, never to return.

I didn't know much about the Warsaw Uprising, the short-lived, heroic, revolt by young Jewish kids who decided a death fighting for their cause meant more than a slow death by starvation or a fast execution.

Told through the eyes of a fictional Jewish boy, we learn about the real hero of the uprising, young Mordechai Anielewicz, the spiritual leader of this doomed endeavor.

I remember reading THE PIANIST, but I don't remember anything about the uprising in that book...

My only complaint is the book was too short, with a story that was too surface. I will now dig for more information.

[Rebecca Zaslavsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misha is a teenager living in Warsaw when the Nazis invade and change his life forever. As walls are rising around him, Misha has lost his freedom because he is Jewish. He and his family are forced to wear armbands symbolizing their faith, and Misha decides to take matters into his own hands. Misha joins a group of resistance fighters that undergo extreme circumstances for the potential of a better life. Read to find out of Misha is one of the survivors and what happens to his friends and family during the war.

[Christopher Desruisseau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much the feeling of reading a poem

[Penny Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle between the Germans and those trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII is the main focus of this novel that should attract a teen audience. The format of the book is really inviting - a novel in free verse is paired with distinctive b&w illustrations making this a hybrid between a graphic novel and a novel in poetry. The main character, Misha, is fictional but there are real life people featured as well, making this historical fiction that is moving and with a gravitas and authenticity that will grab the reader. High school history teachers will find this a great book for a class reading assignment.

[مصطفي سليمان · Rating 3 out of 5]

الحرب هي أكتر فعل بشري جنونا علي الاطلاق.. هنا بنشوف البلد اللي في اي حرب بتتشال وتتهد بولندا
وازاي بكل بساطة بيتم تسوية اليهود من الألمان بكل حقارة وبكل الطرق القتل، والحرق لأتفه الأسباب
واي محاولة مقاومة هو حكم أعدام،اغتصابات واعتداءات وسرقات وكل شئ تستطيع القيام به
لا تعتبر بشكل واضح قصة مصورة هي ملخص للي حصل في بولندا خلال الاجتياح
مرفق مع بعض الصور
رواية مقبولة جدا، اعتقد الموضوع كان محتاج أكتر بكتير من اللي تم ذكره، وسيناريو اقوي بكتير

[Sarah Hysong · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I like the concept of the book, the "poetic style"-- i.e. 169 pages of simple sentences-- made it a very annoying read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The War Within These Walls is a historical fiction graphic novel about the uprising in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw in 1943. The book is told in first person through the eyes of Misha, a fictional character based on the Jewish people who fought against the Nazis during World War 2. Misha’s account begins in 1939 at the formation of the Warsaw ghetto through 1943 when the Jewish resistance forces fought back. Misha details the horrors the people in the ghetto faced during this time. The reader sees how life in the ghetto left Misha feeling defeated and how he had lost hope before meeting Mordechai Anielwicz who encouraged him to join resistance. “We were not fighting to win. We were fighting for an honorable death.”

The War Within These Walls was a 2014 Batchelder Honor Book, a 2014 Sydney Taylor Honor book (teens category), and the 2014 winner of the National Jewish Book Award (Children’s and Young Adult Literature). The book was published in 2011 in Dutch by Belgian author Aline Sax and later translated to English by Laura Watkinson in 2013. The author writes with short, simple sentences that give the book an almost poetic feel. The simple, yet complex text is complemented with the illustrator, Caryl Strzelecki, use of black and white drawings which reflect the mood and tone of the story. The illustrations aid in the understanding of the events as well as reflect the feelings of the characters in the story.

The graphic and violent content of the book would be most appropriate for older readers. The book narrates only what is happening in the Warsaw ghetto with an assumption that the reader is already familiar with important concepts in World War 2 and the Holocaust. This book would be best for high school readers to read after they have some background knowledge on these topics

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mikael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stærk fortælling. Skræmmende stærk. Igen og igen må man bare spørge sig selv om hvordan ... og hvorfor?

[Beth Wozencraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War Within These Walls was an interesting book to read as it was basically a graphic novel with illustrations on each page and short paragraphs or even just a single word per page. Because of this format it was easy to read, yet still powerful. In fact I found the use of single words to be especially powerful. Single words such as “Food” stood out because it was the only word on the page. It showed how no words could describe the starvation people suffered while confined to the Warsaw ghettos. The illustrations also added to the dire circumstances the Jewish people experienced during the Holocaust. Overall, I enjoyed the book and its unique format. I think, however, that it could have gone into more detail about the Holocaust. Since it really just stayed at the surface level, other sources would need to be used in order to explore the Holocaust more in depth. I think it would be interesting to use this book as a springboard for a unit on the Holocaust, since it is so quick and graphic.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful book; the illustrations add a lot, I didn’t know about this part of history, this book was recommended by my boss to read and I am so glad I read it

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War Within These Walls is a slim graphic novel based on a real event. Narrated by teenage protagonist Misha, it follows the fate of his Jewish family living in Poland at the start of WWII. Little by little the Nazis made life untenable for the Jews in Poland. Eventually, the Jews were all moved into various ghettos around Poland, Misha and his family found themselves living the the Warsaw Ghetto.

With little food and people dying of starvation every day, Misha begins to sneak out of the ghetto at night to find food to smuggle in for his family. Soon, his younger sister Janina starts following him and when he insists she stop when the Nazis were starting to hang smugglers, she leaves the ghetto on her own and doesn't return.

Then, the Nazis announced that the Jews were going to be resettled in the east to have a better life. People thought that might be a good thing until the freight trains with only cattle cars arrive. As the Nazis swarmed the ghetto to find anyone who tried to hide, Misha realizes that they were going east to be killed not resettled.

Hiding from the Nazis during the raid, Misha meets a young man named Mordechai Anielewicz and his life as a Jewish resistance fighter begins. As he meets other Jews in the resistance, Misha feels a sense of renewed hope. The Nazis planned to liquidate the ghetto on April 19, 1942, a date that coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover. But they were never expecting to meet resistance, but Misha, Mordechai and the other Jews for back, culminating in what we know call the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Using sparse test accompanied by stark black and white pencil, pen and ink illustrations against a black or white pages, The War Within These Walls is one of the most powerful books I have read about the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto. The slim design of the physical really imparts the sense of how increasing narrow the Nazis made world for the Jews in Europe, while the height reminded me of how Misha saw the freedom of birds who had the freedom could just fly away from the ghetto.

And it is a grim novel, full of despair, but how could it not be. One of the most poignant parts of the story was the disappearance of Janina after she runs away from the ghetto. I could really feel Misha's agony not knowing what happened to her - did she survive or was she captured and killed? Like so many many Jewish families caught in the the Nazi reign of terror who never saw their loved ones again and never learned what became of them.

By the end, I could really see how Misha and the other resistance workers saw hope in what they were doing even though it proably would spell certain death for them.

This is a heart breaking novel in its very simplicity, but not to be missed for mature teen readers interested in the Holocaust and WWII.

At the end of The War Within These Walls, there is a short biography about Mordechai Anielewicz, who was indeed the leader of the resistance within the Warsaw Ghetto. He was born in 1919 and killed on May 8, 1943 during the Uprising. He was only around 24 uears old at the time.

This book is recommended for mature readers age 14+
This book was purchased for my personal library

This review was originally posted at The Children's War

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War within These Walls focuses on the story of a Jewish man living in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. Though the main character is fictional, the author highlights characters that are based on real people who organized to fight against Nazi occupation. The book provides information about the harsh and cruel conditions of life in the ghetto as well as details about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The illustrations are simple (dark greens and blues), and these illustrations and minimal text contribute to a somber atmosphere. This book is a quick read, but the story will stick with the reader long after finishing the book.

[Brady Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated “The War Within These Walls” by authors Aline Sax and Caryl Strzelecki a 5 star book because it exceeded my expectations and I couldnt put it down. One reason I feel this way is because the book was the first book ive seen that was a Historical Fiction book but it was also a Graphic Novel. Since this book was based around World War II I would read about things such as dead bodys getting dragged out of the camps in a barrell and then on the next page you would see a picture of it. When Mortis would stand up for the jews and talk to everyone it made me think he was like their leader and because of his leadership I wanted to keep reading it and see what else he would do. Another reason I feel this way is because I felt like I could really connect to the book. I felt I could connect to it because I myself am a jewish person and this is like my ancestors past which made me into the book more. When the young boy watched his mother die of hunger because she was not being fed, it just made me attached to the book because it started to make me think how I would feel if I was in the boys shoes watching my own mother pass away in front of me. This book is important because it is world history and a sacred subject but the author found a way to make this book enjoyable despite the book being about a serious topic. I would read another book by this author because I liked the genre of this book and how they handled the topic.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misha is a young Jewish man who watches firsthand the deterioration Warsaw Jews under the heinous yoke of Nazi occupation. When it is too much to take, when his only choice is to fight or die, he joins with a small force of Jewish resistance to rise up and fight the occupiers, knowing that he fights not for victory but for an honorable death.

Sax and Strzelecki work well together in creating a gritty and dark picture of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw during World War II. The black and dark blue inks create a dismally monochromatic Warsaw ghetto, and the scratchy sketches of Polish Jews convey a hopelessness that the first-person narrative complements. Readers will feel the same fury that Misha does as he watches the Nazis choke the life out of his family and friends, and as he realizes that his people are being systematically murdered in death camps. The conclusion is poignant and open-ended, leaving readers with some exposed emotion that the author chooses to leave unsatisfied.

The only complaints I have are that the illustrations are a touch too cartoonish for the subject matter, though it may have been a deliberate choice to appeal more readily to a younger audience.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War Within These Walls is a story based on real facts with fictional characters and relates the details of the invasion of Warsaw by the Germans on September 1939. The author did a succinct but powerful job depicting the feeling of the characters, making the readers feel the injustice and agony the Jewish went through. The author did a great job by choosing carefully in every page the perfect words to describe the actions, the anguish, the sorrow and harassment that the Jewish population lived at that time.
It is a story that retells many of the fact of the persecution of the Jewish people but also combines the excitement of the brave Jews that tried to fight back and defend their honor.
The book is an easy read with scenes that make you gasp and show your feelings aloud! I was not a big fan of the pictures, however, they definitively capture the mood and the essence of the story.
I recommend the book for either reluctant reader since the story is short and easy one.

[Bladelor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il m'est difficile de vous parler de ce roman car il ne m'a pas plu, mais je me dois de le resituer par rapport au lectorat-cible, à savoir des adolescents. Peut-être en effet qu'à cet âge il m'aurait touchée et marquée. Malheureusement, ayant lu pas mal de titres sur ce sujet, celui-ci m'a paru fade.
Alors oui c'est bien écrit, et les illustrations sont sombres à souhait, mais pour autant je n'ai pas adhéré à ce texte. Peut-être est-ce en raison de sa longueur car c'est davantage une nouvelle qu'un roman, et sans doute aussi comme je viens de l'évoquer, en raison de mon âge.
Cela dit, j'ai lu aussi d'autres romans destinés aux adolescents sur le thème de la seconde guerre mondiale qui m'ont fait grande impressions (je pense en particulier à Ce qu'ils n'ont pas pu nous prendre, Max ou encore Il n'est si longue nuit), donc je ne sais pas véritablement pour quelle raison je n'ai pas accroché avec ce roman...

[Robert Keyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think it is a good representations. of what it was like to live in side the Berlin walls during the Nazi. Misha the main character is living with his family in warsaw. which at the time is taken over by nazi. the whole time his his struggle living in these harsh conditions.so he trys to fight back. this would be unexpected by the nazi and is their best chance of living.
"there is no food"40 the nazi have stoped all food from entering. all the citizens were starving even the rich were hungry. this made misha go in the drains and stell food from a bakers house of the other side of the wall.
"they were all dead." pg56 the citizens of warsaw were diing every day. there were so many dead they just died on the side of the street. to were a care with a trailor was coming arround picking up bodys.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick but dark read in poetic & graphic novel format about being in the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust. It does focus on the Warsaw uprising which is a topic I haven't seen explored much in YA historical fiction. I appreciated the word art more than the graphic art/drawings. I feel that the visual art contributed little, and I didn't cry, which explains why I gave this a 3 (it IS a depressing topic, after all), but I did....pause....a few times. Recommended to grades 8 and up, but it's ideal for grades 8-10.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book gave a strong perspective about the Holocaust. In this book you learn about how the Jews fought back against the Nazis. You see the Holocaust from a Jew's point of view while the war was happening and how the Jews fought back to try and regain their independance.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the illustrations were nice, I didn't think they added anything to the book. The story is compelling enough, and my heart just aches for all those families. I just can't comprehend how humans can do this to one another. I could never be a soldier.

[Nathan James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical fiction is gripping and informative. I knew a little bit about the Warsaw ghetto, but this graphical novel paints both a grim, and somberly triumphant tale.
I also enjoyed the format of the book. Lots of graphics, and poignant prose.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel with dark illustrations depicting the events leading up to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. A good and basic introduction to this significant event and a stark reminder of selflessness and courage in the face of insurmountable odds.