We Fought Back: Teen Resisters of the Holocaust

by Allan Zullo

A look at how young adults handled WWII. Some actually rebelled and didn't fall prey to the Nazis.

Genres: Nonfiction, Holocaust, World War II, History, Historical, War, School

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Allan Zullo is an American non-fiction writer. He is the author or co-author of more than eighty paperbacks for adults and children.

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Zullo graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1969 with a degree in journalism. His books include The Baseball Hall of Shame and Baseball Confidential (both co-written with Bruce Nash), A Boomer's Guide to Grandparenting (co-written with his wife Kathryn), and the Haunted Kids series. Zullo has also written articles for The National Enquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, Ladies Home Journal, and The Palm Beach Post. His syndicated comic strip "The Ghost Story Club" ran in American newspapers from 1995 to 1998.

Zullo currently lives in Fairview, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Karessa A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I don't like nonfiction but this really kept me interested. All of the stories are very eventful and really open your eyes to what the Holocaust was like for those that really had to be at the heart of it. There was so much emotion put into this book that you really felt like I really knew these people. Sometimes I actually forgot that they were real because they seemed too crazy to be real. They were just completely unbelievable stories that will pull at your heart. I recommend that anyone that struggles reading nonfiction should pick this book up and they would really enjoy this book.

[Ginny Kaczmarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of seven individual stories, based on author Allan Zullo's interviews with each participant, highlights eastern European partisans who "wreaked havoc on the Nazis through guerrilla warfare and sabotage." Simultaneously thrilling and harrowing, these tales honor real-life heroism while remaining truthful about the costs of war.

Surviving subzero winters in swamps and forests, Jewish partisans had to evade violent anti-Semitism even from their comrades. At 15, Paul Strassman blew up a Nazi supply train, only to have his team leader aim a gun at him and suggest, "Let's get rid of the Jewish kid." Romi Cohn secretly supported 58 Jewish families as a 15-year-old, but was in constant danger of exposure from his non-Jewish neighbors. Sixteen-year-old Frank Blaichiman rooted out Nazi collaborators--usually ordinary citizens--attempting to destroy him and his friends.

Yet shining through these stories is each teen's righteous determination to survive and fight back.

The end of each chapter describes the person's after-war experiences. Most emigrate to America, become citizens, raise children, and create businesses, charitable foundations, and books to ensure that their stories are never forgotten.

I recommend this book for readers age 12 and up because of its mature themes and honest depictions of wartime violence. Despite sometimes clunky dialogue, it is an effective reminder of how previous generations fought back against virulent racism. Our job now is to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"As the regime changed in Germany, millions of Jews were killed because too many people were afraid to stand up and fight against evil. If you are in danger of persecution, you must fight for your rights by any means possible. And if you see others being persecuted, you must fight for them, too, because what happens to them could end up happening to you."

This book tells multiple stories of TEENAGERS that stood up to nazis during the Holocaust. The craziest part is knowing that even within the partisan groups fighting against the nazis, there was still hatred against Jews. These are powerful and inspiring stories to motivate people to take a stand when others tell you to stay silent.

[Dakota Lenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response:


In this book I learned how rough the Holocaust actually was for the Jewish people. I felt that the book was very informational and made me feel that I was actually there. I could visualize what was going on. I really enjoyed the book, because it explained the scenes out very well and the book was not confusing at all. I also liked the book because it was not just based on one person. It was about six characters who had the same type of experience in different places.


Plot: In this book all of the characters homes were taken away from them. They were forced to move to a ghetto and lived in the streets. All of them escaped and ran to the wilderness. They became partisans which are people who fought against the Nazis. They lived off the land for four or more years. All of them were survivors who made it through this terrible situation. They then managed to find what was left of there family, and basically start all over again to have a normal life again.


Characterization: My favorite character had to be Paul. He was taken away from his family and sent to a work camp. He was able to escape by bribing a guard. He became a partisan and his job was to lay dynamite on the railroad tracks to stop the German trains from delivering supplies or soldiers to other areas. I think that was just awesome and I would be proud to do it. He ranked up and became a leader of over 800 people by the end of the war. He was brought back with his two younger sisters, and his dad who had escaped the work camp. They hid in the wilderness as well. I think he was one of the strongest characters and had the most will to survive.


Setting: The book took place in Germany from 1939 to 1945. It took place during the Holocaust while Hitler was the leader of Germany. The hardest thing must have been in the very harsh and freezing winters when they had no home. They lived in the woods under trees. If they were lucky, they lived in a small dens that they built.


Recommendation: I would recommend this book to any male or female 12 or older because of the language. I would recommend this to someone who wanted to know more about what life was like during the Holocaust. I give this book four stars, because it was a very good book. However, I thought the author should have stuck with one person instead of five or six different people.

[Justin Totimeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

(SPOILER WARNING)Paul Strassman grew up with his sister, Ella. His father, Adolf, was a former army officer, and his mother was a shop owner. During the time that he was free from the Nazis he was always pulling pranks. His mother nicknamed him Spacek. Paul's parents were worried about Adolf Hitler so they saved alot of money, so they can leave when he comes. They hid the box behind a radiator. Unfortunately when Hitler came they grabbed the box for the money and all of it was charred and crumbled. Adolf now had to work as a bookkeeper. Although they had to move to an apartment Adolf payed a private tutor for Ella, and Paul so they can continue their education. A little while after a Gestapo officer came and took Paul's father, and grandfather. Paul was shocked when he heard the news that his father and grandfather were taken away. so he told his mother he would look for the partisans and avenge him. Will he ever avenge is father and grandfather. I like this book because it's about pain and sorrow and someone wants to do something about, but he needs the courage to fight.

[Bryce Bastar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response: The book, We Fought Back, by Allan Zullo was a very interesting book. The book was a non-fiction and different stories from different teenagers in every chapter. They explained what their experiences were during World War II. I enjoyed reading this book, and I hope to find a second book similar to this one.


Plot: The book had many plots because every chapter was the story of a different person's resistance to the Nazi's. Paul Stassman was a 15 year old merchant who was shipped off to the Ghetto. After he escaped, he joined the resistance and blew up a train. Frank Blaichman lived in a four bedroom apartment with his parents and six siblings. He was the only one to try to escape into the mountains. Chonon Bedzowski fled his country when the Nazis started to overrule everything. Chonon, his mother and three siblings found the largest resistance group of World War II. He was in a group of over 800 resisting Jews.


Characterization: There were many characters in this book. They all shared similar traits. They were all Jewish and fighting back against the Nazis on the run. They all suffered from starvation, fatigue, and feared for their lives. The characters were also brave and fought to stop the Nazi's.


Setting: Each story took place during World War II. The events occurred in Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Most of the characters were hiding in the mountains where it was very cold. They rarely went into town because of the Nazi spies and people would take them to the Nazis to get money.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who takes interest in war or likes history. The appropriate age for this book should be 13 years old or older because there were some gruesome scenes. I give this book four out of five stars.

[Bo Witkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I personally enjoyed We Fought Back for its unique way of explaining the stories. The author does a great job of giving you enough information so you understand the stories, but not too much where it is repetitive. I also enjoyed this book for its interesting stories that I was not familiar with until now. Another reason why I enjoyed this book is that it contains multiple stories about the same subject.

Plot Summary: We Fought Back is about Jewish refugees during World War Two who decide to fight back instead of hiding. All of the refugees joined groups of partisans that were led by ex-Russian officers. Each character in the book has a different role in their partisan group. For example, Paul Strassmann is a Czechoslovakian partisan whose job is to blow up Nazi supply trains. Selim Sznycer was another member of a partisan group whose job was to burn down a German factory that made wooden gun stocks. The other part of his mission was to cut down communication lines so there was a delayed reaction of German forces. He was successful in his mission but burned down half of the town in the process. Sonia Shainwald was a nurse at her partisan camp whose job is to treat the soldiers’ many wounds. She works through constant fatigue and bombardment from German troops. All of these troops in the partisan camps had to deal with harsh conditions, food shortages, and the German Forces. In 1945 the partisans declared victory over the Germans and went home to what was remaining of their families.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book to anybody in middle school and above. I feel like this age group will enjoy the book the most because it gives the reader a different point of view of World War Two. I would also recommend this book to anybody who is interested in learning about World War Two and its battles.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book about teenagers fighting against the Nazis because my 8-year-old was telling me about it and I worried it was too mature for a child his age. I don't mean he shouldn't learn about awful things in history - I just wondered about the presentation of the content. To me, it seemed more like a 5th-grader's book. Scholastic says it's an appropriate reading level, and I would agree with that about the words, sentence structure, etc. Still not sure if I'm thrilled about him reading some of the more violent parts at his age, but I will talk with his teacher about that and have been talking with him about the history and what he thinks about what he'll be reading.

That said, I think this book is terribly fascinating. The true stories are intriguing; I don't remember hearing about these teenage partisan fighters when I was in school, so I'm grateful for the chance to learn about them now!

[Blake Casner · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Fought Back: Teen resisters of the Holocaust is a non-fiction, Holocaust book. This book is not just one story. It is a combination of stories from Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. The similarity about each story is that it is about Jews who at the time were only teenagers and fought against the Nazis. Each story actually happened because it was told from an actual living survivor. One of the stories is about a girl who joins the partisans as a field medic. After each story, it tells about their lives after the Holocaust. The author put the stories in good detail and was explained with back story and their life after. I knew that the Jews fought against the Nazis, but I didn't know that they fought with the partisans. I liked the book We Fought back: Teen Resistors of the Holocaust and thought it was told effectively by the author.

[Sam Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important view into teenage resistance to Nazi persecution of the Jews. Seven individuals and seven stories largely from Czechoslovakia, Poland and Belorussia recount details of survival and becoming participants in partisan units. The question of why didn't all jews follow this activist resistance is well answered. The last story of Chonon Bedzowski recounts his participation in the Bielski Brigade the largest (1230 members when dismissed) partisan unit. After the harrowing experiences in wartime he still had to survive. From Lida, Belorussia he and his family went through Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria and finally to Italy and from there to Montreal. This book was a great gift from Amy that I will read again.

[Landon Buchholtz]

Personal Response: I really liked the book, We Fought Back. It made me realize how hard it must have been in the Holocaust. I could imagine it in my head. I really liked the book, because it described the scenes well. It was like a movie in my head. I also liked the book because it was not based on one person. It was about six characters who had the same type of experience in different places.

Plot: In the book, We Fought Back, all of the characters homes were taken away. The Nazis forced them to live in the streets of the ghettos. All of the characters escaped and ran into the wilderness. They became partisans who are people who fight against the Nazis. They survived by living off the land. All of them were survivors who made it through this evil and dark part in our world's history.

Characterization: There were a lot main characters in this book. They shared similar traits like being captured and escaping etc. My favorite would have to be Paul. He was tough. He was captured and sent to a concentration camp. Like the others, he suffered from starvation and slowly worked his way up the ranks.

Setting: All six stories took place during WWII. These events occurred in Germany and Poland. Most of the characters were hiding in the woods where it was safe but very cold. They barely went into town because it was full of Nazi soldiers and spies.

Recommendation: I would recommend this to anyone who likes war books and who wants to learn about the Holocaust. I would recommend this to people ten years or older. There are some very graphic scenes. This was one of my favorite books I give it 5 out of 5.

[Tristen Wieters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response: I like this book because it talks about different Jewish families and teens who fought back against the horrors of the Holocaust. Some were together and others were broken up thanks to the Nazis. Sadly some of the families were killed or sent to concentration camps after their kids left.

Plot Summary: This book is about some of the teen partisans who, as the title implies, fought back against the Nazis. They snuck out of ghettos, camps, and homes to link up with partisan groups willing to take them in. Many of them had the rest of their family killed while they were fighting in those partisan groups.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone looking for information on the resistance of teens during the Holocaust. I recommend it to guys or girls ages 12 to 70 because they have to be able to understand some of the words and phrases in the book.

[MrsMitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I learned so much about all the regular people who fought back against the Nazis! I am amazed at how brave these real people were and what awful experiences they survived! However, I thought this book sometimes had some kind-of-boring descriptions that interrupted the exciting stories and made me feel distracted at times.

[Cody Kutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is about how some Jews are trying to run away from the Nazis and how they fight back. The 3 main characters one is Paul who is fifteen years old, and Sarah is Fifteen to, and the final main character who is Frank who is at seventeen years of age, and they all have the same goal to kill all the Nazis because of how they treated and killed their families. One of the ways they got back at them was when they blew up one of the trains that nazis. The theme was that they were trying to plan a sneak attack to kill the nazi that killed there family members, and they also got some Russian soldiers to help them with their attack and they had a gun hidden in certain places that the Nazi soldiers would not find them. They had to deal with being attacked by peasants that stabbed one of them in the back and stripped him of all of his clothes, and they also had to deal with only eating two meals a day since they could not risk falling short of the potatoes that they stole from farmers. When they were forced out of there house and then they worked with each other to make a cabin in the woods to hide from the nazi's after they got to shoot at when the one guy blew the train right off the rails.
Yeah, I connect with them because when I’m in the wood hunting I always feel like something is watching me. It is like an eerie feeling because you do not know if it is dangerous like in their case they do not know if when they hear footsteps if it is from an animal or if it is from a Nazi soldier looking for jews for them to kill. Like how they are staying in the wood in a cabin he made, and it is like when we go up north to hang out at our friend's cabin that is surrounded by a forest and at night when you can hear the wolves howling. Also the book also reminds me of how there are people that discriminate on people just because of what a couple of people of that skin color or race have done like how there is always black discrimination, and how some people have the mind thought that all people that are Islamic like to blow thing up or are all serious. It reminds me of how cruel the Germans were just to the jews since they had different beliefs than what they believed in and how one person could be so cruel to kill millions of people the way that he did all just because of their religion.
My favorite parts of the book were how they hid everything from the Nazis and how they were able to make a cabin in the woods where the Nazis couldn’t find them, and how they got their food source because they didn’t have any money. I say that they did a good job and how accurate it was to the real thing and how rude and disrespectful they were to the jews by killing when they did nothing wrong and how they were just killed for what their religion was and how it didn’t follow Hitler's rules, one thing I think she could have done is changed perspective on how everybody outlook was of certain things. I would recommend it to someone who likes history and how cruel the Nazis treated the jews just for their religion since it didn’t follow Hitler guidelines.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many commentators have noted that had the approximately six million Jews killed by the Nazis managed to kill the Germans and their allies in the Holocaust at the ratio of one for every hundred Jews killed, the Germans would have had to stop or dramatically reduce the killing. The approximately 60,000 additional deaths in the Wehrmacht would have significantly reduced their fighting ability and shortened the war.
Far less reported in the history books is that there were partisan groups with Jewish members that fought hard and well against the Germans, forcing the Wehrmacht to expend considerable resources in fighting back and guarding their supply lines. This is the story of seven Jews that joined the armed resistance and by so doing, managed to survive the war when so many of their ethnic brethren did not.
The stories are of fighting, struggling for survival and experiencing extreme deprivation from lack of food and shelter. Forced to always be prepared to fight or flight at a moment’s notice, even if it meant leaving nearly all of their possessions behind. Chronically short of arms and ammunition, these people define the term “survivor.”

[Haley Kilgour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of us already, especially those of us who are Caucasian, cannot imagine a life a persecution. Yet we have several stories here of not only people who survive, but children who survive and fought back.

These stories are powerful and sad. Yet they remind us to fight against injustice.

I would highly recommend this book for not only teens but adults.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it would be amazing for teens in a history class to read! Both in free time or for class, it’s a 5/5 would recommend. Mature themes would include language, violence, stealing, and it is full of tear jerkers.

[Beth Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for young readers interested in understanding the Jewish resistance movement in occupied German territories. Carefully addresses violence and delves into remorse, morality and larger themes of righteous anger and action.

[Andrea Poole-Presslor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nicely written and great for young adults. Explanations of the German groups (Wehrmacht, SS, etc...) is very beneficial for younger readers.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has fascinating information about teens who risked their lives.

[books_with_her_coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intese and it had a lot of grusome parts and it had parts that were emotional. I recomend this book to anyone who likes suspense and adventure

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a really good book it had a good ending at the end

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing the age of the young adults and the courage they had!!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The courage of these young people was amazing, but as is true for most, the survival instinct is strong. The horrors of Hitler's evil must not be forgotten or repeated.

[Charlie Stetson · Rating 4 out of 5]

And you know what even they recognized Palestine

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a extraordinary an intriguing book about teenagers who escaped from the ghettos during the Holocaust to become resistors. The book written by Allan Zullo has around 4 or 5 different stories, they are all filled with cliffhangers and action narrated about different resisting groups and individuals. It makes me feel sympathy for those who fought back, however I also feel proud and relieved that they were brave enough to make this incredible and smart decision.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"War cares nothing about hopes and dreams and love."

This book was given to me by a coworker who told me I would enjoy the true stories of teenagers in Europe who showed resistance to the Holocaust. This was an interesting look at the lives and struggles of seven teenagers who defied all logic and actively resisted the Nazi party and the Holocaust. It was both inspiring and terrifyingly sad to read about the hardships so many of these teenagers and their families faced. I especially liked that at the end of each teenager's story, there was some information sharing about what happened to them after WWII. It was very interesting to see what happened to these teenagers in their later years and there is a wealth of additional sources to check out if the reader is so inclined. I always enjoy reading about the Holocaust and this was an interesting read to help me learn more true information about a demographic I don't often think about: teenagers.

TW: violence, death

[CASE STOCKMASTER · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very good and was intersting

[Ayonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a really good book, I recommend reading it if you want to learn more about history