What World is Left

by Monique Polak

A pampered child used to having her own way, Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for the Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland, and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Not only are conditions in the camp appalling, but the camp is the site of an elaborate hoax: the Nazis are determined to convince the world that Theresienstadt is an idyllic place and that European Jews are thriving under the Nazi regime. Because he is an artist, Anneke's father is compelled to help in the propaganda campaign, and Anneke finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her sense of what is right. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II.

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

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Child's View of Theresienstadt

Inspired by a true story this is the story of a young girl, Anneke, coming of age in the German concentration camp Theresienstadt. She was a happy pampered child living in Holland before the war. Her father drew cartoons for the newspaper. Her life was good and she was happy.

In 1942 that came to an end when the Nazi's invaded Holland and deported Anneke and her family to Theresienstadt. She learns to live the cruel life of hunger and work in the camp. She is more privileged than most as her father draws signs and pictures for the Nazi's in the camp which means the family is allowed to stay together.

Anneke is conflicted by her father's work and it causes her to question her father. The Nazi's are making a pretend model camp of Theresienstadt to fool the Danish Red Cross into thinking they are treating the people in the camp good which is not at all true. So she cannot figure out why her father is helping them by drawing pictures and signs for them. As she experiences loss of friends and the cruelty in the camp she becomes cold toward her father, until she finds the other picture her father has drawn.

It is a picture of what it must have been like for a child to be uprooted from her home and all she knew and transported to the worse place on earth where hunger is so great that a rotten potato is a treat and a crust of bread can mean life or death.

It focuses on the hoax that the German's portrayed to the world in the camp of Theresienstadt and how they actually had the world believing their lies.

This was an interesting historical book written for young people so that they could understand this time in history. It was very sad in spots but not so violent that it would be too much for a child. I think that it would be a good book to explain the holocaust to children 12 and older. I would recommend it.

Thanks to Monique Polak for writing the story , to Orca Book Publishers for publishing it , and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

[Kohavit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the book What World is Left by Monique Polak. This book is about the life of a Jewish girl in WWII. She has to work everyday. She misses her old life very much. She learns how to live in a labor camp and is constantly scared that any one of her family members or friends will get a yellow slip of paper under their mattress. Want to know what that yellow slip says? Read the book!

I liked how the author was so detailed about everything. Some people might find it annoying, but I kind of like it. Monique Polak uses really descriptive words. She never seems to write anything in past tense even thought this happen a long time ago. I think it makes it sound more interesting. I can relate to this book. I can relate because I am Jewish and I have studied WWII in Israel. I never knew some of the things I learned from this book. I liked it and I recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

[Jeaneva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book.

First of all, it starts off when Anneke is already in a concentration camp.
Following that is a series of confusing flashbacks, replaying how she got into the concentration camp. The beginning of the book would be alot more interesting if it just started with Anneke at home and then the Nazis come.

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but I can't do it anymore. The writing is atrocious. Yes, I recognize that this is based off of the experiences of the author's mother, and it is an important topic, but that doesn't make the writing good.

[Aisha M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably one of the worst books I have ever read. The writing is confusing, starts in the concentration camp and then flashbacks throughout the book. The main character is so unbelievably stuck up and annoying she is not likable at all. Also, why is no one talking about how this book goes into detail about how this 14-15-year-old girl falls in love with a 20-year-old?? He kisses her??? Disgustingly written and goes into detail about a "tingle" sensation she has, don't understand how there are any good reviews.

[Molly-Beth Naimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story by a local author. What’s not to like?

[Faith Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hauntingly, heart gripping tale that was far from joyous to read; however, it is such a beautiful story of strength, courage, and perseverance. I don't read books like this because I enjoy them. It's impossible to enjoy the tales of these poor people, but I read them because they deserve to have their stories told. I've never read a more beautiful book that shows the love of a family and what it takes to keep hope. Please read this book, it needs to have it's story told, and for the world to know another piece of World War Two. Whenever I read a book like this it makes me thankful for what I have, and how much I take for granted. I'm thankful for the people whom made it through this horrible piece of history and lived to tell their story to preserve history.

[Marykate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way this book was written. It grasped my attention and kept me wanting to read more and want to know what would happen to Anneke and her family. Books written during the holocaust interested me because seeing how these people survived always gives me hope that no matter how hard my life is there is always an outcome.

Reading this book made me realize that my life isn’t as bad as I think it may seem at times. I recommend this book for anyone young adult or adult who is interested in reading a book with true facts made into fiction. I read this book with no dry eyes. It clenched at my heart and made me sympathize with every character in the book. It taught me that life isn’t always perfect, but there is some good to come out of it.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a recommended book that Goodreads provided me after I read “Ashes in the Snow” by Ruta Sepetys. This was such a touching and heart gripping tale. I met Monique Polak at the MTL YA FEST 2018 and 2019. She is such a sweet person. I’m so lucky I got to meet and talk with her. This book is about the life of a Jewish girl in WWII. It is a beautiful story about strength, courage and perseverance. This book depicted the love of a family and what it takes to keep hope. Reading about how these people survived gave me hop that whatever hardship I am facing in life, there is always an outcome. We are very thankful for the people who made it through this horrible piece of history and lived to tell their story to preserve history. Indeed, they deserve to have their emotional stories told.

[Leandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book in grade 5 maybe, and my god I hated it. Anneke is so unlikeable and I always thought it was so unrealistic because a lot of her thoughts are dedicated to her love interest. Frankly, I thought that the pain and struggle that really happened in the holocaust, especially for a little girl, was not shown in this book and it quite misinterpreted her situation as a whole.
I have not read a piece of historical fiction since.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anneke Van Raalte and her family are taken from their home in the book, What World is Left by Monique Polak. Anneke and her family lived in Holland and were a Jewish family living during the time of World War II. Here she was used to getting everything she wants until one day this all would change. They were taken right out of their home in 1942 and forced to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp located in Czechoslovakia. This camp, to the rest of Europe, was supposed to be looked at as the “model” camp and showed Jews enjoying it, but in reality it was horrible and Anneke will soon realize this. Her father was an artist and while in the camp he decides to help the Nazis with the propaganda campaign leaving Anneke and which makes her feel betrayed by her family. She goes from living a lavish life to having to work very hard by herself. As she stays in the camp, she finds out that the one thing everyone fears is getting a yellow slip of paper which states the person's name and the word “included”. This meant the person would be transported, Anneke finds a guy named Handsome Franticek who proclaims his love to her perfectly before he gets transported. Anneke sees throughout her time at this camp, there can be love even through all the pain she undergoes and realizes she is able to survive all of this.
I enjoyed this book by the way it is written and the emotions produced by this novel. Polak wrote a fiction novel, but some events were ones her mother had experienced during that time. Just knowing this story was based on similar events that happened to her mother, makes me see some truth behind what happened in these camps. The author also used descriptive words throughout the novel keeping me intrigued and produced multiple different emotions at the same time. I liked how the author made Anneke go from being spoiled to having to work hard for herself with no help. At the end I was glad to see her push herself and survive the harshness of a concentration camp. This inspires me to work hard and shows it is possible to get through any hard time you might be going through. This novel shows a view of a Jew experiencing a concentration camp. I would recommend this novel to anyone that is going through a hard time or someone who has an interest for reading holocaust stories about Jews or World War II in general.

[Sydney Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on her own mothers experiences in Theresienstadt, Monique Polak delivers a chilling, heartbreaking view of life in a concentration camp through the eyes of a teenager.

Anneke Van Raalte and her family are non practicing members of the Jewish community in Holland. That doesn’t stop them from being deported once the Nazis invade the Dutch country. Her fathers status as an artist manages to keep them safe during their internment by working for their captors but that doesn’t mean they won’t be subjected to the horrors that await those that the Germans deem undesirable. Unlike other concentration camps, Theresienstadt is not a killing center. It is actually the camp the Nazis gussy up and use as propaganda to the world that they’re treating their prisoners well. Trying to be strong becomes more and more difficult as time passes. Anneke sees and experiences things that invade her dreams and begin to break her. She doesn’t agree with what her father is doing to keep them safe and it isn’t until the Russians liberate them that she realizes the lengths her father went to that kept her entire family alive until the tanks rolled in.

Originally published in 2008, this is a beautiful ode to the authors mother. As she states in her authors notes, we must listen to the stories of those that survived the Holocaust so that we never forget and never repeat the atrocities that were committed during WWII. Because this is written from a teenagers perspective, I feel like it is easier to understand the feelings and emotions that drip from each page. I haven’t read any stories that take place in Theresienstadt so this was a unique perspective for me. I highly recommend this for young adult audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orca Book Publishers and Monique Polak for access to this story and a little bit of history that I didn’t know much about.

[Yeji Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anneke grew up in a secular Jewish family in Holland, so she has little faith to lose when her family is deported to the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt in 1943. With almost 40,000 convicts crammed into a hamlet, she endures backbreaking labor and filthy, unclean surroundings at the age of 14. There is always the fear of being sent to the gas chambers on the terrible transports. This work is told in Anneke's first person, based on the recollections of the author's mother, who survived two years in Theresienstadt but did not speak about it for more than 60 years.

Anneke's frustration with her annoying little brother; her friendship and romance with young people who would later be taken to the extermination camps; the hunger that causes her and her grandfather to eat the enamel in their cups; her guilt and rage are all remembered elements. The author's postscript raises concerns that will take readers back to the fictional story's comparable, sad issues.

This was a fascinating historical book made for young people to help them comprehend the events of the time period. It was sad at times, but not so much so that it would be too much for a child to handle. I believe it would be an excellent book for children aged 12 and up to learn about the Holocaust. I would suggest it to my peers. It's also a pretty short book, so for students who want to read a short book and finish it in one day about WW2 can enjoy this book as well.

I will give this book a three, I really enjoyed reading this book. Overcoming adversity in a time of such darkness and hopeless situation was really touching.

[Angelav · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book I read is “What World Is Left” by Monique Polak . This book falls in the historical fiction genre because it talks more about historical events like World War II , Nazis, concentration camps and Jews. A short summary about this book is that Anneke and her family live in Theresienstadt which is a concentration camp . Anneke and her family are Jews so that’s what caused them to go to concentration camp. She loses some of her friends and love relationships. Her dad is a famous painter so they had more advantages of a better life than other Jews . This all happened when World War II was taking place.

An example of a internal conflict is on page 52 and it’s when she was afraid to tell her friend she was movíng and leaving her because Anneke thought Hannelore was gonna get mad and upset with her. An example of an external conflict is man vs society when the Nazis forced her and her family to live in a concentration camp .

Finally my opinion on this book is that it was a really good because I like to learn more about historical events. And this is a perfect book to learn more about history.The type of person that would like this book would be someone that is interested in World War II and would like to learn about what happened during it.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read and resource for people who want to understand and learn about the Holocaust. The writing and material is lighter compared to other books I have read; though the experiences and horror are no less. The voice of the story is very relatable and well done.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt like it didn’t add parts to the actual individual’s experiences to make it more “interesting” for lack of a better term. There was no love story added in, only a relatable teen relationship/crush.

When reading you really feel what the individuals are feeling. You experience and share their fear and sorrow as you read along and experience their story.

This story had moments of violence and a few explicit scenes, such as sexual assault, murder, and cruelty, but it is mostly a story of experiences and survival. The reader is in Annek’s head and with her through her years in the camp. With that, there is a level of innocence, but also horror.

As I have noted, this story is on the “lighter” side in relation to violence and explicitness. Although, that is NOT to lighten or make less of her experiences. It is in some ways “easier” to read for those who want to learn and understand concentration camps and the Holocaust, but are sensitive to more intense accounts.

Great for young people.

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the experiences of the author’s mother in Theresienstadt, this was a very quick and not terribly detailed glimpse into life in the “nice” camp (those quotes are carrying a LOT of weight bc, while not a death camp, it was still an ungodly place of horrors where 30,000 people died). I wish there had been more to it and that several dropped plot lines had been fleshed out, but the lack of gory detail does make this slightly more approachable for those with weak stomachs than some of the other Holocaust memoirs I’ve read. The story the authors mother told is beyond reproach, because a person’s bravery to tell their trauma to a new generation in order to educate and prevent recurrence of atrocities is always to be praised and lauded. However, the writing itself leaves something to be desired.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monique Polak's mother was imprisoned in Theresienstadt (a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia) during WWII and she was inspired by her mother's experiences there.

This camp, like all the others, had way too many people for the size of it. This one was the site of a hoax the Nazi's planned to share with the rest of the world. They had a playground built, flowers planted, and days when visitors arrived to view it, they served food that none of the people held there had ever had before. The Raalte family who were deported there in 1942 are just one of many families there. Because Anneke's dad is an artist, he was compelled to help in this hoax by helping the Nazi's with their plan.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...#
The author is Monique Polak and this is her mothers story of her internment at Theresienstadt, in Chechoslovakia, during World War II. She was imprisoned with her grandfather, father, mother and brother. They were taken from their home in Holland, by Nazi Soldiers. They were prisoners for two years. This book is fiction, but many of the things that really happened to her and her mothers family. The book is written very well about a horrendous time in history.

[Danielle Kohs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this at least once. It’s a powerful story of a young girl coming of age in a concentration camp during World War II. The details the author shares about the living conditions, work conditions, relationships, etc. while living in a camp as a Jew during that time we’re things I have not heard before from other holocaust books I have read. (and I’ve read quite a few!) The only thing I wished the author would have disclosed at the end was telling of what happened after the girl and her family were saved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan Novack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently read a lot of holocaust books, both fiction and non-fiction. This one really drew me in as I got to the middle I could not put the book down. The imagery makes you feel that you are witnessing something totally unbelievable. I so wanted a happy ending...with friends,relatives, and even lovers meeting together after the war. But you will have to read it to find out. Great read!

[LillieeeL · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would rate this book two stars because it's plot is too simple. There aren't conflicts that stand out. The storyline of the book is plain and dull. The whole book is like a journal, a record of everything that had happened after the protagonist and her family were taken away.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een andere wereld is de nederlandse titel vam dit boek.
Het verteld het verhaal van Lotte en haar familie die gevangen zitten in kamp thereziënstad.

Gebaseerd op het waar gebeurd levensverhaal van Jo Spier.

Aangrijpend en confrontrerend. Een verhaal wat niet loslaat.

[Flesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction is based on the author's mother's stories about her time in the Theresienstadt ghetto during the Nazi Holocaust. The protagonist is 14 years old when this story begins and covers two years.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare to read a book set in Terezin.

[Yana Deloose · Rating 5 out of 5]

dit boek in echt een aanrader omdat mensen dan inzien hoe het werkelijk is geweest in het verleden de tijd van de oorlog.

[Carolyn Larocque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping account of a 15 year olds memory of her time in a concentration camp. Heartbreaking and terrifying.

[Inge Meijs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het is indrukwekkend om te lezen hoe het leven jn Theresienstadt was, vooral het stuk over de verfraaiing. Zelf ben ik niet zo’n fan van de schrijfstijl.

[Elizabeth]

These memoirs are hard to read but important.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars