Saint Maximilian Kolbe: A Hero of the Holocaust

by Fiorella De Maria

Maximilian Kolbe's decision to take the place of a condemned man in the Auschwitz concentration camp is one of the greatest stories of heroism to emerge from the Holocaust. This book brings to life for a younger audience the incredible story of a Polish weaver's son who grew up to be a priest, a missionary, and a martyr.

Kolbe lived amid the political unrest, the social change, and the spiritual battles that shaped the modern world. In the thick of it all, he had one goal--to share the love of God with as many people as possible. And he was a great innovator, spreading the Gospel through multimedia--a work that took him all the way to Nagasaki, Japan.

With his deep love for Our Lady, Kolbe also founded a Marian movement that has spread throughout the world, the Militia Immaculatae, also known as the Knights of the Immaculata. His imitation of Mary's tremendous trust in God enabled him to bring hope everywhere he went, including a prison camp.

Genres: Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2022

About the author

Fiorella De Maria is an Anglo-Maltese writer, born in Italy and currently living in Surrey. She grew up in rural Wiltshire and attended Cambridge University, where she received a BA in English Literature and an MPhil in Renaissance Literature. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published nine novels, specialising in historical and crime fiction. Fiorella’s novels have received endorsements from veteran author and journalist, Piers Paul Reid, and her most recent novel was described as “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie meets I Capture the Castle.”

Besides writing novels, Fiorella is a qualified English Language teacher and a respected bioethicist. She has delivered lectures and papers at conferences all over the world. Her book The Abolition of Woman was described by former Cosmopolitan journalist Sue Ellen Browder as “a daring revelation of the shocking exploitation of women around the world”. Fiorella has appeared on British radio and TV programmes such as ITN 24-Hour News, BBC Woman’s Hour and Premier Radio’s Woman 2 Woman. Fiorella lives with her husband, four children and a dog called Montgomery (Monty).

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read nearly all the books written by Fiorella de Maria, I absolutely love her fiction but the two biographies of saints she has written are amazing. Her hagiography is excellent. This book is part of the Vision Books Biographies now published by Ignatius Press. And it part of Ignatius’s expansion upon the original titles called New Vision Books. It is the fifth in the series currently in print that I have read, the first was Saint Jose, Boy Cristero Martyr. And I have read two of the out of print versions not yet and maybe never back in print with Ignatius. I did some research on the Vision Books for Young Readers and from the books I have read can state that they are excellent reads for teens, young adults and adults. This was an excellent read and I understand that Ignatius has several other titles in the work to expand the series. But back to this volume. The description of the book is:

“Maximilian Kolbe's decision to take the place of a condemned man in the Auschwitz concentration camp is one of the greatest stories of heroism to emerge from the Holocaust. This book brings to life for a younger audience the incredible story of a Polish weaver's son who grew up to be a priest, a missionary, and a martyr.

Kolbe lived amid the political unrest, the social change, and the spiritual battles that shaped the modern world. In the thick of it all, he had one goal—to share the love of God with as many people as possible. And he was a great innovator, spreading the Gospel through multimedia—a work that took him all the way to Nagasaki, Japan.

With his deep love for Our Lady, Kolbe also founded a Marian movement that has spread throughout the world, the Militia Immaculatae, also known as the Knights of the Immaculata. His imitation of Mary's tremendous trust in God enabled him to bring hope everywhere he went, including a prison camp.”

And the author bio is:

“Fiorella De Maria, an Anglo-Maltese writer living in Surrey, England, studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published eight other books with Ignatius Press, including A Most Dangerous Innocence, We'll Never Tell Them, and the Father Gabriel Mystery series.”

The chapters in the book are:

1. The Boy with the Two Crowns
2. Students and Brothers
3. A Novice in the Eternal City
4. A Priest and a Knight
5. How a Printing Press Founded a City
6. A Tiny Elephant Leads Maximilian to Japan
7. Poland’s Agony Begins
8. February 1941: Into the Hands of His Enemies
9. Auschwitz
10. Kolbe’s Choice
Afterword
Bibliography

I had previously read a couple of books about Saint Maximillian Kolbe so much of what is contained in this volume is not surprising. But this volume went much deeper into his time in Asia than any other I have read. The writing in this book is excellent. Once I started reading I could hardly put it down. Maria has a way with a turn of phrase and flowing prose that capture and enthral the reader. Even knowing the story, I stayed up way to late one night while away for a weekend because I just could not put it down.

I plan on reading all the books in this series that are in print and as many of the out of print that I can track down. I returned to this series because I had finished the 38 books in the Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media. Those books are geared for a younger audience, and these are written for older readers and go deeper into the subject matters of each volume. This is a n excellent book in a wonderful series. My only complaint is that only about a third of the books are available in digital formats, with my dual form of dyslexia and my son’s eye tracking issues eBooks are our preferred format. Fortunately I was able to pick up the eBook of this one a few weeks after the print edition was released. These books are written for a Middle Grade or Teens in mind, but this one and the others I have read are excellent volumes for readers of all ages. A well written biography of an amazing Saint, I can easily recommend this book.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

this man is LEGIT. i need to read more lives of the saints.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an interesting overview of his life. I wanted a bit more depth

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offer it up.