Calumet City Public Library discussion

Feature Film Friday is not meeting in March because of early voting. We will meet again in April to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for Holocaust Remembrance Day and Week.

Although this book is short, considering the nature of the book I am going to start now so I can take it slow. How about everyone else? How do you deal with tragedy in books? Do you cry? Walk away? Put it in the freezer?

http://youtu.be/-qqaCby1lGw
http://youtu.be/x_2ZW7rMXgc

Having just read the first three chapters, I already have some questions. Why call it a fable? In the first definition of the word: "a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral." It is indeed a short story but is there really a need to call it a fable.

What do you think of calling Father's boss "the Fury" capital "F" I think it is safe to conclude that this is the Fuhrer, Hitler as it safe to conclude that their new house "Out With" is Auschwitz. I think that there are some not so subtle set ups... although a German child would confuse the German word "Fuhrer" with the word for fury which is "wut" or "zorn." However the German word for out is "aus" and with is "mit" so that is interestingly closer.

Perhaps this is that fable aspect, that the Germans are our "talking animals" (not in the disrespectful sense, just in the comparison sense) to teach a moral lesson.

Also I found a very informative and interactive resource from PBS from their "Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State" series. Lots of interactive maps and an interesting history of the state of "Auschwitz" and other Nazi camps.

Check it out here: http://www.pbs.org/auschwitz/40-45/