Heroes of the Holocaust (Holocaust (Brookfield, Conn.).)

Gottfried, Ted

ISBN 10: 0761317171 ISBN 13: 9780761317173

Publisher: Twenty First Century Books, 1822

Synopsis

Tales of unbelievable bravery outline the individuals and groups that took action against Nazi tyranny, often at personal cost, to help Jews and other victims. By the author of Martyrs to Madness: The Victims of the Nazis.

About this title

From Booklist:

Reviewed with Ted Gottfried's Children of the Slaughter.

Gr. 7-12. With clear, direct prose and a very spacious, readable design, this book in the Holocaust series present the history without rhetoric or exploitation. There is much here for classroom discussion, and the resource list and full chapter notes will guide students who want more information for research papers and for personal reading. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations at the start of each chapter are jagged and dramatic; even more moving are the occasional black-and-white archival photos. The book about the children will especially spark debate. The focus is on the horror of the genocide and the experience of Jewish children, but Gottfried also talks about what was done to German children, including their recruitment into the Hitler Youth, their orders to spy on their own parents, and the slaughter of young teenage recruits in battle. The survivors' guilt and the effects on their children are also part of the legacy, and Gottfried raises the question: Can there be remembrance and reconciliation between young Germans and Jews today? The book on the rescuers brings together many individual stories that have been the subjects of whole books, but it's useful to have the overview and the connections. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From School Library Journal:

Gr 9 Up-Some misleading statements and important omissions mar this book. Gottfried accurately describes Germany's dire economic condition after World War I but makes no mention of why the Versailles Treaty was so harsh. Although he states that Jews were not the only people labeled inferior by Hitler, he fails to note that they were the only group targeted for eradication. Also, Hitler used the word racial in relation to the Jews, not ethnic. The author also fails to present a full record of the Confessing Church, which did not object to the removal of Jewish civil servants, Kristallnacht, or even (at first) to the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, and only began to object when Hitler demanded that all Christian pastors with Jewish ancestors be removed from office. In addition, readers may find the Nazi-associated Gothic type that is used throughout the book and some of the two-color artwork disconcerting. Black-and-white photos are also included. This book contains far too many inaccuracies to be considered for purchase.

Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Twenty First Century Books
• Publication date: 1822
• ISBN 10: 0761317171
• ISBN 13: 9780761317173
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: Alcorn Stephen