My Top 5 Holocaust Books

In light of it being 70 years since the atrocities of the Holocaust I have decided to compile a list of my top 5 Holocaust related books. I have a real interest for ww2 and the Holocaust as I studied it at GCSE's and have myself visited 2 concentration camps. 

1. The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank: This book is a classic when it comes to non-fiction books. I'm sure you all know about Anne Frank and her story but if not it is about her and her Jewish family having to live in a secret annex for years to avoid persecution. It is a timeless book and is amazing to have it written as it was happening rather than many decades later.

2. Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies: Miep Gies is one of the few people that helped to hide the Frank and Van Pels families. I found it really interesting to get an outsiders point of view and to see what risks she took to hide them. This book not only features the hard times but also shows how Miep was still able to laugh during that period. It definitely one to read if you are interested in Anne's story. 

3. Annexed by Sharon Dogar: Sharon's book is of a diary style of which features what it would of been like for Peter Van Pels ( the young boy also staying in the annex) and what he might of been feeling during that time. Again it is a great to have another potential view on their situation and is a must read if you liked Peter and Anne's diary. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: This is another classic when it comes to Holocaust related books and since its publishing has been turned into an amazing movie. The book features a young girl called Liesel who stays with a couple in Germany in which they later have to hide a jew. The book follows how Liesel deals with the new addition as well as doing anything to get her hands on some new books. I would completely recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading ww2 related books. 

5. Out Of Hitler Time by Judith Kerr:  This books is a bind up of three of Judith's books which are; "When Hitler stole pink rabbit", "The other way around" and "A small person far away" Despite reading this many years ago I remember really enjoying it and was one of the first ww2 books I read. It follows a girl called Anna who is just a child in the first book and then throughout the following books we see grow up. I would definitely recommend this series.

I filmed a corresponding video which you can see here.

If you've got any Holocaust or ww2 related books then leave me a comment I'd love to get some new recommendations. 

Until next time, Sophie

The Book Thief | Book & Film Comparison

Pages: 552
Film Length: 125 minutes
Book Rating: 5/5
Film Rating: 5/5

Book Review

So this was my second time reading The Book Thief as I first read it about 3 or 4 years ago. I chose to pick up The Book Thief again as I finally managed to get my hands on the DVD and I wanted to compare the two. The first time I read The Book Thief I was studying GCSE History therefore it was really relevant to my work as we were looking at Hitlers rise to power and the ww2 period. This book opened my eyes to this whole genre surrounding the Holocaust and I've been hooked ever since.

From reading it the first time I remembered the general plot line however I couldn't really remember how it ended. I also remembered little things such as the mentioning of Jesse Owens as me and my classmate were able to discuss this with out teacher as we'd both read the book. Overall I really remembered enjoying the book and the way it was narrated. 

Second time around my views were the same, I was still a little unsure of death narrating the book and giving slight spoilers to the rest of the story but as the book went on it just fitted so well and was a very unique aspect. As expected I instantly warmed to Hans Hubermann (Liesel's new father) and I could see that Liesel's mother did love her she just had a more disciplined view on things. 

Spoilers- If you haven't read the book or seen the film I suggest you don't read on as I talk about the end of the book.

Second time around and I was still saddened by the ending and Liesel being the only one to survive the bombing. I feel this really says something about the book as it gave as much impact as if I was reading it for the first time. On the other hand I was overjoyed that Max survived and was able to return to Liesel however I wanted to know what happened between them in the following weeks/months.

Film Comparison

Going into the film I didn't know what to expect from it as I didn't know any of the characters and I hadn't read any reviews on it either. From that I can happily say that I loved the film and it really brought the book to life. Yes there were things that didn't look how I imagined them to be, for instance I expected the Hubermann's house to be smaller and for Himmel Street to be one straight road). I felt that the cast for the Hubermann's was perfect as I again warmed to Hans Hubermann and disliked(at the start) Frau Hubermann. 

One character I did like more in the film than the book was Rudy. He had such a cheekiness to him that I instantly adored and I bawled when he died on the street. 

One scene I felt was the most poignant and powerful was the Kristallnacht scene where Jews were being thrown out of their houses and their businesses destroyed. The singing of the Hitler Youth alongside this bought a sense of innocence to the children compared to the outrageous acts of the party members. 

Another aspect I didn't anticipate for was how big the Mayor's house was, it was just huge!

One of my favourite scenes was the snowball fight in the basement. I loved how they snuck the snow in and really brought the fun side out of Frau Hubermann ( I think this was her turning point in the film). 

A few things I wanted them to include more in the film were:

-Seeing her Father swap seats on the truck and therefore saving his life

-Liesel actually seeing Max in the parade of Jews.

-There wasn't enough concentration of Liesel actually being a thief. 

-Hans Hubermann being a non party member/sympathiser.

Now I know if they had included more it would of been 3 hrs long but I felt that these were some really important parts and in some cases there just wasn't enough emphasis.

I also feel that in the film you're made to assume more that death is narrating whereas in the book its almost told to you. 

Overall I really enjoyed the film and book and would definitely recommend both.

Sophie