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Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto
Paul B. Janeczko’s stirring new collection of poems goes inside the walls of the notorious camp to portray the indomitable spirit of those incarcerated there.
Hitler hailed Terezín (Theresienstadt) as a haven for artistic Jews, when in reality the Czech concentration camp was little more than a way station to the gas chambers. In his second book inspired by devastating hist...more
Hitler hailed Terezín (Theresienstadt) as a haven for artistic Jews, when in reality the Czech concentration camp was little more than a way station to the gas chambers. In his second book inspired by devastating hist...more
Hardcover, 102 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Candlewick Press
(first published February 22nd 2011)
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The last book I read was Anne Frank a graphic biography. It was incredible, so when I spied this book on the store shelves, I eagerly nabbed it as my next read.
I realized that I didn't know much about the Terezin Ghetto, so I did a bit of research before beginning my read of the poems.
Terezin was originally a fortress town in Czechoslovakia. Hitler and his fellow Nazis turned it into a collection and transport camp for the Jewish people. How do you like the euphemisms collect and transport? Th...more
I realized that I didn't know much about the Terezin Ghetto, so I did a bit of research before beginning my read of the poems.
Terezin was originally a fortress town in Czechoslovakia. Hitler and his fellow Nazis turned it into a collection and transport camp for the Jewish people. How do you like the euphemisms collect and transport? Th...more
I felt like it was far too short and not nearly in-depth enough to warrant publication. It felt very under-developed and somewhat emotionally manipulative, given the subject matter. Perhaps I'm being a bit overly critical in light of an excellent and somewhat similar book, The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic, which, like this book, dealt with a terrible tragedy using poems from multiple perspectives. The biggest difference between the two, and the reason for my rating of this...more
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This slim volume of poems written in several different voices describes briefly but powerfully some of the experiences of the inmates of Terezin, a Czech holding tank for Jews during the Holocaust. It was in Terezin where the prisoners were allowed to play music, providing a bittersweet distraction while all the while being aware that their time was running out. The stories and the voices are unforgettable, adding to the volumes of Holocaust literature already in existence. The author's poems se...more
This book of poems are all told from the point of view of people who experienced life in the Terezin ghetto. Each poem is titled after the name of the author, and they are told from the point of view of the author. While many of the poems are told from the point of view of Jewish residents in the Terezin ghetto, a few poems are told from the point of view of some SS Officers. I believe this is a great way to see the history of this ghetto. As the Jewish culture was not restricted in this ghetto,...more
Words can't express the impact of this collection of poems from Terezin, Czechoslovakia during the German ghettoization of WWII. It became a collection and transport town for Jews destined for the gas ovens in concentration camps. Many of its temporary residents were noted intellectuals and artists, with some of their works tolerated as a propaganda tool by the Nazis. Although based on extensive research, the "poets" cited are generally fictional composites. The reality of their situations and f...more
Janeczko writes each poem from the point of view of a different person--mostly from the Jews who are imprisoned in the ghetto, but also from some of the Nazis. Together the poems describe what life was like in Terezin and the history of it, beginning with Kristallnacht and ending with the emptying of the ghetto. The poems are filled with such sadness that the reader is glad that the book is not a long one. In one poem, a girl talks about each of her friends, what made them special, and which tra...more
This is an amazing collection about an event that is hard to fathom. The poet takes us into the heart of one of the many ghettos that were set up by the Nazis during World War Two. He has shared the possible thoughts of the prisoners and those who knew they were going to die. Their stories, their journeys and those who were left behind. I still do not think we can fully comprehend the horrors that they faced. Yet there was beauty to be found in the simplest things of everyday. That beauty is ca...more
For someone who is already quite familiar with the subject, these poems of the Terezin Ghetto are quite poignant. I worried though that other readers might need more background knowledge. I would have liked to see the Afterword as an Introduction for the young adult reader who might not know this history as well as I do. I hope this book finds an audience with adults, too. Its contents are just as appropriate for an adult publisher as a children's, maybe even more so.
Some of these poems truly touched me. I picked this up to use in an assignment for my Freshman while we read Night, by Elie Wiesel. Like some of the other reviewers have stated, these poems are simple. I usually like my poetry a little deeper, full of poetic turns and figurative language. These are are more just little stories written in poem form, but for Freshman studying the Holocaust and Holocaust literature they will be great.
A good collection of poems for young/inexperienced poetry readers. This book is a fictional collection of poems from people involved in a Holocaust ghetto. It provides several different perspectives, although the German ones were, as you would expect, shallow and rather one dimensional. There was some good imagery and figurative language, but it lacked the depth and complexity of more sophisticated poetry.
Stunning, vivid collection of poems expressing the points of view of Jews sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and the Nazis who exterminated them. The poem about the crematorium is particularly chilling. The majority of voices are composites culled from Janeczko's research. An outstanding addition to Holocaust literature for young people.
A small but powerful book. Chilling, haunting and deeply moving. Each poem was a reminder of the tragedies that occurred during the Holocaust. Each poem was the voice (even if the people were composites of real people) of a person who had lost their voice during this period of cruelty.
A fresh take on the Holocaust, this book is a collection of poems in the voices of victims and perpetrators whose paths, in one way or another, crossed in the Terezin Ghetto. The varied voices and the poetic power personalize the horror of the Nazi efforts to exterminate Jews.
A short collection of poems set in a Czechoslovakian town that became a Jewish ghetto during WWII. Jews, guards, and townspeople alike present different points of view. Some poems are stronger than others. Artwork from that time is sprinkled throughout the book.
Haunting, yet touching with an explosion of enlightenment. It gave me chills to see the ordinary lives of the victims and survivors of the holocaust. Things that aren't taught in school and should be. Janeczko told their stories well in each poem.
A beautiful collection of books and artwork depicting the Terezin Ghetto in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust. Every poem and voice is different from the next. I loved it so much that I read it three times in one sitting.
Wow. These poems written mostly from the pov of people in a Czech concentration camp in WWII are stunning. I blogged about it here: http://laurasalas.wordpress.com/2011/...
Found this one at Forbes on display. Intense and beautifully written poems from the perspectives of young and old inmates of the Terezin concentration camp. Moving, intriguing, and powerful.
Very insightful and sorrowful poems coupled with pictures drawn by inmates of Terezin. I would like to believe that such horrors don't exist in this world, but it is terrifying how often they occur.
To hear the individual voices in these poems that are cut short like the lives of the speakers is haunting, and may bring the reality of the Holocaust into clearer view for some readers.
Extremely powerful. Probably more for YA than J, because it does get into detail about some of the horrors of the Holocaust.
Moving slim book of poems of life within the Terezin Ghetto during the Holoaust. Would be a good research springboard book.
Used in conjunction with art work done in the camp, these poems illuninate a variety of experiences. Sad and hard-hitting.
A nice addition to any 8-10th grade Holocaust unit. Some really lovely, powerful poems in this small collection.
It was good, but I really wanted more. Too short. I was finished with it in less than 30 minutes.
Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/...
Paul Janeczko has written such a haunting book of poetry. It is as if he transported himself to Terezin and lived the life of these people who he has created to tell us the story of the ghetto. Combined with the all too real artwork from Jewish artists from Terezin, Requiem is a brilliant collection of poetry.
Paul Janeczko has written such a haunting book of poetry. It is as if he transported himself to Terezin and lived the life of these people who he has created to tell us the story of the ghetto. Combined with the all too real artwork from Jewish artists from Terezin, Requiem is a brilliant collection of poetry.
An amazing and heart-wrenching body of work, hence such a befitting title.
Powerful poems based on a Holocaust ghetto I had never heard of. Well researched. Includes black and white artwork drawn by the ghetto inmates. Will make a great addition to my unit on Night by Elie Wiesel. My only complaint: I wish there were even more poems.
Poems told in voices from the concentration camp, by a Maine poet.
Powerful! Should be in every high school library.
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Paul B. Janeczko is a poet and teacher and has edited more than twenty award-winning poetry anthologies for young people, including STONE BENCH IN AN EMPTY PARK, LOOKING FOR YOUR NAME, SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN, and A POKE IN THE I, which was an American Library Association Notable Book.
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“You are making music
in the shadow of the gallows.”
—
2 people liked it
in the shadow of the gallows.”
“Dead or not, he must taste my Sarah's ashes.”
—
2 people liked it
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