escape-teens-on-the-run--primary-sources-from-the-holocaust

True Stories of Teens in the Holocaust

by linda-jacobs-altman

Stuck in an airtight boxcar on a cattle train, Eva was destined for a Nazi death camp. Eva's father told her and her two siblings to jump off the speeding train . . . maybe they could survive. Her brother and sister were both shot and killed by the Nazis. At seventeen, Eva had to live alone, on the run, to survive. Thousands of Jews lived on the run during the Holocaust. Some were able to escape Germany before the war started. Others had to move throughout Europe to flee the Nazis. And many more could not escape at all. Author Linda Jacobs Altman details the stories of young people who escaped the Nazi grasp and survived the war.

Genres: Holocaust

Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Eric M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although, the Holocaust may be a genre that not many would want to read about because of all the genocide that was happening during that time period, its important that we read, learn, and understand what happened during the Holocaust.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on primary research, this is a collection of anecdotes about Jewish teenagers fleeing the Nazis before and during WWII. While the experiences vary, from those who acquired visas and travel papers and emigrated from Europe to those who were actually rounded up and escaped from trains headed for the death camps, they combine to show the frightening reality for teens who had to escape in order to survive.

While the experiences included in the book are certainly moving, the actual presentation was somewhat lacking. Sometimes the transitions from story to story didn't flow well, and there were a few times when a story wasn't completed satisfactorily (such as a girl who had a premonition to run away--did that premonition save her life? Did something happen after she left? The reader never finds out.) The format of the book is good, with photos and maps, and, as I said, the stories themselves are compelling, but I wish the book had been put through a more rigorous editing process.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for its content but confusingly put together. The heart wrenching teen stories are disjointed and difficult to follow in some cases. Could be so much more. This is just one in a series of Holocaust books written for young people.