The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in Reading with Style

Jun 01, 2014 Connie G rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-war-ii, germany, holocaust, young-adult, poland

John Boyne has written a fable about the Holocaust written in simple language appropriate for a young adult book. The story is seen through the eyes of a sheltered nine-year-old boy, Bruno. His family has moved from Berlin to Poland where his father has been appointed the Commandant at "Out-With" by the "Fury." Bruno looks out his bedroom window and sees men and boys in striped pajamas beyond a barbed wire fence which the reader assumes is Auschwitz. When he goes out exploring, Bruno meets Shmue John Boyne has written a fable about the Holocaust written in simple language appropriate for a young adult book. The story is seen through the eyes of a sheltered nine-year-old boy, Bruno. His family has moved from Berlin to Poland where his father has been appointed the Commandant at "Out-With" by the "Fury." Bruno looks out his bedroom window and sees men and boys in striped pajamas beyond a barbed wire fence which the reader assumes is Auschwitz. When he goes out exploring, Bruno meets Shmuel, a boy on the other side of the fence who happens to share a birthday with him.

Bruno is characterized as very naive and innocent, more sheltered than a nine-year-old would be today in the time of television. He tries to make sense of what he is seeing. But his parents will not discuss the situation with him, he's being privately tutored in Poland so has no classmates to confide in, and there is no mention of a radio for information. Shmuel is less naive since his family was forced out of their home and brought by a crowded train to the camp full of brutal soldiers. So we see two innocent boys--too young to have learned about hating others--sitting on opposite sides of a barbed wire fence becoming friends. The ending is quite disturbing.

I did find it difficult to believe that Bruno would be able to pay almost daily visits to Shmuel considering that there would be guards patrolling the fences. Bruno had also never heard about Jews, although he had just moved from Berlin where they would have had yellow stars sewn on their clothes and he lived in a military home.

What is the target audience for this book? I could see kids reading the book in their early teens if the Holocaust and genocide were discussed in a classroom or with their parents so they learned about the actual history. (The book was labeled a fable, and never mentioned the words Holocaust or Auschwitz since the author also wanted the readers to think about other camps and other genocides.) Although the book was emotionally moving, it was too simple and sanitized for adult reading if one considers the actual horrors of the concentration camps. ...more

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May 02, 2011 Anna Kļaviņa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: rakstnieks, made-into-a-film, read-in-2011, historical-fiction, young-adult, british-irish, the-worst

20/10/15

I don't have a favourite book but I've the most hated book.

02/05/11
When it comes to The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas all reviews that criticises this book have a point. Yes, it's that bad.

Surprisingly, the movie is better. ...more

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