A harrowing novel about perseverance

Most people are aware of the history and tragic impact of the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany carried out a systematic genocide of Jews, homosexuals, disabled individuals, communists, socialists and any other individual seen as “inferior.” This horrific event has inspired books, plays and films. Now, author Antonio Iturbe tells not only the story of the horrors of being a Jew in Nazi Germany but also how love, hope, determination and joy existed even in the aptly named “death camp” that was Auschwitz.

Based on a true story, Iturbe’s 2012 novel, The Librarian of Auschwitz (Henry Holt and Co.), follows the story of three main characters. The central perspective is that of Dita Kraus, a teenage girl who is imprisoned at Auschwitz along with her mother and father. Dita is tasked with the deadly responsibility of protecting books smuggled in by other prisoners. These books are used by volunteer teachers, who are prisoners at the camp, to teach other younger prisoners topics such as geography, history, language and math. The story also follows Rudi Rosenberg and Viktor Pestek, two Nazis who fall in love with Jewish prisoners.

Though there are joyful and heartwarming scenes in the novel, the harsh reality of almost inevitable death and suffering is not easily forgotten. Yet perhaps the most touching theme is how happiness, however fleeting, can be achieved even in such circumstances. Something about the contrast of the concentration camp and the characters’ joy and perseverance is beautiful to consider. As Iturbe says in his novel, “Life, any life, is very short. But if you’ve managed to be happy for at least an instant, it will have been worth living.”

Niveditha Bala is a freshman at the Mandela International Magnet School. Contact her at niveditha.bala@mandelainternationalschool.us.