Young People Speak: Surviving the Holocaust in Hungary

Grade 6-9-- Recalling events before and during the Nazi occupation of Hungary from 1944-1945, these 11 narratives fail to involve readers. These Jewish survivors, children during the Holocaust, were never in concentration camps, but tell of their daily struggles to remain alive. Each writer describes the rapid increase in restrictions, family separations, and terrifying roundups. Similarity of experiences and duplication of chronological details blunt the impact of individual memories. Interesting references to Raoul Wallenberg and Swiss protected houses require further information than that provided in the brief introduction. Small black-and-white photographs of each contributor, a short list of further readings, and a general index supplement the text. An additional title for larger libraries owning Aranka Siegal's Upon the Head of a Goat (Farrar, 1981) or Linda Atkinson's In Kindling Flame (Lothrop, 1985).
- Bonnie Siegel, Westacres Public Library, West Bloomfield, MI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.