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sarahflanders's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation
kayladaila's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is not a bad book. In fact, it is very well written. However, this book is incredibly problematic for some of the same reasons Boy in the Striped Pajamas is. Stefania Podgorska was a real woman who really did save 13 Jews during the Holocaust, and her story sounds amazing. Sharon Cameron chose to fictionalize this tale, and that is where the issues arise.
The protagonist of The Light in Hidden Places is a Christian Pole who hides 13 Jewish people during the Holocaust. This is her story, and the Jews become a plot device to further that story, rather than its focal point. Throughout the novel, Stefania refers to the people she is hiding as “my thirteen,” removing any individual identity they have outside of how it relates to the nonJewish protagonist. These characters are truly hidden from the readers unless Stefania needs one of them.
It is also evident that Sharon Cameron did quite a bit of research on everything Polish, but very little Jewish. At the beginning of the story, Stefania is taken in by a Jewish family and learns some Yiddish. Later on, she tries to provide the people she is hiding with a small Hanukkah celebration, she refers to a Hanukkah lamp. Not a menorah, not a hanukiah. It’s clear which culture Cameron paid attention to.
I’d like to reiterate that if this was Stefania Podgorska’s nonfiction story, I would not have had these issues. It’s only with a fictionalized retelling, where the author could have made an effort to create three-dimensional Jewish characters and actively chose not to, that I take issue.
The protagonist of The Light in Hidden Places is a Christian Pole who hides 13 Jewish people during the Holocaust. This is her story, and the Jews become a plot device to further that story, rather than its focal point. Throughout the novel, Stefania refers to the people she is hiding as “my thirteen,” removing any individual identity they have outside of how it relates to the nonJewish protagonist. These characters are truly hidden from the readers unless Stefania needs one of them.
It is also evident that Sharon Cameron did quite a bit of research on everything Polish, but very little Jewish. At the beginning of the story, Stefania is taken in by a Jewish family and learns some Yiddish. Later on, she tries to provide the people she is hiding with a small Hanukkah celebration, she refers to a Hanukkah lamp. Not a menorah, not a hanukiah. It’s clear which culture Cameron paid attention to.
I’d like to reiterate that if this was Stefania Podgorska’s nonfiction story, I would not have had these issues. It’s only with a fictionalized retelling, where the author could have made an effort to create three-dimensional Jewish characters and actively chose not to, that I take issue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
astrofroggy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
remireadingnook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
TW: antisemitism, Nazis and WWII, confined spaces, sexual misconduct
Stefania Podgorska is a Polish teenager in 1943 and feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. After the grocery store she had been working at for four years is shut down and her neighborhood is turned into a Jewish ghetto, she has to figure out how to help the family she loves while also staying safe. Because if she is caught helping Jews, Stefania and her little sister will be killed. Her great love, Izio, is killed in concentration camps. When her lover’s brother escapes a train headed to a death camp, he gives her a proposition. She feels she has to help in any way she can, even if that means hiding Jews in her attic.
This book hit me right in the feelings. It was heartbreaking, anxiety-provoking, terrifying, hopeful, and romantic. Stefania, the main protagonist, is complicated yet simple in the best way. The relationship dynamics are well-crafted. Each character is connected, and the author does a great job weaving the lives of the people we meet together. My biggest drawback with this book is the pacing. It was a little fast for me. I think the fear would have been ever more present, more impactful if it did not feel rushed. But overall, I enjoyed this book.
I say I enjoy this book, but it was tough for me to get through. I am Jewish, so the contents of this book were complex for me to read. However, once you get through the initial pain of this book, it is worth the read.
Most of this book is what someone would qualify as “horrific,” but the terrifying moments could have been more extended, more drawn out. They felt very rushed, so when I started feeling the height of the anxiety and fear of the situation, it was over. The reader never really gets to sit with what just happened. This is classified as a young adult book, so I understand the author’s intentions to keep the fear limited, but I think it would have made a more significant impact (even for younger readers) if the intense scenes were more intense.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially World War II books, you will enjoy this book. If you are skeptical of young adult books, then I caution you with this title that it may feel lacking in spots. But it was an overall good book with crucial historical context. If you are looking to get into historical fiction or introduce someone to the horrors of WWII, I think this book would be a great place to start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual assault
World War II, concentration camps