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featheredpages07's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Sexual violence
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Torture, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Cursing, Rape, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Classism, and Deportation
livia_jewel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
Minor: Child death
any1elsebutlee's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Deportation
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
The idea of using books for a sense of escape or normality even at the very worst moments of humanity is incredibly humbling. And the "living books" on offer come so close to creating beauty in this bleak landscape. That there are more books on offer than the physical ones in Dita's meagre library, thanks to the vivid memories of some of the teachers and their retellings of popular stories. It's astonishing the lengths adults (and older children like Dita) would go to in order to give the younger prisoners opportunities and education.
Of course the emotion is so raw throughout, as the dates and the number of dead are all taken from accurate records. It's a really difficult book but gives as much information as it can about what happened to all of the people mentioned after the events of the story. The biographies at the end are fascinating - in particular it was astonishing to me how long Joseph Mengele was able to evade capture and live a relatively normal life, after the atrocities he committed and oversaw. I think because of all that it's an important book for keeping stories alive for all the victims, whether they survived or not.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation