Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

34 reviews

oceanwriter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad 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

Honestly, I could spend the entirety of this review simply gushing over the prose to the point where I want to learn Spanish just so I can see if the original words are even more beautiful than the translation. This is the second book by Antonio Iturbe I’ve read and it didn’t disappoint. 

 

Based on the true story of Dita Kraus’ days in Auschwitz, the book follows her and her family who have been sent to a part of Auschwitz set up to fool the Red Cross and keep the mistreatment of prisoners under wraps. There, Dita and her block mates form a secret school for the children where they pass along smuggled books. Dita puts herself at risk delivering these books but is more concerned about evading the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele. Despite being in the ‘safe’ block, they are still very much in Auschwitz. 

 

There are so many beautiful quotes in this book. This made up for a sometimes stale delivery (which might be due to being translated). My interest in the plot faded in the middle though picked back up again toward the end. It’s definitely a long book for historical YA but does maintain a fast pace. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, and Genocide

Moderate: Violence, Suicide, and War

Minor: Sexual harassment

livia_jewel's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Grief, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child death

grandslamdenny's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, and War

Moderate: Excrement, Medical content, and Suicide

Minor: Incest, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Grief

leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Excrement, Gore, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Vomit, War, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Confinement, Death, Religious bigotry, and Torture

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Sexual harassment

any1elsebutlee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Deportation, Death of parent, and Genocide

lilborrower's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Genocide

jessreadsandrambles's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Murder, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Genocide, and Child death

Minor: War

siobhanlh's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Torture, Suicide, Grief, Antisemitism, and Hate crime

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Violence, Child abuse, Genocide, Death of parent, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment

Minor: War

kbucheit's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, War, Violence, and Torture