A review by oldandnewbooksmell
The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

dark emotional inspiring 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

 Trigger Warnings: horrors of war, cruelty of Nazis, starvation, death, murder

The Light In Hidden Places is based on the true story of Stefania (Fusia) Podgórska and her younger sister Helena, two Polish Catholics who hid 13 Jews in their attic during WWII in Przemysl, Poland.

As someone who, in the past, had almost always read historical fiction based in the WWII era, I held off on this one for a while before I grabbed it off my TBR shelf. A part of me wished I would have read it sooner, as I believe it’s now up in my Top 10 WWII books. But then again, I needed to be in the right mindset to read about everything.

Mr. Diamant shook his head. “Di velt iz sheyn nor di mentshn makhn zi mies,” he said. “The world is beautiful, but people make it ugly.”

The bravery of Stefania blew me away. What she did for her found family and then even for some complete strangers was amazing. Even young Helena who stepped up and kept her sister’s secret was so strong. They hid THIRTEEN Jews in their attic. THIRTEEN!

“Thirteen, I think. Thirteen Jews in the attic. It’s not like the Nazis could kill me more.”

Sharon Cameron did her research for this book: the unpublished memoir of Stefania’s was the backbone to the novel, as well as interviews with some of the other members of the group. I didn’t feel like the story was extremely long or anything as I know that Cameron was trying to put as much as she possibly could into the novel. I felt like there were a few loose(r) ends, mostly people who seemed to have disappeared after a certain point
like the one eyebrow man who was following Stefania
. 

The depictions of the horrors of war and the cruelty of Nazis is appropriate for teen readers. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one. This story is beautifully written in a heartbreaking way. I would highly recommend this book to teen and older readers who would like to read about true heroism in the time of war.

 
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