The Diary of Dawid Sierakowak

Rating:
Summary: Chilling truth
Review: Be still when you read this book. Find a place with no distractions, no children asking for help with homework, no chores to do in the next room. Because you will need the stillness to grapple with the images from Lodz.

The book opens with an idyllic calm, when Dawid is being the young boy he was born to be. Anyone who has been to a youth camp will see himself in Dawid. This identification is critical to grasping the horror that is to come.

And no! There are no answers to the questions you cannot ask. The Whys and Hows cannot be riddled. You may think about them when you have put the book down for the last time, but let Dawid show you his world as it is destroyed around his ears. Worry about the nature of good and evil and humanity and war and peace and betrayal when you are done.

But first, let the young man tell his story. We are lucky this story survived.

Rating:
Summary: A sobering and moving account of a young victim of the Holo
Review: This book is quite moving and powerful as its young, sardonic, incisive author leads us vicariously into the world of the ghetto. The brilliance of this young man is readily apparent through his keen observations of his desperate situation and horrendous surroundings. This is a must-read for anyone, and would be especially good for young people who sometimes ask how the Jews "let" this happen to them. The author is also very honest about his father's moral breakdown, as well as his bitter thoughts on the role of Chaim Rumkowski, the leader of the ghetto community. The preface is excellent, giving backround information about David, the war, the ghetto system, and Nazi methods of deceit and control. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A sobering and moving account of a young victim of the Holo
Review: This book is quite moving and powerful as its young, sardonic, incisive author leads us vicariously into the world of the ghetto. The brilliance of this young man is readily apparent through his keen observations of his desperate situation and horrendous surroundings. This is a must-read for anyone, and would be especially good for young people who sometimes ask how the Jews "let" this happen to them. The author is also very honest about his father's moral breakdown, as well as his bitter thoughts on the role of Chaim Rumkowski, the leader of the ghetto community. The preface is excellent, giving backround information about David, the war, the ghetto system, and Nazi methods of deceit and control. Highly recommended.