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[CCBC-Net] The Final Journey
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From: Ewenstein <plre>
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:39:54 -0400
I am reminded of a class in library school where we discussed reviewing the book that was written vs. reviewing the book that we wished was written. That discussion did, in fact, begin over a review of Number the Stars, the reviewer having been critical of the book for many of the same reasons as Karen. I don't think that Lowry sanitizes the Holocaust; I think she is presenting another event from those horrible years. Not every book needs to describe the horrors of the camps and the cattle cars. To present the camps as anything less horrific than they were is a crime; to present a view of different events is, in my opinion, not wrong. Number the Stars is an extremely useful book for fourth and fifth grade students who want to read about the Holocaust and who, I believe, are not ready for more graphic material. Books like Night are used in the eight-grade Facing History unit.
Paula Ewenstein K/8 librarian Baker School Brookline, MA
On Apr 25, 2006, at 4:33 PM, Karen Vollmar wrote:
> Ruth Gordon has voiced her concern (outrage?) at books which seem to
> sanitize the Holocaust experience. Though I love most of Lois Lowry's
> books, I was very disappointed in NUMBER THE STARS for that very
> reason. Like SNOW TREASURE, it romanticized that era in history and
> made it seem like an appealing adventure. That it won the Newbery
> medal over 3 other outstanding honor books, well...
> In contrast, the 1996 translation of a German novel, THE FINAL
> JOURNEY, presents the grimness of a cattle train to Auschwitz. I
> often present it to parents as a counterpoint to NUMBER THE STARS,
> never recommending it to children because of it's harshness. In it,
> Alice, a Jewish girl who has been hiding in a basement with her family
> and protected from the realities of the Holocaust, is discovered and
> packed into a boxcar with dozens of other people who act both nobly
> and selfishly. Details, such as sanitation, illness, deaths, and
> births make for a gritty, strong stomach necessary read.
> I hope that all children who read the glamorized versions of the
> Holocaust will come across this book, or others like it when they are
> more mature readers.
>
> Karen Vollmar
> Waukesha Public Library
> Any opinions expressed herein are my personal opinions and not
> necessarily those of Waukesha Public Library.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
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>
>
"The democratic ideal of freedom and equality will be fulfilled for all-or all human beings will share in the resulting social and spiritual doom... If America is to remain a first-class nation, it cannot have second-class citizenship." Martin Luther King Jr. Stride Toward Freedom, 1958
Received on Tue 25 Apr 2006 05:39:54 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:39:54 -0400
I am reminded of a class in library school where we discussed reviewing the book that was written vs. reviewing the book that we wished was written. That discussion did, in fact, begin over a review of Number the Stars, the reviewer having been critical of the book for many of the same reasons as Karen. I don't think that Lowry sanitizes the Holocaust; I think she is presenting another event from those horrible years. Not every book needs to describe the horrors of the camps and the cattle cars. To present the camps as anything less horrific than they were is a crime; to present a view of different events is, in my opinion, not wrong. Number the Stars is an extremely useful book for fourth and fifth grade students who want to read about the Holocaust and who, I believe, are not ready for more graphic material. Books like Night are used in the eight-grade Facing History unit.
Paula Ewenstein K/8 librarian Baker School Brookline, MA
On Apr 25, 2006, at 4:33 PM, Karen Vollmar wrote:
> Ruth Gordon has voiced her concern (outrage?) at books which seem to
> sanitize the Holocaust experience. Though I love most of Lois Lowry's
> books, I was very disappointed in NUMBER THE STARS for that very
> reason. Like SNOW TREASURE, it romanticized that era in history and
> made it seem like an appealing adventure. That it won the Newbery
> medal over 3 other outstanding honor books, well...
> In contrast, the 1996 translation of a German novel, THE FINAL
> JOURNEY, presents the grimness of a cattle train to Auschwitz. I
> often present it to parents as a counterpoint to NUMBER THE STARS,
> never recommending it to children because of it's harshness. In it,
> Alice, a Jewish girl who has been hiding in a basement with her family
> and protected from the realities of the Holocaust, is discovered and
> packed into a boxcar with dozens of other people who act both nobly
> and selfishly. Details, such as sanitation, illness, deaths, and
> births make for a gritty, strong stomach necessary read.
> I hope that all children who read the glamorized versions of the
> Holocaust will come across this book, or others like it when they are
> more mature readers.
>
> Karen Vollmar
> Waukesha Public Library
> Any opinions expressed herein are my personal opinions and not
> necessarily those of Waukesha Public Library.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
"The democratic ideal of freedom and equality will be fulfilled for all-or all human beings will share in the resulting social and spiritual doom... If America is to remain a first-class nation, it cannot have second-class citizenship." Martin Luther King Jr. Stride Toward Freedom, 1958
Received on Tue 25 Apr 2006 05:39:54 PM CDT
