"Dita, our library now also contains
"Living Books". Let me introduce
Mrs. Magda, also known as The
Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson.
The "Living Books" became another
secret of the Library of Auschwitz.
Soon, people could borrow both the
paper books, and the living books,
and many wanted to listen to them.
Soon, they had a living book about
the history of the Jews ...
and a collection of stories about the
American Wild West ...
and Mrs. Marketa became The Count
of Monte Cristo."
This graphic novel has been adapted from Antonio Iturbe's acclaimed novel, published by Henry Holt and Company in 2017. It is based on Edita Kraus' story of working in a forbidden school within the Auschwitz concentration camp. Before the arrival of the Nazis, Dita lived a happy life in Czechoslovakia. She loved books and school. That soon changed when schools were closed, and the family was deported to Auschwitz in 1942. Dita was 14. At first, they were lucky enough to be placed in the family camp established there. There, they were part of what was shown to be the humane treatment of prisoners to the outside world.
Dita worked in secret to gather eight smuggled books, and ensure they got tino the hands that needed them so badly - teachers and students. It was a daunting task, fraught with worry at being discovered. Dita knew that books could make a difference. She was willing to risk her life so that others would know the magic of story. They could give hope in a hopeless time, as they had given her hope growing up.
The story is carefully translated and shown in remarkable visuals that carry the emotional impact of the lives of fear and terror prisoners endured, worrying every day about what was to come. Using dialogue bubbles and text boxes to establish all that happened from the family's arrival, the telling is effective and horrific.
Changes in tones from sepia to shadows cast in blue-gray assure understanding for the emotional toll taken at the camp. Bold red denotes the panic and terror that comes with the arrival of Nazi soldiers. Following images include a mass grave, prisoners being led to the gas chambers, further atrocities inflicted, and finally freedom for survivors. An illustrated epilogue provides further information about Adolf Hitler's plan and describes a few of the people who played a role in the events described.
Unforgettable and heartbreaking indeed. As it should be.
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