Just finished reading Alan Gratz’ Prisoner B-3087 about a young Jewish boy was only 10 years old when the Nazis invaded his homeland of Poland. Yanek’s story covers his life as survived his early teen years in one concentration camp after another, from 1939 to 1945. It’s based on the true story of Jack and Ruth Gruener, real holocaust survivors.
Yanek’s story is a difficult read at times. Thankfully, and hopefully, none of us has actually gone through what the millions of Jewish people endured at the hands of the Nazis. At times, it’s incomprehensible to read about man’s inhumanity towards the Jewish people. But, having read about this time period and accounts from many other sources, I know that Gratz’ storytelling is accurate, painfully so at times.
Yanek learns to survive his ordeals, but it takes everything he has in order to do it. He has to for the sake of his family, of which he is the only one left alive. He must survive to tell their stories and show the world that they lived.
I highly recommend this book. We must always remember. It’s the only hope we have that history will not repeat itself, and yet, it often finds a way to do just that.
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