Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. Not sure why, but I was expecting this to be a much more emotional read than it was. That's not to say that this wasn't a wonderful book, however. Through the years, I've read a number of books relating to World War II, especially on the heartbreaking subject of the Holocaust. But I don't believe I've ever read a book that dealt with life in an occupied country. It was a fascinating, and frankly, an unsettling, new facet to the whole World War II era for me. And while this is a fictional account, Lowry explains in the Afterword that it was based on the stories told to her by a real life friend who grew up in Copenhagen during the years of German occupation. In addition, she read numerous accounts of the Danish Resistance, and based some events on events recounted there. The historical information in this novel is factual.
Annemarie is a young girl growing up in Denmark during the German occupation. She lives with her parents and younger sister in an apartment building in Copenhagen. Her best friend, Ellen, is a Jewish girl living this same apartment building. Life hasn't been particularly fun since the occupation began, with food shortages and soldiers on every corner, but the children continue about their daily lives, going to school and playing together as children do. However, there comes a time when things take a drastic turn for the worse. The Germans have decided that the Jews in Denmark need to be "relocated". The story continues, and we get a glimpse at how everyday men, women, and children become heroes to save their friends and neighbors and even complete strangers. It is a story of sadness, because we all know of the many millions of people who were not saved. But this is a tale of the goodness that exists in so much of the human race. The characters touched me in a powerful way, not because they were heroes, but because they never would have considered themselves heroes. They just did what needed to be done, because it was the right thing to do, the human thing to do, and ignoring the horror of what was happening was never an option.
*****
I apologize for the short, and frankly not terribly insightful review. Again, I'm just way too tired to be attempting to make sense. If anyone has reviewed this book, just leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.
Nymeth of Things Mean A Lot
Rhinoa at Rhinoa's Ramblings
*****
Read for:
The Margaret A. Edwards Reading Challenge. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to finish, huh? But at least I did finish, which definitely isn't always the case with me. The books I read:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Of these, Ender's Game was definitely my favorite. But I truly loved each one of these books, and am grateful to Becky for hosting this challenge and giving me the excuse to read each one.
The Novella Challenge.
