Thomson, Ruth. Terezin: Voices
from the Holocaust. 2011. 64pp. Lexile: 980.
In this powerful, heartbreaking book,
Thomson brings together short quotes from children, teens, and adults who were
prisoners at Terezin (also called Theresienstadt), a Nazi concentration camp in
Czechoslovakia. Of the 15,000 children
held there over the years, fewer than 100 survived. The author draws on memoirs and oral
histories of survivors, and journals from the time that were hidden. An extensive cache of artwork was smuggled
out, some of which is reproduced here to great effect. Many scholars, artists, musicians, and
writers were at Terezin, where they managed to teach children and organize
performances. One of the horrors is that
the Nazis used Terezin as an example of how humanely they treated prisoners, “beautifying”
it for Red Cross visitors and making a propaganda film about it. The excellent book design offers short
chapters, many quotes, and remarkable art.
Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, sources, and recommended
websites.
Speech/drama
tie-in This presents many short first-person
excerpts of children, teens, and children, which would lend themselves to oral
presentation with students taking on the different voices.
