As a Swedish diplomat in Hungary during World War II, Raoul Wallenberg saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews with documents that he and his staff printed. This accessible biography, which uses a verse format, starts with Wallenberg's childhood, goes on to his student days at the University of Michigan and then his career as an international businessman. Many aspects of his life, such as his facility with languages and his business experience with Germans, worked to make him remarkably effective in his dangerous mission. His enormous courage and desire to do something meaningful were key as well, making it all the more heartbreaking that he disappeared when the Russians entered Hungary and his life ended in a Russian prison. Borden discusses the attempts of family members to uncover the mystery of what happened to him. An attractive, open design makes the most of photographs and artifacts from the life and work of this hero. Bibliography, resources, and index.
Reading Std #5: Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and/or larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole. Biographies in verse are unusual. Have students analyze why the author used verse, what it added, and its overall effect on the story.
