The Librarian of Auschwitz is a poignant, young-adult work of fiction based on true events and characters. Most of the story takes place in Auschwitz, which was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. The time? You guessed it. World War II, when Germany and their allies, known as the Axis Powers, who strive for world domination, are fighting the Allied Forces, notably consisting of the US. The story, however, is mostly focused around a single character — fifteen-year-old Dita, who at the age of ten, is forced to move from her home with her parents due to the threat of the Nazis. When she’s thirteen, she moves to the Terezin ghetto and a couple of months later, to the dreaded Auschwitz, a place of death and unimaginable horrors. And as written above, it is here that our story takes place. But you might be asking yourself, “Where does the librarian referenced in the title come in?” It’s simple. Dita, our main character takes on the role of a librarian at Auschwitz, something that is completely unprecedented and also takes a lot of courage.
Something that was pleasantly surprising to me about this story was that it was about a lot more than just the duties of and dangers of being a “librarian” at Auschwitz. It included detailed descriptions of how other characters in the story viewed their situations, including that of a SS (Nazi) officer. Not only did the switching of the focus between Dita and the other characters of the book keep me engaged, but it was also really interesting to see what other characters thought of their circumstances or of the same events that occurred throughout the story. Further, the novel showed a lot about Dita, such as the details of her childhood and life in a ghetto prior to Auschwitz, so that by the end of the book, it truly feels like you know Dita like you would know a close companion. And all in all, this serves to really help readers feel for and connect with Dita all throughout.
Another element of the book I enjoyed was what I felt to be a whole or complete conclusion; that is, it didn’t leave me with very many cliffhangers or unanswered questions at its end. This admittedly isn’t always a good thing in literary works, but I thought that Antonio Iturbe executed it well and that it was appropriate in this case. There’s in fact a section at the end of the book in which Iturbe reveals what happened to all of the major characters in the book after the end of the war.
The last main element of the book that appealed to me was the whole character of Dita. I really liked how the author displayed her strength and resilience (via indirect characterization) and how she managed to beat all odds, which made Dita an overall really admirable character. A heroine. It was truly amazing to see how Dita didn’t crack under pressure and surrender to all of the horrors the Nazis were subjecting her and her companions to, and the way the author showed her strength, among the strength of some other characters throughout the book, made me feel in awe of them.
In conclusion, I don’t have a lot of criticism for this book. It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, from joy to disgust to sadness and back to joy all over again, but in a good way, and I’m sure it’ll be for you as well. It didn’t necessarily open up my eyes, as I had already known about the atrocities the Nazis committed toward minority groups, but it definitely helped me see and reaffirm the importance of history in that it allows us to not repeat the mistakes of the past. In addition, it made me feel anger and even shock as to how gullible and naive many people were about the whole situation at the time, such as members of the Red Cross, who were supposed to find out more about the atrocities the Nazis were committing. It was one of the most touching books I’ve read this year, by far, and it’s one of those books that lingers with you long after you finish reading the final page. I’d definitely recommend for you to try it out for yourself. Dita’s story is, truly, one that we can all connect to.
Review By ~ Andrew
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