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Another fine book by Sheinkin, who is perhaps the best Young Adult level writer of history. This one is particularly *necessary*, although it is an emotionally difficult read. Sheinkin tells the story of four Jewish young people who survived the Holocaust, three of whom were young men imprisoned in the Auschwitz death camp. The book is particularly focused on Rudolf Vrba who, along with his fellow prisoner Alfred Wetzler, managed to pull off a seemingly impossible escape from Auschwitz in 1944, lived through a long, dangerous journey to Hungary, and made the first public report of the millions of deaths taking place in the German Nazi gas chambers. Their report put pressure on Hungarian leadership to pull back from its cooperation with Germany and saved at least 200,000 Hungarian Jews.
The second major focus of the book is on Gerta Sidnova, who went to school with Rudi Vrba in the Slovakian village of Trnava. When the Nazis began moving Jews from Czechoslovakia, she and her parents fled to Hungary. Gerta managed to avoid going to Auschwitz by making several desperate escapes. Her parents did not survive the war.
Sheinkin spends the majority of the book telling the story of Rudi and Alfred’s daily struggle for survival in Auschwitz. They were fortunate to meet Filip Müller, who slaved in the gas chambers and the crematoriums. Between the three of them, they were exposed to just about every aspect of the camp’s organization for mass murder. There is no sugar coating here; this part of the book is very difficult to read. But that is the point. Hitler’s plan was to execute every single European Jew, and some of the killings continued to take place even after his suicide.
After the war, the four young people each wrote books about Auschwitz and the murders of Jews; and they testified in many war crimes trials, including in Nuremberg. Rudi Vrba especially continued to speak out as a direct witness of the Holocaust all over the world until his death in 2006.
In spite of the many first-hand stories of Holocaust survivors, many people in the United States refuse to believe that it happened. The stories must continue to be told, and young Americans especially need to hear them. The need to be aware of this particular example of human evil never stops. Please make sure more young people get the opportunity and challenge of reading this book.
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| More from Steve Sheinkin! | A fun, high-stakes nonfiction middle grade about the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872, featuring spot art and comic interstitials throughout. | A terrifying journey into espionage, arms race, and political tension of the Cold War. | A true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust—one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape. | The fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War. | A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story about how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team. | What do the most famous traitor in history, hundreds of naked soldiers, and a salmon lunch have in common? They’re all part of the amazing story of the American Revolution. |
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Customers say
Customers find the book's storytelling compelling, with one review noting how it unravels several first-hand accounts. The content receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as an essential Holocaust nonfiction masterpiece.
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7 customers mention content, 7 positive, 0 negative
7 customers mention story, 7 positive, 0 negative
Steve Sheinkin's newest YA nonfiction is a great one. This true story of two Jewish Slovakian teens depicts the horrors of Hitler's concentration...Read more
...As an adult, I think this is an amazing story and would recommend for any age.Read more
An extremely well-written book. An intense and challenging story to tell. I couldn’t stop reading.Read more
...He unravels several first hand accounts to provide a 360 experience of living through the brutality of the infamous concentration camp in a page...Read more
Another riveting true history read by Sheinkin!
My 15 year-old-son read Impossible Escape in less than 48 hours and shares the following: "This is an incredible book with lots of drama and suspense. I kept turning the pages--it was hard to stop! I love how the author described the characters' stories and they came together in the end. It's such an important story for kids to read."
