This young readers’ edition tells the remarkable story, largely forgotten until now, of the young Jewish women who became resistance fighters against the Nazis during World War II. It has already been optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture.As their communities were being destroyed, groups of Jewish women and teenage girls across Poland began transforming Jewish youth groups into … transforming Jewish youth groups into resistance factions. These “ghetto girls” helped build systems of underground bunkers, paid off the Gestapo, and bombed German train lines.
At the center of the book is eighteen-year-old Renia Kukielka, who traveled across her war-torn country as a weapons smuggler and messenger. Other women who joined the cause served as armed fighters, spies, and saboteurs, all risking their lives for their missions.
Never before chronicled in full, this is the incredible account of the strong Jewish women who fought back against the seemingly unstoppable Nazi regime. It follows the women through arrests, internment, and for a lucky few, into the late 20th century and beyond.
It also includes a section of black-and-white photos, so that readers can see firsthand the extraordinary women who bravely fought for their freedom in the face of overwhelming odds.
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By way of context, I begin by admitting that I am utterly fascinated by the Holocaust, always trying to read more in the ridiculous hope that I will one day understand how humans could do such things to fellow humans. So, I have read many, MANY books about World War II.
I actually requested this book by mistake, intending to read Judy Batalion’s adult version– but as it turned out, I’m glad I wound up with this more condensed version. I think 500+ (in the full version) pages of this story would have been TOO much for me. Although I firmly believe it’s extremely important to record and retell the stories of brave women (who have too often been left out of written histories), THE LIGHT OF DAYS is, not surprisingly, VERY painful to read. As I find many books about the Holocaust.
The women that fill these pages are largely teenagers and women in their 20s. Yet they are determined to do all they can during World War II to fight the Nazis, while saving themselves and other fellow Jews. Often, they have already lost all members of their families. So, for them, every Jewish life saved and ever Nazi killed represents a victory.
Those victories, however, do not diminish the day-to-day dangers and horrors each faces. Finding even rudimentary housing and subsistence food is a struggle. Continually hiding, they live with the constant fear of discovery. They make deep attachments to fellow resistance fighters, only to have friends disappear suddenly, never to be heard from again. When discovered, they are subjected to brutal torture. And at any moment, the can be shot or forced onto a train, headed to certain death in a Nazi concentration camp.
The drama surrounding these lives is relentless and not in a good way. Although it does propel you through the book. But, honestly, I was happy to reach the end. And I feel like young people reading this version would benefit with some supervision as they wrestle with one of the most inhumane chapters of human history.
So, why only three stars then? Because much of the writing seemed dry to me. And the stories of different women seemed a bit jumbled at times. Patched together, instead of woven. While the content is undoubtedly compelling, too often I felt like I was wading through a recitation of facts, much like reading a history textbook. (The key reason I usually prefer historical fiction.) I’ve read enough non-fiction to know how much a strong narrative style can add. And I found it missing in this book.
Yes, I recommend the book. Mostly for its importance. And I don’t pretend my review in ANY way applies to the longer/adult version of the book, since I have not read that one. But, I don’t plan to go on now and read the full version.
The Light of Days is the Young Readers’ Edition.
The book is a harrowing tale of extremely young people who stood up proudly for the injustices inflicted upon all their people in their country of Poland by Hitlers Regime. Most of them were teenage to mid twenties Jewish women who decided that they were going to form groups and get the word out across to all the people exactly what was happening and not to rely on the propaganda that Hitler was spewing. These young people however were at risk because they were not only passing notes, forged documents , food, ammunition and guns and even people to other areas. These resistance fighters were raped, tortured, murdered and their families were at risk as well.
These stories of the Polish resistance fighters were kept quiet not because they were ashamed, but mainly because the focus was on the major death camps and the Holocaust focused primarily on Germany because of the greater numbers, but the horrors were no less felt in Poland, Austria, and Ukraine, and Hungary.
These are the true stories of these times and less we forget and allow these horrors to ever be affected by any nation again we must remember and see what one person’s fanaticisms can cause when endorsed by others and encouraged that we have to talk about these travesties and make our young people realize that these things happen to real people and not just on the movie screen or your game screen with shooting.
Talk to your children about life and the horrors that men can create! Let them read these books and know these are true stories and not make believe!
I would definitely recommend this book for young teenage readers.
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.