International Holocaust Remembrance Day

International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place annually on January 27 to remember those lost in the Holocaust. We have gathered a curated Collection of works that honors the lives of those impacted by the Holocaust. These selections highlight narratives of suffering, perseverance and endurance, and philosophical attempts to create meaning from one of the most impactful and agonizing events in modern history.

Summer of My German Soldier

by Bette Greene

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Coming of Age, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Summer of My German Soldier (1973) is a young adult novel by American author Bette Greene. The book is heavily based on Greene’s own childhood in Arkansas and Tennessee during World War II and her experiences growing up Jewish in the conservative Christian South. A made-for-TV film adaptation starring Kristy McNichol was released in 1978. The sequel to the novel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, was published in 1978. Summer of My German Soldier... Read Summer of My German Soldier Summary

The Book of Lost Names

by Kristin Harmel

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Love & Sexuality, European History, Holocaust, Military & War, World History, Romance

... Read The Book of Lost Names Summary

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, European History, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a historical fiction novel published in 2006 by celebrated Irish author John Boyne, known both for his adult and young adult fiction. Set around the World War II concentration camp Auschwitz, the novel combines realism with parable. It portrays a young German boy, Bruno, whose father is commander of the camp, and his unusual and ultimately tragic friendship with a Jewish boy, Shmuel. The work sold over seven... Read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Summary

The Boy Who Dared

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, War, Race, Power & Greed, Appearance & Reality, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History

The Boy Who Dared is a young adult novel, written by award-winning children’s author Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published in 2008. The Boy Who Dared is a historical fiction novel based on the real life of Helmuth Hübener, a German boy who defied the Nazis during WWII. Alternating between his last day on death row and his memories, Helmuth’s story depicts the danger of silence, the value of the individual, and the power of the... Read The Boy Who Dared Summary

The Devil's Arithmetic

by Jane Yolen

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish Literature, Children`s Literature, World History

Jane Yolen is the author of The Devil’s Arithmetic, a novel for young readers (1988). The main character, Hannah Stern, is almost 13 at the start of the novel. The story begins in her present, the late 1980s, and then travels back in time to 1942. The novel straddles multiple genres: fantasy, time slip, and historical fiction. Stern experiences the tragic history of the Holocaust, and Yolen uses her knowledge of history to provide accurate... Read The Devil's Arithmetic Summary

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

Publication year 1947

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, War, Family

Tags European History, Coming of Age, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War, Classic Fiction, Biography

Written between 1942 and 1944, The Diary of Anne Frank, aka The Diary of a Young Girl, is a collection of journal entries by Anne Frank, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, while in hiding with her family for two years in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. When Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, her diary was given to her father, Otto Frank, the only known survivor of the family. The diary was first published... Read The Diary of a Young Girl Summary

The Drowned and the Saved

by Primo Levi

Publication year 1986

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Italian Literature, Holocaust, World War II, Military & War, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

First published in Italy in 1986 as I sommersi e i salvati, The Drowned and the Saved, is a collection of eight essays by Primo Levi about his experiences in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. The book was translated into English in 1988 by Raymond Rosenthal. Some critics categorize The Drowned and the Saved as a memoir, while others believe it to be an autobiography; still other critics name this book a treatise in which... Read The Drowned and the Saved Summary

The First Seven Years

by Bernard Malamud

Publication year 1950

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Marriage, Love

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Holocaust

“The First Seven Years” is a short story that Bernard Malamud originally published in 1950. The story subsequently appeared in several collections, including The Magic Barrel, which won the 1959 National Book Award for fiction. Malamud’s exploration of the complications of the American Dream for immigrants and the aftermath of the Holocaust make the story an important contribution to American Jewish literature of the twentieth century. This guide is based on the short story as... Read The First Seven Years Summary

The Hiding Place

by Corrie Ten Boom

Publication year 1971

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family

Tags European History, Holocaust, World War II, Christian, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Biography, Classic Fiction

The Hiding Place, published in 1971, is written by Corrie ten Boom and co-authors John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Ten Boom’s autobiographical account centers on her family’s work with the Dutch underground during World War II. The authors consistently center the way the family's Christian faith shaped their experiences and inspired them to persevere. The Hiding Place was adapted into a 1975 movie and another film, Return to the Hiding Place (2013), expands on the story... Read The Hiding Place Summary

The Island on Bird Street

by Uri Orlev

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Coming of Age, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust

Uri Orlev’s The Island on Bird Street (1981) is a middle-grade historical novel about Alex, an 11-year-old Jewish boy living alone in a Polish ghetto during World War II. Semi-autobiographical in nature, Orlev’s story shows Alex’s steady determination and strength as he comes of age during the dangers of Nazi occupation. The Island on Bird Street received the 1982 IBBY Honor List Book for Israel and the 1981 Mordechai Bernstein Award. Additionally, the author received... Read The Island on Bird Street Summary

The Little Liar

by Mitch Albom

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Regret, Revenge, Death, Family, War, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish Literature, Military & War, World History

... Read The Little Liar Summary