Product Tips

Reading the Holocaust

Volume 1 / Issue 2 / Winter 2001

The Holocaust Library is a seven-volume set covering one of the most horrific periods in history. Appropriate for middle-school-aged gifted students, it provides a critical examination of the people and events of the Holocaust.

Each volume focuses on a specific topic. The Nazis and The Death Camps, by William W. Lace, and The Final Solution and Nazi War Criminals, by Earle Rice Jr., analyze the perpetrators of the Holocaust and the political atmosphere worldwide that led to the imprisonment and execution of six million Jews. The Resistance, by Deborah Bachrach; The Righteous Gentiles, by Victoria Sherrow; and The Survivors, by Eleanor H. Ayer, examine the character and courage of those who resisted and endured.

The authors have compiled hundreds of primary and secondary sources, from eyewitness accounts, photographs, letters, diaries, speeches, and anecdotes to established history texts. Each volume combines the historical account with the human experience to demonstrate that the Holocaust was a human event propelled by racism, prejudice, and fanaticism.

The hundreds of black-and-white photographs throughout the series are particularly noteworthy. Photographs of Allied and Axis leaders, troops, and soldiers; of Jewish families and religious life; of newspapers, documents, and artifacts; and of anti-Semitic propaganda campaigns in Europe and the United States constitute a compelling documentary in their own right. In The Death Camps and The Survivors, the photographs that convey the stark reality of human suffering are especially poignant.

While the black-and-white photographs are vividly effective, the lack of color elsewhere detracts from the books’ visual appeal. The sidebars, chapter headings, and picture matting are dull gray, and the maps are black, white, and gray. Some color contrast would have made the books more engaging without diminishing the powerful impressions rendered by the photographs.

The books are well organized, easy to read, and useful as primary texts, supplements, or references for any Holocaust unit of study. Each contains a glossary, an annotated bibliography, an annotated works-cited section, and a detailed but accessible index. Finally, The Holocaust Library serves as an excellent complement to the canon of Holocaust literature, including such classics as The Diary of Anne Frank and the novel Night.
—Sarah Boone

Sarah Boone has a master's degree in teaching and certification in gifted education. She teaches at Meredith College.