By Rena Finder with Joshua Greene

The movie ‘Schindler List’ is by now both a classic film and a touchstone for Holocaust studies. With details of the man Oskar Schindler, and the minutia of life in the factory, spoken of in plain language, this book fills in the blanks of that time and place. Not shying away from the brutality they experienced, the writers succeed in telling Rena’s story without gratuitous horror.

An excellent classroom book for high school age and older, it would also suit as a book club choice.

By Ariana Neumann

During the years of the Spanish Inquisition, it was conversion that was thrust upon the Jews.  With the laws of the Nazis, conversion meant nothing. In this riveting story, we follow along as a young girl in South America discovers and unravels her father’s past. Her research lays bare the reality of life under the Nuremberg Laws, how they were enforced, and who were affected.

 The details given of life in Czechoslovakia, and choices made for survival, make this a good book club selection. In the classroom it would be useful in grades 9-12 as it addresses situations that require some maturity.

By Esther Safran Foer

How do you commemorate the life of someone when you do not know their name? How can you say Kaddish? This story uncovers the details of the author’s Jewish family before and after WWII. In her search for a sister she never knew she had, the author offers a look at a world now erased from Europe. It is well written, often sobering, ultimately thought provoking.

This book would be a good choice for classrooms or book clubs. Suitable for both older teens and adults.

By Antonio Iturbe

The Librarian of Auschwitz tells the story of Dita Kraus, a teenager in the family camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau entrusted by a Jewish leader with eight precious books that prisoners have managed to sneak into camp. Raw, authentic, and strong, this book gives a clear view of both the horror life in the camp and the strength of those who held onto courage and hope.

For adults only. Incredibly well written and worthwhile but not for the faint of heart and not appropriate for middle schoolers or young teens. This book includes a graphic description of what happens in the gas chambers and the repeated appearance of Josef Mengele, as well as descriptions of his work.