The Holocaust was,without doubt, one of the most horrific atrocities committed in war history.During Adolf Hitler's twelve year reign of terror,he contributed to the deaths of over fifty million people during the Second World War. He created a racial state where people considered unfit to live there were either persecuted,enslaved, or murdered in the most callous and inhumane way.Hitler's goal was to kill all Jewish men,women and children. He succeeded in murdering six million of them. Those that survived that horrendous atrocity would endure the pain and trauma suffered for the rest of their lives.On 1st November 2005, the United Nations resolved to designate 27th January as an International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.An outreach programme with the theme " Remembrance and Beyond " was developed with the aim of firstly, remembering the victims of the Holocaust, and secondly, helping to prevent future acts of genocide.The theme for the 2012 International Day of Commemoration was "Children and the Holocaust". The United Nations remembers ,and honours, the memory of all the children who suffered and died at the hands of the Nazis.Hopefully,future generations will not have to suffer the same atrocities, pain and heartbreak.

Monday 23 April 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

John Boyne

David Fickling Books; Oxford,2006

ISBN: 038560940X



This is the story of nine-year-old Bruno. When his father Karl,a German soldier during the Second World War,is promoted to Commandant in the SS, the family move to a new home that Bruno calls Out-With – Auschwitz.
Bruno is unhappy is his new home. It is a cold, stark house and there is no-one to play with and he is forbidden to explore – something that he loves to do.

One day , his boredom and curiosity get the better of him and he escapes into the woods .While exploring, he comes across a high barbed wire fence and sees a boy ,in what he thinks, are striped pyjamas, sitting on the other side of the fence.This is Shmuel, and he and Bruno strike up a friendship, even though Bruno comes from a Nazi family and Shmuel is Jewish.

Bruno is innocent and naïve, but soon learns more about where he lives, how other people live, and the devastating consequences of war. The friendship between the two boys shows that children can, given the chance, overcome differences in identity and culture. Friendship, compassion and loss are shown through the eyes of two young innocent boys.

Bruno and Shmuel are the main characters in the book There are also his twelve-year-old sister Gretel, the maid,Maria, his Grandparents and Lieutenant  Kotler, who has his own demons to face.

The ending is sad, unexpected and devastating.

Historical Fiction
Photgraph - the bookcover of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
             
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