Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Stopped Death - Sharon Linnea

March 22, 2015

Publisher:
  The Jewish Publication Society
Release Date:
  May 1, 1994
Market:
  Secular
Genre:
–Non-Fiction, History, WWII, Young Adult
Length:
–151 pages
My Rating:
   4/5

 

About This Book (from Goodreads)

In the last days of World War II, a young Swedish architect, Raoul Wallenberg, was secretly sent to Budapest by the War Refugee Board of the United States Government. There he did what no other country or individual was able to do: he saved more than 100,000 Jewish men, women, and children from extermination at the hands of the Nazi Colonel Adolph Eichmann. This meticulously researched biography is based upon archival materials and first-person interviews with Wallenberg's family, colleagues, and people he saved. It is illustrated with original photographs. To this day, no one knows the fate of Raoul Wallenberg, but his belief that one person can make a difference endures as a legacy for us all. 

CRITIQUE

This is my book club book for March.  As much as I’ve read about and even taught about the Holocaust, I had never heard of Raoul Wallenberg.  While this book is meant for younger readers (think middle school), I thought it was a great introduction to Wallenberg and his work rescuing the Jews of Budapest, Hungary.  It does not get too bogged down in dates and general war information.  The book is very specific in its scope.  It is very readable and engaging.  The pictures throughout only add to the story.  Worth the read for anyone interested in WWII and Holocaust history.