There are plenty of books about the Holocaust, for all ages and from all points of view. In Yann Martel's Beatrice and Virgil, this is problematic for the main character, a writer named Henry, because he has written what he feels is a fresh allegorical look at the Holocaust, only to realize (thanks to his editors) that in fact he has covered the same ground in the same way as countless others.
This is the challenge for any writer covering this intense, fraught, and oft-described subject. Ashes meets it by presenting the story from the point of view of 13-year-old Gaby, who lives with her upper-middle class family in 1932 Berlin. Gaby isn't Jewish, but her family is disgusted and alarmed by the fascist element - most notably Hitler's SS and SA troups - that seems to be gaining power and influence in Germany.
Gaby is a big reader, and so a huge book burning staged by the Nazis is a powerful and horrifying event for her. However, her antennae go up long before this, as the tone of her society changes in ways small and large, banal and menacing. We often ask "How could regular people have allowed such horrors to happen?" and this book will give readers a glimpse at how this might have become possible.
What if the Tea Party folks managed to come to power, along with those who have become stridently anti-Muslim? We have some powerful laws and documents to protect our freedom in the US, but if those laws became eroded, there is a pretty scary fringe element that would be happy to rush in and take over. Not that the US is anything as volatile or horrific as 1930s Germany - but what books like Ashes show us is that we always need to be on our guard against hatred and irrationality.
I sensed bits and pieces of many different books and movies about this time period in Ashes. There is a boyfriend-turned-Nazi, a la "The Sound of Music," and a scene in which a frighteningly blond youth sings a stirring patriotic song in a Biergarten is very similar to a scene in "Cabaret." It's Gaby's thoughtful reactions to the people and events around her that form the core of this novel, so a bit of retreading isn't so terrible.
Ashes is well-written (from the clear-eyed, if occasionally appropriately histrionic point of view of teenaged Gaby), and if it isn't strikingly unique, that's fine. The Holocaust is one of those topics we need to keep thinking, talking, and reading about, in order to ensure that it never happens again.
Ages 11 to 14
This sounds like a good one--I've always been drawn to books about WWII, but this will be a new perspective for me.
ReplyDeletedont read it, i read it and it is horrible
ReplyDeletethis book was amazing, i recommend it to anyone who likes history or World War II
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty good book, I read this for an assignment at school.
ReplyDeleteI got this book from the bookfair and its great!
ReplyDeletei never read but this book made me kinda wann read more.
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Party folks are NOT comparable in any way to the Nazi groups!! How could you bring that up in a book review meant for young teens? Why would you try to influence young readers to think the Tea Party folks are a group to be afraid of? They are Americans that have the same beliefs and hopes for their country that our Founding Fathers had. The Tea Party folks are trying to bring attention to the principles and morals on which our country was founded--freedom and choice, not big government power. if anything, they are comparable to Gaby's family members, who are disgusted with the actions of the government in creating a society which becomes completely obedient, helpless, and dependent on their government!
ReplyDeleteAside from my opinion of the blogger's misunderstood interpretation of the modern day political movements, I think the book gives young readers a glimpse into the emotional effects of difficult political times on otherwise fortunate young adults and how it in a way robs them of some of the joy of childhood because they can sense the tension in the adult world.
i hate this book it is sooo bad
ReplyDeleteI got to the middle and it's sooo boring. Like, it's just talking about daily life. No conflicts, nothing.
ReplyDeleteya i boring unyill 11 chapter but thyen it gets good
DeleteGREAT, great book.
ReplyDeleteI loved it- there was enough history to learn from but enough story to keep reading.
I'm using this for my book report, but I'd gladly read it over and over again.