by Rebecca Gasiewicz
“These writings may shock or horrify you, but that is not my intention. It is my greatest hope that the pages in this jar stir your deepest well of human compassion. I hope they prompt you to do something, to tell someone. Only then can we ensure that this kind of evil is never allowed to repeat itself.” Ruta Sepetys, Between Shades of Gray
World War II and the Holocaust caused many groups of people to be displaced from their country to a variety of other lands. The diaspora of the Jews in particular is probably one of the largest and most widespread migration of a group of people. In hopes of survival, Jews scattered throughout the world, from China to the United States, from Paris to the Middle East. Other groups of people like Lithuanians, the Japanese, and the Koreans were also displaced as a result of the war. Many books depict the deepest feelings and treacherous journeys of a people who suffered both during World War II and continue to suffer as their displacement all over the world has become part of their fate.
While many groups of people were impacted by World War II, countless Jewish were displaced all over the world. Number the Stars, The Book Thief, A Faraway Island, Awake in the Dark, and This Home Is Now are all accounts, either fictional or non-fiction, of Jews fight to survive and the aftermath. Each tells a unique story, the same piece of history through a different lens.
A number of books depict the displacement of Jews to Shanghai, China. Some memoirs, diaries, and true accounts of the experiences going from Nazi Germany to war-torn China. The texts pictured below are prime examples of these stories and paired together or standing alone will depict the horrors of their Holocaust experiences but also the challenges of being a refugee and becoming accustomed to another country and culture, especially during a time of war.
Under a Red Sky was the 2012 National Jewish Book Award Winner for Children and Young Adult literature. Written through the eyes of Eva Zimmerman, a child who does not know of her Jewish identity until the age of 10, and living in communist Romania in the years following the Holocaust with no knowledge or family discussion of their past. As a young girl, she is forced to balance her family’s deep hatred of communism with her new knowledge from school about the wonders of communism. Through a young girl’s eyes, we can acquire an understanding of heritage, pride, government, family, and a hidden history.
So Far from the Bamboo Grove and When My Name Was Keoko are two novels paired well together. The first is about a Japanese family during WWII and the displacement their family is caused by the Koreans determination to take control of Japan. The latter is about a young Korean girl and her family’s experience as the Japanese try to control and inevitably displace her family. 
History is told through many eyes and stories, and these two texts pair well to tell both sides of attempt for control in part of Asia during WWII.
One of the most vivid and heart-wrenching accounts is Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl, Lina, we experience one of the all too often untold stories. Her family experiences cruelty and evil as they are displaced by the Soviets to Siberia and imprisoned in a labor camp there. Although almost unbelievable to read, Lina positions the reader to understand the helplessness of her family but also the will and fight to survive.
While these novels and accounts create vivid recreations of the Holocaust or other conflicts during World War II, there are an abundance of informational picture books that pair well with these novels, or can complete a text set to create an encompassing account of what took place and how the Holocaust has changed the course and location of many lives.
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- Themes: Rebecca Gasiewicz
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, WOW Currents