Spotlight Magazines Spotlight on Mansfield South April 2015 | Page 12

Spotlight Magazine

The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink

A Good Read

This year sees the
70th anniversary
of the liberation
of Auschwitz and
the horrors of the
Holocaust came to
the world’s attention.
In the intervening
years many great
pieces of literature
have been written
to explore why it happened, and the
consequences of it.
One such book is The Reader by the
German author, Bernhard Schlink. Set in
West Germany in 1958, Michael, a 15-yearold falls ill with hepatitis and befriends a
36-year-old woman, Hanna.
They develop a close relationship until
she suddenly disappears a few months
later. The narrative then skips to six years
later where Michael, now a law student, is
observing a war crimes trial. On trial are
a group of female SS guards who served
at Auschwitz. Michael has to battle his
emotions and the reader is asked, along
with the protagonist, to question why such
atrocities were allowed to happen and how
can we stop them happening again.
The issue of how ordinary Germans carried
out Nazi orders is one that Germans have
struggled to come to terms with and
Schlink explores this in a touching manner.
The style of writing is sparse at times – with
little explanation offered to the reader at
times. It can appear blunt, but offers a
clarity that forces the reader to engage
with the subject matter.
It reflects how the post-war generations
in Germany have struggled to come to
terms with the actions of ordinary Germans
during the war.

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Once
by Morris Gleiztman

Adult literature is not alone in dealing with
the Holocaust, and there are in fact many
pieces of children’s literature that aim to
introduce the events and the effects of
them.
One such book is Once by Morris
Gleiztman. It is the first is a series of four
books which tell of the life of Felix, a 10
year old Polish Jew in 1942. For three
years, Felix has lived in an orphanage,
waiting for his parents return for him. They
own a book shop and Felix believes that
this is why they had to leave him.
He has seen Nazis burning books and
figures out that it must be dangerous to be
a bookseller. His parents must have sent
him to the orphanage to keep him safe.
However, he soon learns that it is not being
a bookseller that is dangerous.
Gleiztman is very careful to write at an
appropriate level for his young audience
whilst not sanitising the dreadful events that
Felix finds himself caught up in.
The young reader will learn, along
with Felix, exactly what is taking place
across Europe. Yes, it is shocking, yes
it is moving, and yes, be prepared for
questions from a child who is reading this.
It is aimed at
readers in their
first year or two at
secondary school
and offers a good
age-appropriate
intro X