Aftermath And Remembrance (World Almanac Library of the Holocaust)

Grade 4-7–These four volumes (part of a six-volume set) provide a highly readable and accessible introduction to the Holocaust. Clear, concise writing is coupled with text boxes, photographs, illustrations, and maps. Origins begins in 922 B.C. with a brief overview of Jewish history and the history of anti-Semitism, including the birth of Christianity, the European Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, World War I, the creation of the Nazi Party, and Hitlers rise to power. Genocide spans the outbreak of World War II until 1942, with information about the German invasions and occupations; the creation of the ghettos, camps, and gas chambers; and the Wannsee Conference. Fighting Back outlines why resistance was difficult and provides examples of Jews in hiding, righteous gentiles, partisans, and secret and open resistance movements. Aftermath describes the founding of the State of Israel, the Nuremberg Trials, the Eichmann trial, and the erection of memorials and monuments, as well as the vast impact that the Holocaust has had on world history and politics. While the information is well presented, it is unrealistic to expect libraries to buy six books when the same information can be found in equally accessible single volumes such as Barbara Rogaskys Smoke and Ashes: The Story of the Holocaust (Holiday House, 2002) and Clive A. Lawtons The Story of the Holocaust (Watts, 2000).–Rachel Kamin, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI
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..."This first volume in the new World Almanac Library of the Holocaust series adds essential background history to the many accounts of the Nazi genocide. Downing goes back nearly 2,000 years to show the roots of anti-Semitism and the long persecution of the Jews...The clear overview connects that history with the rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler's vision of the Aryan master race...the book design is spacious, with many photos, clear maps, and boxed insets; a detailed chronology and a glossary are appended."