The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harpermusebooks for the review copy of The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar.

If you could undo the death of a fictional character who would that character be?

In 1939, Janusz Korczak is sixty years old and is a well-known author and children’s advocate in Warsaw, Poland.  He runs a large Jewish orphanage and is a widely respected man.  As the Germans take over, Korczak tries his best to keep his children fed, but will he be able to keep them safe through the war?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was my second Mario Escobar read in June and it was another heartfelt historical fiction novel set during WWII.  I really enjoyed both books and I am ready to read more.

·       Korczak was a great man and was so compassionate.  He had many times when he could have escaped and saved himself, but he stayed to help the children.  Much of the book was him trying to find any way that he could to survive and help the kids to thrive in desperate times.

·       The story is primarily told through a journal that is said to have been found that Korczak had kept.  This part of the story was put together using a short real diary that Korczak did keep in 1942 along with other facts from that time.

·       The description of the Ghetto was horrifying as people starved and turned desperate.

·       The ending of this story is seared into my mind. 

·       The end of the novel has great historical information about the real Janusz Korczak as well as references, and discussion questions.  This would make a great book club read.

Favorite Quotes:

“The Teacher of Warsaw is much more than a story about the life of Janusz Korczak and his orphanage.  It is the memory of those who, at the some of the world’s darkest moments, when evil’s grip on Europe seemed eternal, fought to turn the hellish Warsaw ghetto into a dignified, inhabitable place.” – from the author’s note

“Everything happens for a reason.  Even the greatest misfortunes can become the sweetest blessings.”

“The best lesson we can ever teach is to show love to those around us without expecting anything in return.”

“They were taking away the only noble, beautiful thing each of us has:  Our compassion and mercy.  When anything goes, nothing is worth it anymore.”

“How is the value of a human life to be measured?  Did culture or status make one person more valuable than a beggar child or an illiterate woman?”

Overall, The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar is a historical fiction WWII story that I will not forget.  Janusz Korczak lived during some of the darkest times in history in the Warsaw Ghetto, but he kept his humanity and compassion and was with his orphans until the very end.  If you love WWII historical fiction, you must read this novel.