Remember when I posted about raiding my Dad's bookstore and hoping for some gems? Well I just finished my first one (at 1 am this morning). The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy was everything a book based on the Holocaust should be....stirring, moving, sad, but gives hope at the same time. It demonstrated the power of the Human Spirit perfectly.
As you can tell from the title, it is loosely based on the fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel and the witch in the woods, but it breaks stereo types of witches and step mothers, all while set in Poland against the backdrop of the Holocaust. Two Jewish children, a girl of 11 and her seven-year-old brother, are left to wander the woods after their father and stepmother are forced to abandon them, frantically begging them never to say their Jewish names, but to identify themselves as Hansel and Gretel.
Its definately a reccomended reading, but don't expect anything easy to read. Its amazingly well-written, I couldn't put it down.
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