From School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-After providing the background of the persecution of Jews and other people considered undesirable by Hitler and his followers from 1933 on, Altman describes the method used to isolate them. She explains how the ghettos were governed; the unwitting complicity of Jewish administrators in carrying out Nazi orders; and the struggle of the inhabitants to maintain their spirit, humanity, schools, and culture. The story is told with compassion, but errors in the introduction mar what would otherwise be a highly recommended book. In addition, there is an inadequate explanation of the conditions under which a new law had been passed combining the offices of chancellor and president in Germany in 1934. The law was not merely fortuitous for Hitler; it was planned by him. None of these errors are found in the second volume. Byers correctly describes the dismal economic conditions in Germany after World War I, the resentment at the government that surrendered, the continued militarism and nationalism, and the ethnic unrest that continued to fester there. Life in the concentration camps, liberation, and subsequent war-crimes trials are vividly described. This is a thorough and accurate book.-Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
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