A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust (Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust) [Hardcover]

Alison Leslie Gold (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust

Award-winning author Alison Gold presents the little-know story of Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986), a Japanese diplomat who risked everything to save the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Sugihara chose to issure visas to Jews escaping Lithuania, despite the fact that his superiors strictly forbade him to do so. For the first time ever, his unforgettable story, as well as the stories of those he saved, are made accessible to adolescent readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-10-A moving account of an unlikely hero. Sugihara single-handedly saved thousands of Jewish lives during the Holocaust. With the support of his wife, he issued exit visas while stationed as a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania. Risking his own life and those of his family members, he responded to the call to help fellow human beings. Ignoring the orders of the Japanese foreign ministry, he handwrote thousands of documents so that Jews could flee Lithuania to travel through Russia to get to Japan and freedom. Sugihara was eventually transferred out of Eastern Europe but not before he and his own family experienced the internment camps of Russia. Eventually, he was fired from the foreign service for his bravery and had to find work elsewhere. At the end of his life, he wondered if his act of compassion had any impact. He was rewarded by learning that many of the survivors had been searching for him to thank him for his gift of freedom. Although Sugihara passed away in 1986, Gold was able to interview his widow as well as two people who were saved by his act. Thus, the many details of the book are authentic. The narrative alternates between Sugihara's story and those of the two survivors, rendering the sacrifices and suffering of each person all the more poignant. This thought-provoking title joins the growing number of fine Holocaust titles for young people.
Carol Fazioli, formerly at The Brearley School, New York City
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It's one of the great Holocaust rescue stories. Chiune Sugihara, Japanese consul in Lithuania, defied his government and personally wrote transit visas for about 6,000 desperate Jewish refugees, visas that allowed them to travel across Russia and escape the Nazis. Ken Mochizuki's Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story (1997) was an immediate account for younger readers but left them wanting to know more about the man and the history. Gold's biography fills in the details. She draws on interviews with Sugihara's wife and other witnesses. She also weaves in the stories of two Jewish refugee families. Unfortunately, the awkward, plodding style almost buries the drama. A map would also have helped: where exactly did the refugees go, and how did they get there? Still, the exciting facts will hold readers' interest in the heroic story of one man who did so much. A moving epilogue describes how, after years of grief and disgrace, Sugihara was finally honored in his own country and in Israel. Hazel Rochman

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590395254
• ISBN-13: 978-0590395250
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading for all of humankind!, May 18, 2000

By 

Robert Squires - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust (Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust) (Hardcover)

Alison Gold has documented with elegance the selfless humanity of Sempo Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat of the World War II era. Against the orders of his superiors, Mr. Sugihara wrote 6,000 visas in an effort to spare the lives of Polish and Lithuanian Jews. Through Alison Gold's brilliantly crafted accounts, we learn of the horrors and atrocities of the Holocaust, of the mixed fates of several families who were granted visas, and of the injustices to which the Sugihara family was subjected as a result of Sempo's courageous response to human torment. In several places throughout this magnificent book, Ms. Gold introduces Japanese phrases that do much to enrich our understanding of cultural concepts at the core of the Sugihara's way of thinking and living. We learn of the considerable influence that Mrs. Sugihara had on her husband's decisions. While this book was written for a young adult audience, most adults would find its content engrossing.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ripple effect of an act of kindness, May 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust (Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust) (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book. I had to check the total number of pages after the first 10 pages, because I knew I would want to read the whole book in one sitting. "Hands reaching... for visas for life." Some people had never seen a Japanese person before. We hear the ice on rivers breaking up with loud cracking, we taste the Lithuanian pancakes with cheese filling and jam, we experience the shock of watching an American movie to then walk out into the light and see Russian tanks rolling down the street. The writer carries us gently through a lot of history, pain and beauty. I thought this would be a depressing book about the Holocaust, I was very wrong.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great and exciting story!, June 8, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust (Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust) (Hardcover)

Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara is one of the little known heroes of the Holocaust. This is rather unfortunate, as Mr. Sugihara was probably responsible for the saving of more Jews than any other individual! While serving as Japanese Vice Consul in Lithuania in 1940, Mr. Sugihara, against the express orders of his government, issued some 6,000 visas to people (individuals and families) desperately seeking to avoid the Nazi death machine. This book is the story of Chiune Sugihara, from youth to honored old age, and also the story of two young Jews, one whose parent took the visa and ran, and one whose parent waited too long.

This is a great and exciting story! I got this book for my twelve-year-old daughter, but found that I liked it just as much as she did. I really enjoyed this story of one man standing up and doing what was right, in spite of the costs. If you are looking for an uplifting story, one that teaches an invaluable lesson, then I highly recommend that you get this book!