Darkness over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews (Hardcover)

by Ellen Levine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Readers who have thrilled to Lois Lowry's Number the Stars or Bjarne Reuter's The Boys from St. Petri will want to explore this sober volume about the Danish response to the Nazi occupation. Levine (If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad) debunks some widely believed legends about Danish resistanceAfor example, that every Dane wore a yellow Star of David when the Germans ordered the Jews to do so (in fact, the Germans never promulgated this order in Denmark). As she persuasively demonstrates, however, those legends reflect truths about the Danes in their essential solidarity and rejection of Nazi thinking. While she lists the factors that gave Denmark advantages over other Nazi-occupied countries, she also focuses on the experiences of individuals who, almost as a matter of course, risked their lives to defy the Nazis. Unlike many writers, she treats the extraordinary rescue of nearly the entire Danish Jewish population in October 1943, as only part of the story of the resistance, in fact positing that Nazi persecution of the Jews and the success of the rescue mission led to enormous popular support for the resistance. Beyond saving the Jews, Danes sabotaged munitions factories, supplied critical information to British bombers and organized devastating strikes. The author cross-cuts from a general narrative to focus on specific persons; it is sometimes difficult to keep track of these individuals, but virtually all their stories are inspiring. Well-chosen photos add impact to this dramatic history. Ages 10-up. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-This fascinating account pays homage to the remarkable efforts of the Danish people to smuggle the vast majority of their country's Jewish citizens to safety in Sweden during World War II. Interspersed with the straightforward history are first-person accounts of the war years, mainly based on the author's interviews with Danes who escaped, assisted with escapes, or joined the resistance. These accounts help make these increasingly distant events come alive. The well-chosen black-and-white period photographs and reproductions add to the text, and the cover (a montage with Hitler's face looming over a scene of a burning rail yard and running boy) is particularly striking. The brief biographies of the people interviewed, telling what they did during and after the war, make for touching reading. An excellent history and an inspired complement to Lois Lowry's Number the Stars (Houghton, 1989).
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823414477
• ISBN-13: 978-0823414475
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #469,897 in Books (See Bestsellers 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 Hope in the Darkness, August 8, 2000

By	Marilyn Jaquith (Richmond, CA) - See all my reviews

Bravery, courage, and selflessness, characteristic of the Danish resistance during WWII, are bright glimpses of hope during a dark period of world history. The history of the Danish resistance is recorded chronologically, with individual rescue stories woven throughout. This beautifully rendered acount, including photographs, is printed on thick, rich paper, underscoring the beauty of what was accomplished by the Danish people. Recommended for young adults and adults interested in the topic.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended eye-witness history for young readers., July 14, 2000

By A Customer

The Danish resistance and rescue of the Jews receives in-depth treatment for grades 5-7, with vintage black and white photos accompanying the story of the resistance and rescue of the Jews of Denmark. Levine interviewed dozens of Danes from rescuers and survivors to those captured for this inviting probe.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage of the Danes, November 9, 2002

By	"princesse17" (United States of America) - See all my reviews

The courage of the Danes in World War II just blew me away when I read this book. I first read it because Lois Lowry's book Number The Stars struck my intrest. When I read the stories of the Resistance and the Jews, I can admit I cried. The author tells their stories perfectly. She conveys the courage these people had and how brave all those young Resistance leaders were but does not leave the hardships endured by these people. It is certainly a wonderful reference book for anyone doing a project on the Holocaust. There was only one thing that disappointed me. There wasn't a reference to the permeated handkerchief that fishing boat captains used after the Nazis started using dogs to search the boats.