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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

REMINDER: HGSP/Library Book Discussion: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas


The Holocaust Genocide Studies Project and the MCC Libraries will be collaborating again this semester to host a book discussion group, reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

According to Library Journal, “Boyne has written a sort of historical allegory–a spare, but vividly descriptive tale that clearly elucidates the atmosphere in Nazi Germany during the early 1940s that enabled the persecution of Eastern European Jews. Through the eyes of Bruno, a naive nine-year-old raised in a privileged household by strict parents whose expectations included good manners and unquestioning respect for parental authority, the author describes a visit from the Fury and the family’s sudden move from Berlin to a place called Out-With in Poland. There, not 50 feet away, a high wire fence surrounds a huge dirt area of low huts and large square buildings. From his bedroom window, Bruno can see hundreds (maybe thousands) of people wearing striped pajamas and caps, and something made him feel very cold and unsafe. Uncertain of what his father actually does for a living, the boy is eager to discover the secret of the people on the other side. He follows the fence into the distance, where he meets Shmuel, a skinny, sad-looking Jewish resident who, amazingly, has his same birth date. Bruno shares his thoughts and feelings with Shmuel, some of his food, and his final day at Out-With, knowing instinctively that his father must never learn about this friendship. While only hinting at violence, blind hatred, and deplorable conditions, Boyne has included pointed examples of bullying and fearfulness. His combination of strong characterization and simple, honest narrative make this powerful and memorable tale a unique addition to Holocaust literature for those who already have some knowledge of Hitler’s Final Solution.”

The book discussion will be held this Friday, November 2, during College Hour (12:00 pm to 1:00 pm) in the Leroy V. Goode Library, Room 2-440 (4th floor of the Brighton campus library).  Please join us!

If you have any questions, please contact Lori Annesi, Reference/Special Collections Librarian (<<mailto:lannesi@monroecc.edu>>).  

Lori Annesi
ETS Libraries
10/30/2007