Monday, May 30, 2022

Mario Escobar: The Teacher of Warsaw

 By Kelly Bridgewater

The start of the Second World War changed everything in Poland irrevocably—except for one man’s capacity to love.

September 1, 1939. Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz—a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching—is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come.

When over four hundred thousand Jewish people are rounded up and forced to live in the 1.3-square-mile walled compound of the Warsaw ghetto, Janusz and his friends take drastic measures to shield the children from disease and starvation. With dignity and courage, the teachers and students of Dom Sierot create their own tiny army of love and bravely prepare to march toward the future—whatever it may hold.

Unforgettable, devastating, and inspired by a real-life hero of the Holocaust, The Teacher of Warsaw  reminds the world that one single person can incite meaning, hope, and love.

 


 

My Thoughts:

The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar is a horrific portrayal of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto. Lots of horrible descriptions of the reality of this place. Lots of hurt, hunger, and dismay, but the Teacher overshines all this darkness and always puts the love of the children above his own. He keeps telling his other helpers to leave and escape. Help the children escape. He went to the prison a number of times for standing up for the little man. He sought out food for the children on a daily basis. The plot is completely different than most World War II novels that I have read because I knew about the ghetto's, but I honestly, cannot recall any other story that takes place inside these places. A dark and humbling time in European's history. If readers are a fan of World War II, then this is a great novel to pick up. I learned so more about World War II. I saw the good sprinkled in with the bad and saw the shining light of the heart of man.

I received a complimentary copy of The Teacher of Warsaw by Mario Escobar from Harper Muse Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Teacher of Warsaw

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