Janeczko, Paul B. Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Summerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 2011.
ISBN 9780763647278
SUMMARY: This free verse novel is historical fiction written about the Holocaust. The poems are written by the author himself, but represent the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of all types of individuals in or around the Terezin Ghetto during World War II. Terezin was home to many Jewish intellectuals and artists of Prague. This ghetto was one prison where the arts were allowed to thrive.
The poems include the point of view of Nazi officials, some ruthless and others struggling with the tasks they were forced to impose. German citizens sympathetic to the Jews, and those that were not are also represented. Inmates from all ages and walks of life describe heart-wrenching situations and their struggles come alive through the poetry in this novel.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: I found this free verse novel to be a wonderful book to add to any Holocaust or Historical Fiction collection. The poetry explores the point of view from all types of individuals that came together in the Terezin Ghetto.
The poems are cataloged in a Table of Contents. The poems are untitled, but have the individual’s name and what they represent, or their walk of life. If they were an inmate, it includes their tattooed numbers. The book also includes an Author’s Note, in which he describes his research, which I believe is very thorough. He includes in this book a poem he wrote from an actual postcard written by an inmate and another poem is an excerpt from a journal that was found in the camp. The author also lists a selection of books for further research on this time in history, as well as a list of websites, and DVDs. At the end, he includes a glossary that describes foreign words and phrases that students might not be familiar with. I think that putting the glossary at the front would be more helpful, because most students won’t look into the back of the book until the end, if at all.
The haunting and somber illustrations, done in charcoal, were created by actual inmates at the camp after the war ended. They show the darkness and hopelessness of the situation.
This book is touching and should be read by students from sixth grade through high school. It explains through many points of view one of the most horrific historical events of all time. Reluctant readers should find it an easy read.
POETRY EXCERPT:
This poem is untitled, but represents what all prisoners at the Terezin Ghetto must have felt.
“Blue sky
Beyond
Barbed wire.
I wish I were
Sky.”
EXTENTION ACTIVITY: I would use this book in a Social Studies class. This would become a research project to be done, after a Holocaust unit had concluded. After reading, we would research to find individuals that actually were in the Terezin Ghetto. Students could choose inmates, citizens, or Nazi officials to research.
We would use the internet and library resources to research students’ chosen individual. The students would research their lives and explain how they were connected to Terezin. They would also tell us what happened to them. Did they die, and if not, what did they accomplished after liberation from the Ghetto or other camps?
Students could also try and find a character from the book most like the person they did their research on. They could include that poem in their project.
RESOURCES:
Janeczko, Paul B. Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Summerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 2011.
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