Impossible Escape by Steve Sheinkin
Nonfiction
We are following two teenagers in 1944. Rudi and Gerta.
I know the basics of WWII like most people. But the details and the personal stories, there always seems to be more to learn. I knew this would be a hard one to read. Hearing about how Gerta’s friend told her about her father’s plans to take over Gerta’s family’s store and home when they are taken away, like it was no big deal had me putting the book down for a minute. I had to reread a few parts of this book because I couldn’t believe people would behave this way.
Some of the little details that stuck out to me. When people started getting sent to these “resettlement camps” as they were being called, they were getting letters from family and friends who were already there. In these letters, they would talk about how a certain family member was in high spirits or that they sent their love. The thing is that these family members were dead. I guess it was their way of letting them know the letters are forced, and what they are saying is not the truth. Why were they forced to send these “happy” letters? Was it to keep the others from panicking? Was it to keep people from letting the rest of the world know the horrible things that were happening?
Many Jews were being shot, but a Kommandant in the SS did not like this. Why? Oh, because it “would impose too great a strain on the SS men who would have to carry it out.” Not that people are dying, he didn’t want his men to have that stress. This is why they started to use the gas chambers. He also feared that there would be “unnecessary panic among the prisoners” to see bodies being hauled across the camps, so they built a gas chamber in the crematorium building. This was horrific!
I found this book to be hard to put down, but at the same time, I wanted to stop reading so many times. I didn’t want to hear about how horrible people could be.
Rudi’s story begins with his attempt to escape to Britain to fight Hitler. He is caught quickly, but he escapes. He even finds a few people who are willing to help him. But he is caught again. He was put on a train and sent to a camp, forced to do hard labor. He finds himself in Auschwitz. From there, he thinks mostly of escaping. But each time someone tries to escape, they are caught. Worse than that, they are killed, and their bodies are put on display as a warning to others: “This is what will happen if you try to escape.” Just awful. But Rudi knows he needs to escape, not just to live, but to warn others about what is happening. I was amazed by what he went through and how he kept going.
Gerta’s start was different. Her family made it out to Hungary. They were able to get fake papers claiming to be a Catholic family. They were eventually found out and had to run for it a second time. She had some scary moments, but Rudi’s story was terrifying compared to hers.
I have seen videos online where people give advice about going to visit any of the concentration camps. I want to go to learn more but at the same time, I don’t think I could handle being there. Every time I read a new book about the Holocaust, I learn something new. I can’t believe there is always more to learn.
Five out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
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