A MUST read for EVERYONE...
Written as an allegory or perhaps a pseudo-fable, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is one of those rare finds that enables the reader to explore familiar territory in a new way and from a different perspective.
While we have (hopefully) all read or heard countelss Holocaust tales, this one is told from a new and indeed daring viewpoint - that of the naieve nine year old son of a Nazi Commandant, who has no idea the evils and horrors surrounding him. In fact, he can't quite understand why the people on the "other side of the fence" get to wear striped pajamas and play with each other all day while he's confined in his new home at "Out-With."
This is a novel for EVERYONE- I truly believe children as well as adults will gain so much from reading it, regardles of their race, religion, nationality or background. It is short and extremely fast-paced- the average reader should be able to read it entirely within a day or two, however it will continue to haunt you and invade your thoughts for weeks on end. While some potential readers will avoid this one perhaps because it is so hard to read about the Holocaust, I can't stress highly enough that this is a "MUST READ" and one that will have you smiling and laughing along the way- a rare reaction to a story built upon the evils of the Holocaust. Furthermore, this story is not only about the Holocaust, but applies equally to all those situations in which there are groups of people on two sides of a "fence" - it is applicable to the current and past crises in Darfur, genocides throughout the ages, and even those less obvious ones found in our school yards or our own neighborhoods across the county.
