Prisoner B 3087 By Alan Gratz
Prisoner B-3087 written by Alan Gratz and inspired by Jack and Ruth Gruener is arguably one of the greatest WWII Novel ever written on a true story. Yanek is a ten-year-old Jewish boy who grew up in Kraków, Poland. He had a passion for entertainment and one day wanted to go to America to pursue his acting career. When Hitler took over Germany, he conspired for the death and slavery of Jew’s because they were blamed for all that was wrong in the world such as the Depression, and Germany’s loss of World War 1. In no way was this really their faults but Hitler needed someone to blame. Yanek had a mindset of survival in spite of everything. Ten concentration camps. With the rest of his family dead, Yanek is pushed to survive through ten different places where he was forced to work like a slave. Ten different places with a whit of food given to each Jew, where all were on the verge of becoming a “Muselmann”. Ten different places with horrible people pushing him around. As he travels through all of these ten camps, his archives are to follow. That was Yanek’s life, for six years. Imagine standing under showers, hoping for gas to pour out and kill you. Imagine waiting to be shot dead. Imagine waiting almost half of your life, to be living happily. This book has an intriguing story line with all of the obstacles Yanek is faced with, despite being at camps where Jews
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are sent to die.
This novel is a great read intended for audiences with interest in WWII and history.
Recommended age would be 10 years of age because of its deep description and is difficult to understand without a little bit of previous knowledge about what was happening in Europe during the Second World War and Hitler’s fascist Germany. Alan Gratz intended to educate people about the seriousness of the situation in Nazi Europe during World War Two where fascist governments began to take over the World. Gratz put this message across very effectively in his novel because it was based on the true story of Jack (Yanek)
Gruener.
Alan goes into great detail of what happens before the concentration camps and during the two “Death Marches” that occur during the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Yanek says,
“If I had known what the next six years of my life were going to be like, I would have eaten more. I wouldn’t have complained about brushing my teeth, or taking a bath, or going to bed at eight o’clock every night. I would have played more. Laughed more. I would have hugged my parents and told them I loved them. But I was ten years old, and I had no idea of the nightmare that was to come.” (Gratz, 1).
During the second Death March, Gratz demonstrates to the reader how bad the conditions were,
“There was a kapo in front of me with four big loaves of Czech bread slung over his back in a cloth sack. I stared at the bread as I walked, imagining having such a feast. Four loaves! That bread would go bad before that kapo ever ate all four loaves. The kapos were healthier and better fed than the rest of us, but they were still not fed as well as the Nazis. He couldn’t possibly eat that much and not get sick. What if I could talk him into giving me some? Not every kapo was a monster.” (Gratz, 226).
are sent to die.
This novel is a great read intended for audiences with interest in WWII and history.
Recommended age would be 10 years of age because of its deep description and is difficult to understand without a little bit of previous knowledge about what was happening in Europe during the Second World War and Hitler’s fascist Germany. Alan Gratz intended to educate people about the seriousness of the situation in Nazi Europe during World War Two where fascist governments began to take over the World. Gratz put this message across very effectively in his novel because it was based on the true story of Jack (Yanek)
Gruener.
Alan goes into great detail of what happens before the concentration camps and during the two “Death Marches” that occur during the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Yanek says,
“If I had known what the next six years of my life were going to be like, I would have eaten more. I wouldn’t have complained about brushing my teeth, or taking a bath, or going to bed at eight o’clock every night. I would have played more. Laughed more. I would have hugged my parents and told them I loved them. But I was ten years old, and I had no idea of the nightmare that was to come.” (Gratz, 1).
During the second Death March, Gratz demonstrates to the reader how bad the conditions were,
“There was a kapo in front of me with four big loaves of Czech bread slung over his back in a cloth sack. I stared at the bread as I walked, imagining having such a feast. Four loaves! That bread would go bad before that kapo ever ate all four loaves. The kapos were healthier and better fed than the rest of us, but they were still not fed as well as the Nazis. He couldn’t possibly eat that much and not get sick. What if I could talk him into giving me some? Not every kapo was a monster.” (Gratz, 226).