Firstly I just want to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Warsaw ghetto before this book which I find hard to believe considering the devastating level of destruction that took place there. I’d also never heard of Dr Korczak before either but I’m glad to have learnt about him now, as he truly was an inspirational, brave and caring individual from what I’ve read in this book. My lack of knowledge, and the incredibly chilling quote about the number of people who survived from this place, is what initially drew me towards ‘The Good Doctor Of Warsaw’ and it’s a book that I’d recommend to everyone.
The first chapter of this book is incredibly chilling and shows Warsaw how it was at the start of 1945. The author really manages to paint a very vivid scene of this abandoned place that, for the most part, is little more than ruins. As the book continues, going back in time to the Warsaw of May 1937 and continuing onwards, the surroundings are detailed just as thoroughly, giving a clear picture of the beautiful Warsaw before World War II and the cramped, claustrophobic terror of the ghetto during it.
Everyone inside this book felt very real to me (I know that they were, in fact, all real people but Elisabeth Gifford manages to bring them to life on the pages of this book too, something that not everyone could accomplish). Many of the individuals within these pages warmed my heart and it was absolutely devastating to see the situation that they were in. It’s truly marvellous that Dr Korczak and his helpers managed to keep the children smiling within the horrors of the ghetto.
As far as I can tell Elisabeth Gifford did a fantastic job of researching her novel and portrayed a very honest view of the people during this devastating time. She made it clear that there were plenty of people out there who were willing to risk their lives to save others; some family and friends, others total strangers. All of the humanity and bravery that was shown throughout this book was heart warming but, on the other side of things, the brutality was harrowing. People were beaten and abused in many horrific ways whilst others were left ill, starving and utterly neglected. It’s terrible to know that, whilst some starved, others profited from their need for food, hiking up food prices and turning on others.
There’s a lot of darkness in this book and it definitely shows the worst of humanity at times. Thankfully there’s also times when you see the best of humanity too – people risking their lives for strangers, Dr Korczak doing everything he can for the children, Misha and Sophia always holding onto their love for one another. This hope, and the love showed to people throughout this book, was heart warming and stopped the bleakness from being utterly overwhelming.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and I hope that it get’s the recognition that it deserves.
The first chapter of this book is incredibly chilling and shows Warsaw how it was at the start of 1945. The author really manages to paint a very vivid scene of this abandoned place that, for the most part, is little more than ruins. As the book continues, going back in time to the Warsaw of May 1937 and continuing onwards, the surroundings are detailed just as thoroughly, giving a clear picture of the beautiful Warsaw before World War II and the cramped, claustrophobic terror of the ghetto during it.
Everyone inside this book felt very real to me (I know that they were, in fact, all real people but Elisabeth Gifford manages to bring them to life on the pages of this book too, something that not everyone could accomplish). Many of the individuals within these pages warmed my heart and it was absolutely devastating to see the situation that they were in. It’s truly marvellous that Dr Korczak and his helpers managed to keep the children smiling within the horrors of the ghetto.
As far as I can tell Elisabeth Gifford did a fantastic job of researching her novel and portrayed a very honest view of the people during this devastating time. She made it clear that there were plenty of people out there who were willing to risk their lives to save others; some family and friends, others total strangers. All of the humanity and bravery that was shown throughout this book was heart warming but, on the other side of things, the brutality was harrowing. People were beaten and abused in many horrific ways whilst others were left ill, starving and utterly neglected. It’s terrible to know that, whilst some starved, others profited from their need for food, hiking up food prices and turning on others.
There’s a lot of darkness in this book and it definitely shows the worst of humanity at times. Thankfully there’s also times when you see the best of humanity too – people risking their lives for strangers, Dr Korczak doing everything he can for the children, Misha and Sophia always holding onto their love for one another. This hope, and the love showed to people throughout this book, was heart warming and stopped the bleakness from being utterly overwhelming.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and I hope that it get’s the recognition that it deserves.