The Teacher of Warsaw – ARC Book Review

September 1, 1939. Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz—a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching—is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come.

When over four hundred thousand Jewish people are rounded up and forced to live in the 1.3-square-mile walled compound of the Warsaw ghetto, Janusz and his friends take drastic measures to shield the children from disease and starvation. With dignity and courage, the teachers and students of Dom Sierot create their own tiny army of love and bravely prepare to march toward the future—whatever it may hold.

Unforgettable, devastating, and inspired by a real-life hero of the Holocaust, The Teacher of Warsaw reminds the world that one single person can incite meaning, hope, and love.

This is a true story of Dr. Janusz Korzak who with his friend is running a Jewish orphanage. The story is set in the year 1949, when Nazis invade Warsaw Poland, with the break out of World War II. The story follows the brutal treatment against the Jews by both the Nazis and by Poles who seemed to be supporting the Nazi’s ideologies. Despite having a Jewish background, Dr. Korzak is a respected man among the people in Warsaw.

When I read the book Zookeeper’s Wife and also watched the movie, I came across the name Dr. Korzack who was respected by Dr. Jan, who along with his wife saved more than five hundred Jews. Mario Escobar has done so much tremendous research about his life in general as well as the timeline that happened–the Nazi’s takeover of Warsaw, the formation of Warsaw Ghetto, the moving of the children to the ghetto and the transportation to the concentration camp, Treblinka. Honestly, this book was really heartbreaking and emotional, particularly the ending. Dr. Korzack would do anything to save the innocent Jewish children even though he knew what will happen to all of them once they reach Treblinka concentration camp.

Though the story is based in true facts, some parts of the story as well as certain characters were fictionalized. Despite that, the author has done a tremendous good job of bringing the reader into the story, making the reader feel like they are part of the worst moments in the history. The hunger, these children are facing, the worst conditions of ghetto, the brutal treaments of the Jews by the Nazis in general were too unbearable and emotional to read. The ending of the story is too heartbreaking to read, knowing that this is a true story and that you know what will happen to those innocent children once they reach the concentration camp.

Of all the Holocaust books that I have read, personally, this book was too emotional to read, as it involved children. Worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.