In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust

Today's nonfiction post is on In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust by Richard Hurowitz. It is 480 pages long and is published by Harper. The cover is tan with title in a red ribbon from left to right with pictures of the people from this in book behind it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in history, World War II history, and unsung heroes. There is mild foul language, no sex, and descriptions of violence in this book. There Be Spoiler Ahead.

From the dust jacket- These powerfully illuminating and inspiring profiles pay tribute to the incredible deeds of the Righteous Among the Nations, little-known heroes who saved countless lives during the Holocaust. Less than a century ago, the Second World War took the lives of more than fifty million people; more than six million of them were systematically exterminated through crimes of such enormity that a new name to describe the horror was coined: the Holocaust. Yet amid such darkness, there were glimmers of light—courageous individuals who risked everything to save those hunted by the Nazis.
Today, as bigotry and intolerance and the threats of fascism and authoritarianism are ascendent once again, these heroes’ little-known stories—among the most remarkable in human history—resonate powerfully. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, has recognized more than 27,000 individuals as “Righteous Among the Nations”—non-Jewish people such as Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler who risked their lives to save their persecuted neighbors.
In the Garden of the Righteous chronicles extraordinary acts at a time when the moral choices were stark, the threat immense, and the passive apathy of millions predominated. Deeply researched and astonishingly moving, it focuses on ten remarkable stories, including that of the circus ringmaster Adolf Althoff and his wife Maria, the Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Italian cycling champion Gino Bartali, the Polish social worker Irena Sendler, and the Japanese spy Chinue Sugihara, who provided hiding places, participated in underground networks, refused to betray their neighbors, and secured safe passage. They repeatedly defied authorities and risked their lives, their livelihoods, and their families to save the helpless and the persecuted. In the Garden of the Righteous is a testament to their kindness and courage.

Review- This book is a selection of ten stories of different people from around the world who didn't turn away from the suffering of others. Some of them were powerful people in government and some were just average people who did what they could. But they made a difference where they could, they took risks that others wouldn't, and sometimes they paid the ultimate price for their bravery. The writing is very good, with information pulled from letters, dairies, official paperwork, and face to face conversations with those still living. At times this book is hard to read with the details of the suffering of both Jews and those who helped them but reading about their bravery and the lives that were saved helps make this book more encouraging than depressing. If you are a WWII history buff, then you need to read this book. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.