Surviving Hitler
A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps
I hesitated before committing to writing about the Holocaust. I knew how dark and violent that history was, yet I also understood that there were too few true stories about young people who endured the concentration camps. I wanted to explore what it took to be one of the survivors and to do it in a way that was appropriate for young readers and would make them want to know more about what happened and why.
Jack Mandelbaum
Jack Mandelbaum was a Polish Jew. Between the ages of twelve and fifteen, he helped support his family by substituting for men forced into Nazi labor. Then one terrible day he was deported to the camps, where he remained until his liberation at age eighteen. His goal had been to both survive and to reunite with his family—but he lost them all.
Knowing that several hundred camp survivors had settled in Kansas City after the war, I began my search for the right story to tell. Once I met Jack, I was on my way.
Jack created a new life in the United States, raising a family and running a successful business. He was determined that the world would know what had happened, and why, and how it must never happen again, and he became a tireless advocate for Holocaust education, founding an organization to help teachers do this important work.
Jack lived to be ninety-five, a powerful voice to the end. Through our work together, he became my dear friend—and my life is far richer for having known him.
Midwest Center for Holocaust Education
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Jack co-founded the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education which teaches the history of the Holocaust, applying its lessons to counter indifference, intolerance, and genocide.
Reviews
Through the words and memories of Jack Mandelbaum, Warren presents a harrowing account of a Jewish boy’s experience in Nazi prison camps. By describing events through the boy’s voice, the author does an excellent job of letting his words carry the power of the story. She avoids historical analysis, sticking to Mandelbaum’s experiences, and brings readers into the nightmarish world of the concentration camp with a strong feeling of immediacy. This story works as an introduction to the Holocaust.”
-- School Library Journal
“Simply told, Warren’s powerful story blends the personal testimony of Holocaust survivor Jack Mandelbaum with the history of his time, documented by stirring photos from the archives of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.”
-- Booklist
“This book is not only a compelling testimony to the Holocaust but an involving survival story as well. The combination of Mandelbaum’s experience and Warren’s reporting of the whole picture makes this an excellent introduction for readers who don’t know much about history.”
-- The Horn Book
“Warren’s book would be a perfect nonfiction title for fifth through seventh grade. The author gets the tone just right for the age level. She does not skirt the horrors, but because Jack maintains a positive attitude, this book is not a devastating read. This book is a valuable addition to Holocaust literature for children and teens and should be in every middle school collection. Every YA was dying to read it yesterday.”
Awards & Honors
American Library Association Robert F. Sibert Honor Book for Most Distinguished Informational Book for Children
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William Allen White Winner
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Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
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American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
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Featured speaker, Holocaust Education Institute, Columbia, MO
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Guest speaker, Educators Institute for Human Rights, Kigali, Rwanda
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Gold Medal for Children’s Nonfiction, National Association of Parenting
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Kansas City Star “100 Notable Books”
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Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Children’s Book of Jewish Content
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Featured at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.
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Featured at Harry Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO
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Children’s Literature Choice Award
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Scholastic Book Club and Scholastic Book Fair Selections
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Outstanding Children’s Book, American Society of Journalists & Authors
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Society of Midland Authors Children’s Nonfiction Book Award
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Brandeis University Learned Research Journal Award
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VOYA Nonfiction Honor Book
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Sydney Taylor Book Award, Association of Jewish Libraries
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American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
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South Carolina Children’s Book Award Finalist
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Featured in Scholastic Scope Magazine
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Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award Master List
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Kansas Reading Circle
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Published in England by Hodder Children’s Books and in Japan by Asunaro Shobo
Surviving Hitler: The Play
Based on the book, Surviving Hitler
I never imagined turning one of my books into a play until the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City asked me to adapt Surviving Hitler for the stage. If the script worked, they would produce it. I understood what a rare opportunity this was for a writer, and I accepted.
A play is very different from a book and I had much to learn. It helped that I loved theatre and saw plays all the time, but I still had to learn how to express each character’s inner life through dialogue and movement.
I worked hard and eventually had a 90-minute script. It was a memorable moment when I first heard actors speak the lines I’d written. Then came rehearsals, set design, costumes, and music. Production dates were selected and programs printed.
I shared everything that was happening with Jack. Sadly, his health was declining and he could not attend any of the productions. But I let him know how well everything went and how we had sold-out houses and standing ovations for every performance. He loved hearing these details.
Jack died soon afterwards. He was a great man. He witnessed the worst of humanity but never lost his determination to warn us about fascism and to try to make the world safer and better for us all.
For more information about this dramatic production, or to acquire rights to produce it for student or adult audiences, please contact Andrea Warren.
Andrea with Surviving Hitler Director Tim Bair on Opening Night