Waiting on Wednesday (93)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming/recent releases that we seriously can’t wait to read

Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait to read:

Girl in the Blue Coat

by Monica Hesse

Publication Date: April 5, 2016

The missing girl is Jewish. I need you to find her before the Nazis do. 

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person--a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.

Meticulously researched, intricately plotted, and beautifully written, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice in historical fiction.

(Summary from Goodreads)

One of the most interesting parts of history to me is WWII and the Holocaust.  There are a lot of different aspects of humanity, both good and evil, that come out while studying this time period.  And books focusing on the horrible atrocities that were done to the Jewish people, and also the moments of incandescent kindness, bravery, and selflessness that were accomplished in the face of these atrocities are the books I like to read.  Often a heart-wrenching reminder of what humans can do to other humans and also as a platform for all the voices that were lost, books like Girl in the Blue Coat are necessary.

The Jewish Book Council is full of great resources to learn and teach about this period, including a Young Adult book list, where you can find other texts set during the Holocaust.

What book are you waiting for?

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