Weave Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Title of book: The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas Name of Author: John Boyne Published by: Black Swan; New Ed edition (1 Feb 2007) Number of pages: 214 Genre: Young Adult Subject: The Holocaust The Blurb: Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process. My review: 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' tells the story of nine year old Bruno, the story is narrated by Bruno, which shows in the style of writing, its Bruno's own perspective of the situation, he calls the Fuhrer, 'The Fury' and Auschwitz, 'Outwith'. I thought the way the book is written is very clever of the author because it is the story of children. The story begins with Bruno coming home to find Maria the maid packing his clothes and toys into large crates, Bruno is understandably indignant about this and wants to know why, so it becomes quite a shock for Bruno when he is told by his mother, that his father has been promoted to 'Kommandant' and she, his father and Bruno sister's Gretel, who Bruno calls 'The Hopeless Case' are leaving Berlin to move into a new home. So begins Bruno adventure as he calls it, the family move to the new house which Bruno finds boring as there is nothing to do and no other houses, then Bruno discovers there are houses outside his bedroom window behind the high fence, Bruno is delighted to find out that there are boys on the other side of the high fence, not just young boys but as Bruno says 'There were small boys and big boys, fathers and grandfathers, perhaps a few uncles too. And some of those people who live on their own on everybody's road but don't seem to have any relatives at all'. Bruno decides he wants to see who is behind the high fence, where he meets Shumel, who is also nine years old, they become friends. What did I think of the book?: I found 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas an amazing book, the fact it is written from Bruno's point of view makes the book at times, funny and shows the innocence of Bruno who I thought was a remarkably sensitive young boy but at the same time,a typical nine year old, everything in his world is simple, he just does not understand why the world around him is not so simple. Shumel and Bruno as characters make this book what it is, two children who become friends in the most tragic of circumstances, Schumel trapped in a concentration camp unable to escape and Bruno, trapped in a house he hates, which of course is different from a concentration camp but it is just as serious to Bruno. All in all 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' is a remarkable book and I recommend it to anyone. Rating: 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessponti Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Wow that's sounds like a wonderful book! Thanks Paula! When you spoke about it elsewhere I had no idea that the pyjamas were related to the concentration camps, it made me think of the aquafresh advert..that revelation sent a shiver down my spine! I've never been into history but recently encountering the personal histories (rather than the facts you learn at school) has really opened up my mind... and looking at the holocaust from a child's perspective sounds really interesting, I really want to read this one now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 4, 2007 Author Share Posted February 4, 2007 Wow that's sounds like a wonderful book! Thanks Paula! When you spoke about it elsewhere I had no idea that the pyjamas were related to the concentration camps, it made me think of the aquafresh advert..that revelation sent a shiver down my spine! I've never been into history but recently encountering the personal histories (rather than the facts you learn at school) has really opened up my mind... and looking at the holocaust from a child's perspective sounds really interesting, I really want to read this one now! I have found that myself with personal histories regarding the Holocaust especially after reading The Final Solution, which had personal accounts from survivors and german soldiers, which I found interesting to say the least, it gave me a lot to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessponti Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Have you ever seen Life is Beautiful, I love this movie, it takes a very personal account of life inside a concentration camp, so moving. The Final Solution sounds good too, particularly getting the perspective of the german soldiers, I imagine this is really interesting. Johnny and I went to visit Auschwitz last year and you just cannot get your head around the true enormity of horror of what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 4, 2007 Author Share Posted February 4, 2007 Have you ever seen Life is Beautiful, I love this movie, it takes a very personal account of life inside a concentration camp, so moving. The Final Solution sounds good too, particularly getting the perspective of the german soldiers, I imagine this is really interesting. Johnny and I went to visit Auschwitz last year and you just cannot get your head around the true enormity of horror of what happened. I have heard of Life is beautiful, but I have always wanted to see it. Its a pity I gave my copy of 'The Final Solution' to my friend and I would have gladly passed it on to you, it is a great read, very interesting.. You went to Auschwitz?, silly question I know, but how did you feel?, I am not asking in a morbid way, but my dad went to Auschwitz, he was living in Germany at the time, and he made the trip with some friends, I asked him and he said it was horrible, just horrible and he did not hear a bird sing, etc, he said it felt wrong the whole time he was there. Plus my grandpa was in Auschwitz briefly as a prisoner of war then he was moved on, but he did not forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessponti Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I can imagine your granddad wouldn't forget this experience it's a horrible place. Does he ever talk about it? (I imagine it must be painful x) It's odd, when we visited it was part of an organised tour, so there was a big group of people and lots of other big groups of people being rushed round to see everything. I think because the day was so busy and rushed, we didn't really get the opportunity to absorb what we were seeing. I would like to have taken more quiet time to reflect, we didn't get any, so I think my experience was very different from your Dad's, in that I felt quite separated from where we were in lots of ways. We visited two sites (I think there are only two?), the first were 'proper' buildings, I think made out of old army barracks which they have now turned into a museum. Some of the 'exhibitions' are truely horrifying, just items collected from the last few days of the war, it helped us to see the scale of what happened, and at the same time makes your blood run cold. Also, the carvings on the cell walls were very moving. The second site is the one that really made me feel ill at the thought that human beings could do this to each other. I think that everyone should visit (particularly politicians), so that this grim period in history never repeats itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I'll be lending Kat's copy of this when she has finished it. Sounds like a good read and I'm looking forward to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 I can imagine your granddad wouldn't forget this experience it's a horrible place. Does he ever talk about it? (I imagine it must be painful x) It's odd, when we visited it was part of an organised tour, so there was a big group of people and lots of other big groups of people being rushed round to see everything. I think because the day was so busy and rushed, we didn't really get the opportunity to absorb what we were seeing. I would like to have taken more quiet time to reflect, we didn't get any, so I think my experience was very different from your Dad's, in that I felt quite separated from where we were in lots of ways. We visited two sites (I think there are only two?), the first were 'proper' buildings, I think made out of old army barracks which they have now turned into a museum. Some of the 'exhibitions' are truely horrifying, just items collected from the last few days of the war, it helped us to see the scale of what happened, and at the same time makes your blood run cold. Also, the carvings on the cell walls were very moving. The second site is the one that really made me feel ill at the thought that human beings could do this to each other. I think that everyone should visit (particularly politicians), so that this grim period in history never repeats itself. That was very insight Princess, thanks for posting it. My grandpa did not speak about it unless he had a few, I know that he was tortured, which was awful. My dad went to Auschwitz in the mid 1960's, I don't know if that made much difference, maybe it was still very raw for people. I think that the powers than be could learn alot from Auschwitz and the other camps, what human nature can do if it chooses to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slywaka1 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I've seen this book advertised on the tube at most underground stations and this has just convinced me to buy it on my way home tonight. I've read a few books on this subject, but biographical ones, including Primo Levi's two and one by a Jewish doctor who was forced to carry out tests on twins, etc (I forget his name, I'll have a look when I get home if anyone's interested). (In 2001 I went to Auschwitz with a friend who had Jewish grandparents and it was truely a memorable and haunting experience.) None of the books I've read about concentration camps have been either fiction OR from the perspective of children, so I think it will make a very different and interesting read. Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 It is a really interesting perspective, its simple in its nature, Shmuel thinks he is there because he is not liked, which is true, but he does not understand the full scope of it all, he knows people go missing, but he thinks they are working elsewhere, he is a innocent as is Bruno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Sounds interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slywaka1 Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 I bought it last night and am really enjoying it so far. I love the author's style of writing. I will post when I've finished it! Anna bought it last night, and am on page 50 something, really enjoying it so far, I love the authors style of writing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 Glad to hear you are enjoying it x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas twice last year. First for interest, and secondly as preperation for a discussion day I was attending. We are now reading it for my book club, so I am going to revisit it again. While I loved it, I found Bruno's mishearings (clever as they were) very hard to take - my logic being that he would be thinking in GERMAN and thus not hear them as an English child would! It really annoyed me so far that it was spoiled a little. The thing that I did really enjoy though, was the naivety of Bruno and how well Boyne managed to convey that. At times, I wanted Bruno to wise up, but looking at him in contect of his time I'm sure he perfectly fit. Fascinating and powerful. Well recommended! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 Great point Sugar, I thought that too, that Bruno would hear everything in German but the reason for that, would be to make it easier for the reader, if that makes sense?. There were moments I wanted Bruno to wise up, but he really was in his own little bubble wasn't he? Glad you enjoyed it Sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slywaka1 Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I finished it last last and while I did enjoy the book I also picked up on the language difference that Sugar mentioned. That was the only thing that spoilt it a bit for me. The ending I really wasn't expecting until a few pages before the end, I won't spoil it if people haven't read it yet! Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Wow! I agree that the ended sort of charged at one like a bull at a gate, but it didn't make it any less shocking. I know it's only short and the print is reasonably large, but I've just read this in about two hours! Amazing. I wish my children were readers. Despite my encouragement, they both prefer non-fiction books (which is fine... it's just that I think my son should read this - he's 12). I agree with Sugar about the Out With and 'The Fury', but I just took it that children mishear things and tried not to worry that it wouldn't be the same in German! Fantastic to see this from a child's point of view! 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Wow! I wish my children were readers. Despite my encouragement, they both prefer non-fiction books (which is fine... it's just that I think my son should read this - he's 12). I have one daughter who loves reading as much as I do and my other won't read anything - from the very beginning I encouraged them both to read but my youngest (the non-reader) is a 'doer' and I think it's not in her personality to sit with a book when she could actually be physically part of things in the 'real world'. The only time she read was when she used to sleep in my bed when my husband was away - if I was reading she would too but that was the only time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 my youngest (the non-reader) is a 'doer' and I think it's not in her personality to sit with a book when she could actually be physically part of things in the 'real world'. Out of interest, how old is she? I read a really interesting column where a writer was saying that she had two daughters and the youngest one wasn't much of a reader. But when she was 16 (I think), she started reading a lot. And apparantly that's very typical. I was a voracious book reader until I was about 12/13, and then I came back to it when I was about 17 and have never stopped really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow_reader Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I have one daughter who loves reading as much as I do and my other won't read anything - from the very beginning I encouraged them both to read but my youngest (the non-reader) is a 'doer' and I think it's not in her personality to sit with a book when she could actually be physically part of things in the 'real world'. We are all voracious readers in my family. All that is except for my youngest who has only ever really properly read two things in his life The Phantom Tollbooth and The Highwayman poem. I too encouraged all three of my kids to read. The eldest two have never stopped but he never even began. I used to despair at his lack of interest but he too is a "doer" and cannot fathom why we all choose to sit lost in books when we could be out in the real world *doing* something. I guess to each his own. I know I can become quite disgruntled when reality does not allow me time and space to read just as doers can be when they feel caged in and not allowed to run free and "do". The readers in my family often feel we should go out and do more but can't as we're not that way inclined --though my kids make much more of an effort on this than I ever do!! Plus it makes me unhappy if I feel coerced into physical activities. We all have different needs and interests to nurture and imho I think that's what we should respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow_reader Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I have one daughter who loves reading as much as I do and my other won't read anything - from the very beginning I encouraged them both to read but my youngest (the non-reader) is a 'doer' and I think it's not in her personality to sit with a book when she could actually be physically part of things in the 'real world'. We are all voracious readers in my family. All that is except for my youngest who has only ever really properly read two things in his life The Phantom Tollbooth and The Highwayman poem. I too encouraged all three of my kids to read. The eldest two have never stopped but he never even began. I used to despair at his lack of interest but he too is a "doer" and cannot fathom why we all choose to sit lost in books when we could be out in the real world *doing* something. I guess to each his own. I know I can become quite disgruntled when reality does not allow me time and space to read just as doers can be when they feel caged in and not allowed to run free and "do". The readers in my family often feel we should go out and do more but can't as we're not that way inclined --though my kids make much more of an effort on this than I ever do!! Plus it makes me unhappy if I feel coerced into physical activities. We all have different needs and interests to nurture and imho I think that's what we should respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow_reader Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 ps: I loved The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laramie Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 We're going to read this in our school Book Club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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