The Holocaust: Country by Country

Gr 8 Up–This highly detailed and structural reference book is a solid starting place for students interested in learning basic facts and statistics of the Holocaust. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific country, and those chapters are in alphabetical order by the names the country was known by in 1939, the agreed-upon beginning of World War II (for instance, “Southern Rhodesia” is the name used for Zimbabwe). Most of the countries are often covered in WWII curriculum (­Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, etc.) and some have not been as well-researched regarding their involvement in the war (­Brazil, Australia, Egypt, Mexico, etc.). The chapter/countries all have the same chapter headings in the following order: basic information about the country in 1939, Jews in that country, Pre-War, Wartime, Aftermath, and Further Reading. The text, plain font, and straightforward language keep this firmly in the reference section, but the subject matter is clearly meant for older readers. The further reading section will be an especially great jumping-off point for students. The mention of how many citizens of each country have been honored by Yad Vashem, Israel’s ­Holocaust Memorial Authority, is an important touch.