The War within These Walls

Powerful language combined with stark yet beautiful drawings make this short novel arresting. Although marketed as a young adult novel in the US, I found nothing juvenile about the treatment or the language.

Misha and his family are Polish Jews imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto by the Germans during the Holocaust. As more and more people are forced into the ghetto, the threat of starvation rises. Misha begins crossing to the Aryan side of the wall via the sewers to find food for his family. The knowledge of the underground passages serves him well when he joins a group of Jewish fighters determined to make the Germans pay when they come to liquidate the ghetto.

Similar to a graphic novel, the drawings are integral to the storytelling. show more Particularly moving was the juxtaposition of black text on white pages with the occasional black page with white text. Although the story of the Warsaw Uprising is well-known, this telling is worth reading for its visual and emotional impact. show less

Wow. What a powerful little book. I've read several things on the Warsaw Uprisings, both fiction and non-fiction and this ranks right up there with the best. I love the way the words and pictures combine to create such pain and suffering and sadly, truth. The perfect blend of black and white and gray. The pages having only a few words conveyed so much. I commend these artists, to tell this important story with so few words, pictures and feelings is incredible. This book belongs in all our school libraries.

The gripping prose and the stark illustrations depicting the lives of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II are horrifying in its simplicity. As a young teen trapped in the ghetto, Misha struggles to survive. His fury against the evil of the Nazis leads him to the Jewish underground and to his courageous participation in the valiant uprising against their oppressors. Though this book is marketed for the young adult, it is compelling reading for all. The images invoked will forever stay with the reader.

The narrator of this story, the War Within These Walls is a young man who is caught up in the horrors created by Hitler as he attempts to annihilate the Jews. Often told in a matter of fact, emotionless way, it is the story of a young man trying to make sense of a world turned upside down as the Jews are forced into the Warsaw Ghetto. You can feel the emotional numbness as he witnesses horrific cruelty, suffers great deprivations, and loses hope. Seeing a colorful parakeet flying into the bleak ghetto makes him think of the outside world, where some people are going about their normal lives, while he and his family are suffering so much deprivation, and is bewildered how this can possibly be happening. He alternates between hopelessness show more and finding the courage to fight....and ultimately , like the parakeet 'flies out of the ghetto.' I really wasn't quite certain if the young man actually was able to escape, or if he was shot down, and thus 'fled' the ghetto...... I hope he was able to escape and bear witness to the atrocities suffered by the Jews.
This book was a really quick read...the story being told with no waste of words...straight to the point...without embellishment...it wallops you with the facts of everyday life in the ghetto. The pages with only a phrase, or a sentence or two....the black pages.....the sketches that add so much to the story.... all give you a feeling of the numb horror felt by the young man.
I have read a number of books set in this time period, and I cannot imagine being caught up in such horrific events. But I am wondering what age this book is aimed at, as it says it is for 'young readers.' While I think students should be told the truth about what happened in that time period, I think it could be overwhelming and frightening for 'young' readers. I would hope it would not be aimed at kids below the Jr Hi level. All in all, a somber read, but as the saying goes, if we don't learn from history, we are destined to repeat it. Sadly, there are parts of the world where such attempts at genocide are still going on. show less

The War Within These Walls was a compelling read about the Holocaust of World War II. The narrator is a young (teenage) Jew living in Warsaw, Poland. The story starts when the first relocation of Jews in Poland began after the German occupation, and ends in the rebellion of Jews still remaining in the walled ghetto of Warsaw.
This book was very true to the nature of the cruelties that children lived through during this time.
For classroom use, however, this book will be on my personal bookshelf. It will only be shared with students who are ready (and whose parents agree are ready) to read the book with an understanding of the dark, stark factual representation of death that occurred. While the reading level is fairly simple, most of my show more students are not emotionally ready for the portrayal of death in this story.
A wonderful read for mature students and adults, however, this book is a reminder of the horrors of history that are often glazed over in history class. show less

Sparing words and sharp contrasts bring a new voice to this tragedy. And while I felt heartsick and emotionally wrung out by this book, it is a story that needs to be told over and over again, ringing in every ear until the very thought of vile acts and tragic experiences brings us collectively to a place where such things cannot happen again. The angular illustrations added an interesting dimension to this book, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to read and review this text.

The War Within These Walls is the the poetic first-person account of a Jewish boy imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII.
The words are few, but those words are powerful. The illustrations are emotive; I could feel their sorrow and suffering. The overall effect is startling.
I've read many books about the Holocaust. This book has had the most profound effect.
I consider this a must-read for my son. I believe this is both a must-read for adults and young people. History will teach us nothing if we fail to pay attention.