Hay bastantes actividades familiares para disfrutar la época navideña en Nueva York…

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 24, 2017. Never Forget.

The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Jews were the primary victims—six million were murdered; Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), people with mental and physical disabilities, and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Millions more, including homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents, also suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi Germany.

Information from: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website: ushmm.org

The Islip Public Library has a large collection of materials about the Holocaust. To learn more, come in and check out a book or a dvd. Following are a few suggestions:

Black Earth : The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyer

The author contends that the Holocaust is unfortunately not an event locked away in history. Evidence suggests that the hatreds and sources of conflict at play during the Holocaust are close to the surface today.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

A classic graphic novel that tells the story of the Holocaust using depictions of cats and mice.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Anne Frank’s diary provides a first-hand account of her family’s experience of hiding in an attic in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Of the eight people Anne went into hiding with, only one, Anne’s father Otto, survived the concentration camps. He found her diary and had it published. Anne was 15 years old at the time of her death.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

The author was an Austrian psychiatrist and a Holocaust survivor who spent three years in the Nazi concentration camps. The premise of the book is that people cannot avoid suffering but they can create meaning out of it.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 87, was fifteen years old when he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister perished, his two older sisters survived. Elie and his father were later transported to Buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945. Night is the best known book of the trilogy he wrote about his experience. The other two parts of the trilogy are Dawn, and Day.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

During World War II, 8-year-old Bruno and his family leave Berlin to take up residence near the concentration camp where his father has just become commandant. Unhappy and lonely, he wanders out behind his house one day and finds Shmuel a Jewish boy of his age. Though the barbed-wire fence of the camp separates them, the boys begin a forbidden friendship, oblivious to the real nature of their surroundings.
Note: This book was made into a movie by the same title.

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

The Zookeeper's Wife is the true story of the extraordinary efforts of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, zookeepers in Poland in 1939. Horrified by Nazi racism, they capitalized on the Nazis' obsession with pureblood animals in order to save over 300 doomed people by hiding them in the bombed-out cages at the Warsaw Zoo.
Note: This book was made into a movie, now in theaters.

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally

You’ve probably seen the movie which was released in 1994, but have you read the book? This bestselling classic of Holocaust literature, winner of the Booker Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction, is based on the true story of German war profiteer and factory director Oskar Schindler who saved more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II.

Looking for a great book? Here’s a list of some of the best books read by the Library staff this year. Not all the books are brand new, but they were our favorites this year!

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook
By Leslie Conner

Jane Hoffman, Children’s Librarian, recommends this young teen book about an 11-year-old boy who has been living in a co-ed prison with his mom. He learns about the true meaning of home when he is sent to live in a foster home instead.​

The Beauty of Darkness
By Mary E. Pearson

Adriana LoDolce, Children’s Librarian, recommends this final installment of the action packed teen series, The Remnant Chronicles. It’s filled with all the right ingredients – an inspiring heroine, romance, and adventure!

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
By Daniel James Brown

Nancy Viggiano, Adult Reference Librarian, recommends this book because it gave her a great appreciation of man’s invincible determination to achieve in spite of difficult circumstances.

A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans
By W. Bruce Cameron

Mark Irish, Teen and Adult Reference Librarian (as well as a dog owner and lover) recommends this book because it’s a heartwarming story about a dog who is reincarnated four times and finds purpose in each life through the bond of unconditional love with his master. The book is told from the dog’s perspective as he shares his adventures and mishaps. You’ll love it even if you’re not a “dog person”!

By Permission of Heaven: The True Story of the Great Fire of London
By Adrian Tinniswood

Carol Curtis, Adult Reference Librarian, recommends this book because it’s the astonishing true story about the strength and beauty of people living in the 17^th century who persevered in the face of utter destruction, and went on to create modern London from its ashes.

Girl Unbroken: A Sister’s Harrowing Story of Survival from the Streets of Long Island to the Farms of Idaho
By Regina Calcaterra and Rosie Maloney

Laurie Aitken, Adult Reference and Programming Librarian, recommends this book because it left her amazed that despite enduring unthinkable circumstances, the author and her sister survived unbroken. This is the sequel to Regina Calcaterra’s first book, Etched in Sand. Mrs. Aitken had the pleasure of hearing the author’s inspirational talk at a recent book signing.

Killfile
By Christopher Farnsworth

Gregory Klein, Adult Reference Librarian, recommends this book which blends a variety of genre elements into an action-packed thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
By Nathaniel Philbrick

Mary Schubart, Library Director, recommends this gripping true account of the Pilgrims. It’s not one you’ve ever heard before. The author recounts the story of the Mayflower voyage, the Pilgrims’ disastrous first year and their fragile relationship with the Indians, as well what happened during King Philip’s War in 1675-6. Philbrick makes the people come to life and portrays the challenges of two clashing cultures in a way that seems eerily relevant today. Mrs. Schubart loved the book so much she purchased her own autographed copy.

My Name is Lucy Barton
By Elizabeth Strout

Lauraine Farr, Assistant Library Director…I recommend this book written by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Elizabeth Strout. This quietly powerful novel just took my breath away. Strout writes in poetic prose with deep insight into the human condition. If you like novels with excellent character development and you’re not attached to a lot of plot, I’d suggest you pick this one up. My Name is Lucy Barton explores the complicated and loving relationship between a woman and her mother.

PAX
By Sara Pennypacker

Michele Ferrari, Children’s Librarian, recommends this book about a boy and his fox, separated by war, and the journey they both undertake to find each other and themselves. It’s somewhat “dark” for a children’s book, but in a straightforward way, it tackles difficult issues and raises questions about family, personal identity, and the power of love. Ms. Ferrari wonders if it might be a contender for the Newbery Medal.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
By Katarina Bivald

Terry Madonia, Adult Services Clerk, recommends this book about two pen pals who were finally set to meet, yet didn’t. Even with a tragedy central to the storyline, it is a sweet and quirky novel. Mrs. Madonia loved it so much she bought her own copy.

The Swamp Fox
By John Oller

Matt Wuthenow, Adult Reference Librarian and Head of Technical Services, recommends this riveting biography of Francis Marion, who was an officer in the Revolutionary War.

Looking for more great titles?