Author: Nechama Tec
Pages: 296
Rating: 7-10
Defiance is an amazing book about a group of four brothers trying to survive the Holocaust. The brothers are Jewish farmers that live in the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The country is currently called Belarus and borders Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Early in the book the parents of the boys are killed by the SS death squads during the early days of the invasion of the Soviet Union and the brothers decide to hide in the woods with the other survivors. The oldest brother Tuvia Bielski becomes the leader of the small group and his younger brothers, Zus, Asael, and Aron, and they build a small camp in a forest in Western Belarus. Their survival is difficult and they survive by hunting and stealing from those who cooperated with the Nazi invaders. Eventually they meet a group of Russian Partisans and agree to help them fight the Germans. The newly formed Bielski Otriad and the Russian Partisans do not always agree and there is a lot if internal disputes but Tuvia's leadership brings the groups together. The reason that I chose this book was because I have been to the country of Belarus and I love to learn about the history and culture of the country. I cant believe that I may have been in the same place that these incredibly important historical events happened. I don't even know how to describe how much more important and realistic these events feel to me after understanding the culture of this country, and meeting possible family members of the Bielski group. By the end of the war Tuvia and his Bielski Otriad had saved hundreds of Jews and their descendants now number in the thousands. His story is not well known but if you are interested in learning about the Second World War or the Holocaust then I would highly recommend this book. It is a different story than many other Holocaust books because the Jews in this book not only survive but they fight back.
Trevor,
ReplyDeleteI first heard of this story last year, when Will True told me about a true story that would be of interest to me. He brought me the film, and I was amazed. The fact that you've actually BEEN in Belarus must make this story that much more meaningful and profound for you. Is that where you heard of this resistence movement? Did they have a museum, monuments, etc.? I imagine it must be of tremendous pride there. Thank you for sharing this, as I believe everyone in class would have an interest after reading Elie Wiesel's Night last year.
I had heard of the Partisans before I went to Belarus but I did not know a lot about them. There were a lot of museums but they were not about the Partisans. The Partisans were not liked by many people because of their stealing and are not usually mentioned in museums. The Soviet Soldiers of the Red Army are usually the main focus of most monuments and museums.
ReplyDeleteit's so amazing how interesting the history of these countries are, It sounds like a great book. nice job writing this blog too.
ReplyDeleteI also like to read books that i can learn from. It is very interesting that the Jew's fought back and i would love to read this book to learn more about it. I like reading books about the Holocaust, but this book seems like new reaction to it and I'm glad you are sharing about it. Great post Trevor!
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