Monica West reviews books for InDepthNH.org. Monica is known for her love of history and her lifelong love for reading and libraries. She has a bachelor’s degree in History, with a minor in English.

The Diary of Peter Ginz, By Petr Ginz, Edited by Chava Pressburger

By MONICA WEST, InDepthNH.org

The Diary of Petr Ginz – 1941-1942 is a book for the young.  This book is also a warning to all adults.

The intro states that this diary was written by a young prodigy. This diary was kept by a 14, 15, and 16-year-old young man caught up in the horrors of the Holocaust.

Petr’s diary needs to be read and witnessed by every generation whether you are a Boomer or an X or any other generation.

Petr was born and raised in a Prague, Czechoslovakia household by a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother.  They had two children. Peter was taken to a concentration camp at age 14.

As a young girl, I read the Anne Frank diary.  You might ask what I remember about that book and I can tell you everything.  I remember that Anne and I bonded for life and I have thought about her often as I transitioned through my days.

Homeschool families and public and private schools need to introduce both of these books to their children. 

I will never forget either of these two young people and how they were so like each other and me.

It is an eye-opening view of ethnicity, voice, thoughts and feelings for everyone to read, feel and pass on their anger, angst, hope, hopelessness and fear.

It is not a happy story.  It is a life story of a very talented young man whose life was cut short when he was killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz at the age of 16 in 1944.

The times for Petr were short but the impact of his brief life will live on forever. His diary was published in English in 2007.

 You can find this book in the stacks of your local library at 921 Ginz.