Yolen, J. (1988). The Devil's Arithmetic. New York: Viking.Summary
Hannah, cynical about the tales of the Holocaust that survivors in her family tell, is magically transported back in time during a Passover celebration in 1988. She somehow ends up in 1942 Poland to find herself transformed into Chaya. As Hannah/Chaya she experiences life in Poland where she is captured by Nazis and lives in a concentration camp. She begins to lose her memories of Hannah's life and feels more and more like Chaya. She learns how to survive in the concentration camp but makes a decision at the end to spare her friends life by stepping forward into the gas chamber in her friend's stead. As she opens the door to her doom, she travels back to her humdrum Passover celebration that she now sees with new eyes of appreciation. Hannah now has a new understanding of the suffering of Holocaust victims and how lucky she is to have survivors in her family.
My Impressions
This was an amazing book. You really felt like you were living in Poland and experiencing what Hannah/Chaya did during her travels to the concentration camp and her brief time there. I found it a bit unsettling to never understand how the whole time travel/dream montage happened. But despite this unanswered question, Hannah's perspective on the Holocaust-- which initially consisted of a modern girl's cynical apathy and then changed to a real respect for the experience-- brings the history of the Holocaust to life.
Professional Reviews
Gr 4-8 In this novel, Yolen attempts to answer those who question why the Holocaust should be remembered. Hannah, 12, is tired of remembering, and is embarrassed by her grandfather, who rants and raves at the mention of the Nazis. Her mother's explanations of how her grandparents and great-aunt lost all family and friends during that time have little effect. Then, during a Passover Seder, Hannah is chosen to open the door to welcome the prophet Elijah. As she does so, she is transported to a village in Poland in the 1940s, where everyone thinks that she is Chaya, who has just recovered from a serious illness. She is captured by the Nazis and taken to a death camp, where she is befriended by a young girl named Rivka, who teaches her how to fight the dehumanizing processes of the camp and hold onto her identity. When at last their luck runs out and Rivka is chosen, Hannah/Chaya, in an almost impulsive act of self-sacrifice, goes in her stead. As the door to the gas chamber closes behind her, she is returned to the door of her grandparents' apartment, waiting for Elijah. Through Hannah, with her memories of the present and the past, Yolen does a fine job of illustrating the importance of remembering. She adds much to children's understanding of the effects of the Holocaust, which will reverberate throughout history, today and tomorrow. --School Library Journal; Susan M. Harding, Mesquite Public Library, Texas; Library Journals LLC, 2010. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)
The Holocaust was so monstrous a crime that the mind resists belief and the story must be made new for each individual. Yolen's book is about remembering. During a Passover Seder, 12-year-old Hannah finds herself transported from America in 1988 to Poland in 1942, where she assumes the life of young Chaya. Within days the Nazis take Chaya and her neighbors off to a concentration camp, mere components in the death factory. As days pass, Hannah's own memory of her past, and the prisoners' future, fades until she is Chaya completely. Chaya/Hannah's final sacrifice, and the return of memory, is her victory over the horror. The book's simplicity is its strength; no comment is needed because the facts speak for themselves. This brave and powerful book has much it can teach a young audience. Ages 10-14. --Publishers Weekly, October 1989. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)
Suggested Use in Library
I think this would be a great book to use for a childrens book club. It is mature subject matter but handled in a way that lends itself well to discussion. I think with an adult's feedback and explanation this would be a great book to talk about in the context of the Holocaust to make the material come alive for children that may not be interested in reading historical non-fiction books about the subject matter. I would also recommend this book to a child who was looking to learn more about that time period in history. This book would do well when used in conjunction with some other powerful fictional holocaust tales like Lowry's Number the Stars and Zusak's The Book Thief.
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SLIS 5420/Module 10
Historical Fiction
October 25-31, 2010
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