A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus
Published by Feiwel & Friends ISBN: 9781250760895
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

This memoir of Dita Kraus is about her life in Prague before WWII, her survival of the Terezin ghetto and Auschwitz, forced labor in Germany, and her survival and liberation from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. It follows her life after the war up to the end of this memoir at age 89. The title refers to the time she was in the Kinderblock at Auschwitz. At the age of fourteen and a half she was appointed by a fellow prisoner to watch over the dozen or so books that had been taken from the luggage of other prisoners. The Nazis were not aware of this small collection of books. This is explained in a couple of paragraphs in one of the chapters about Auschwitz. Dita Kraus was the subject of the historical fiction novel, the Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe that was published in 2017. This book refers to that title, though has very little about that experience as a “ librarian,” yet this memoir covers a wide range of places and people. Dita Kraus has an incredible memory for details. Her descriptions are vivid and truthful. It is an inspiring and powerful book. I recommend it to high school students and adults who are interested in a complete story of someone who has experienced the horrors of the Holocaust first hand and lived a full life following her liberation.

Reviewed by Kris Zuidema, retired school librarian, Standish