Mara's+Stories

1. From whose perspective is the story told? (A Jew? A Nazi? A survivor? A Righteous Gentile? A Descendant of a survivor?) What are the benefits of getting the story from this perspective? This story is told from the perspective of a Jewish prisoner named Mara staying in one of the concentration camps. The benefits of getting the story from her perspective is that it gives the reader an eye into the feelings of the prisoners, even though this novel is a work of fiction. 2. What life lesson did you learn from the plot of this story? I learned to be always optimistic; sometimes stories of warmth and hope may help people live through tough times or cope with tough times.

3. What did you like most about this book? I liked the stories that Mara told in the book. I think they were unique. I enjoyed how the author explained where she got/adapted the stories from at the end of the book.

4. How does this text relate, if at all, to // Parallel Journeys //? //Mara’s Stories// is about the Holocaust just as //Parallel Journeys// is. They are two totally different books, however. //Mara’s Stories// is fiction and has more to do with the idea of keeping hope and faith alive; whereas //Parallel Journeys// is nonfiction and more historical and factual. I found both books to be very interesting despite the differences in style and type.

5. How could you use this book to teach the Holocaust? I could use this book to teach about hope and the importance of perseverance.

6. Would you recommend this book to a friend? I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because I enjoyed reading it; I think that anyone could like this book.

Kelsi Schreiber