The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn

This historical fiction novel is based in the 1940s in the Theresienstadt ghetto which the Nazis established for propaganda purposes: to try to convince the world that Jews were living the absolute best lives while Germans were suffering and bearing the full force of the war. Reading about the atrocities of the Nazi regime will forever be so hard, but so necessary. What makes it even more difficult is seeing the same playbook in action today.

One of the things the main character, Hannah, struggles with is enjoying small bits of humanity (like a first kiss) while slowly withering away by means of disease, slave labor, and starvation. She also struggles with her Opa’s choice to see the glass half full when it is clearly bad. She avoids resisting until not resisting becomes unconscionable.

No doubt when you read this book, you will find similar actions being taken today by the current administration in U.S. government. Renaming facilities, departments, images of the WH occupant where it previously had no place, and so much more.

5/5 stars

Quotes from the book

“Hannah could not stop wondering if there was a particular moment when Germany descended into madness.”

“Soon, though, like smoke slipping through the crack of a window, Nazi ideology found its way into German schools.”

“It’s just… It’s so unimaginably evil. Not just Theresienstadt.” She inhaled deeply. Six million Jews and five million other people murdered because Hitler deemed them unworthy of life. She swallowed hard, unable to fathom what would drive people to do this to one another. “But it happened. And we must make sure it never happens again.”

Buy this book.