Symbols Of Resistance

The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood is a powerful historical novel. It is a tale of courage, resistance and hope. Even in the darkest pit it is possible for light to shine.

The reader witnesses the bravery in a time of complete and utter horror. Ellie Midwood focuses in on two characters who do what they can in order to tell the world their stories. “You … will need to survive to avenge those people who perished.” Many went straight to their deaths, those who didn’t must tell the world of the evil.

Hope kept people going. Without hope the people perish. “He was the only person who gave her hope in this hell. Without him life lost all meaning.” In the depths of hell, people needed hope to believe that there were better times ahead.

There were many ways to resist. “Survival was the biggest form of resistance.” To keep going and to hold heads high when the Nazis wanted to brow beat everyone, offered hope to all who witnessed.

Auschwitz had guard towers. “Guard towers … to ensure that we won’t escape to tell our stories.” 

As the war drew to a close, the Nazis tried to destroy all the evidence in the camps. “They’ll slaughter us all … No one wants us to walk out of here and start telling our stories.” – But people did survive and told the stories of those who perished.

We witness two souls who fell in love. Just for a few hours, their minds were free. We witness their bravery as they performed the ultimate act of resistance – and gave everyone hope. Their stories remained long after their bodies were gone.

Their motive for fighting was “We fight to do what we want. So that we destroy all the hatred and replace it with love.” Sometimes the battle raged in minds that refused to be held captive.

Not all Germans were Nazis. “A man who did the right thing even though he risked his own life… Money could buy a lot of things but not human decency.” There were pockets of humanity amongst all the depravity.

All the characters were well drawn. The leading two were admirable with their hope, their bravery and their kindness that they spread wherever they went.

The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz was a powerful, inspiring read of a story that must be told in memory of the six million innocents who perished.

JULIA WILSON