“It’s much easier to be brave if you don’t know everything.” Number the Stars by Lois Lowry talks about the struggle during the time when Nazis were occupying Denmark. This is a historical fiction work, and it could help us readers understand more of what the survivors went through and how they made it.
In Copenhagen, Annemarie and her family were just living in oppression, just like everyone else. When the Jews were hunted down, they had to act fast to save their friends, while surviving themselves. They became a part of the rescue of Danish Jews, and Annemarie had to go through a transformation into adulthood in order to protect herself and those she loved.
She had to let go of her best friend, a Jewish girl named Ellen, to save her life. And until Ellen could come back to her, Annemarie would wear the Star of David to remember her by.
Lois Lowry certainly had a way of wording this historical fiction in a way that we were all invested in the plot line and character development.
There was a great journey of character development and growth in this story, and it was such a wonderful experience learning more and analyzing this work.
I personally got deeply invested. I was scared for the characters. There were times I caught myself going, “No, no, no, no… don’t do it,” while flipping through the pages. I knew it wasn’t real, but the danger felt strangely tangible to me. When I asked my friends in the book club if they felt that way, their answers confirmed the brilliance of the writing in this book. Everyone in the club felt the tension, the fear, and the severity of how badly things could go if things went awfully wrong.
This is a book to read. And recommended to those who got little time and need to earn some empathy points.
My friends and I have been trying to stack up on some empathy points, and it’s safe to say that this book truly helped our case.
Number the Stars is an 8/10. It’s an easy read, a real page turner, and it’s got lessons that we all could use in our lives.
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