LINES MAY DIVIDE US BUT HOPE WILL UNITE US

I don't often recommend books or movies...only when I see or read something exceptional. Last night we watched a movie called...THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. It is a gripping story about a little boy and his friend during the Holocaust.I don't think we can ever have too much information on the Holocaust. It is a period of time that we should never forget. Hopefully generations to come will be reminded of this part of history.This book is about a boy of eight named Bruno who liked nothing more than going to school or playing around with his friends. But because of his father's job, he is forced to move from his home in Berlin to Poland. From his bedroom window, Bruno spots a fence behind which he sees people in striped clothing. These are Jews and they are in a Nazi concentration camp(as it turns out it is Auschwitz) ...the boy thinks it is a farm. One day his parents come to an agreement that both Bruno and Gretel, his sister, need a tutor for their education, so they hire Herr Liszt. To Bruno, Herr Liszt is the most boring teacher anyone could ever have; he teaches social studies instead of reading and arts, which Bruno prefers. So, in boredom and confusion, Bruno wonders what is going on at (Auschwitz) and why people are always dressed in striped pajamas there. One afternoon, he goes exploring, and meets a Jewish boy called Shmuel, a name Bruno has never heard. Shmuel soon becomes Bruno's friend and Bruno visits every afternoon to talk. Bruno takes him food, because his little friend is hungry. Bruno is told by Gretel that the people in the striped pajamas on the other side of the fence are Jews and that he and his family are "the opposite".
The story ends with Bruno about to go back to Berlin with his mother and sister on the orders of his father. As a final adventure, he agrees to dress in a set of striped pyjamas and digs under the fence to help Shmuel find his father, who went missing in the camp. The remainder of the story has such a gripping ending. I wouldn't want to spoil it for those of you who might want to rent this film. We just sat there mesmerized...me teary eyed, not saying much, during the whole movie. The children who play Bruno and Shmuel are perfectly cast. Bruno has the brightest inquisitive eyes, while Shmuel's are sad and haunting. Bruno is in almost every scene of this film...a big job for one so young. You really get into this film and feel the pain and anxious moments. I am going to read the book now written by Irish novelist John Boyne. Unlike the months of planning Boyne devoted to his other books, he said that he wrote the entire first draft of The Boy in Striped Pajamas in two and a half days, barely sleeping until he got to the end. To date, the novel has sold more than 5 million copies around the world, and was published as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in the USA In both 2007 and 2008 it was the best selling book of the year in Spain. It has also reached no.1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and been no.1 in the UK, Ireland, Australia and many other countries.

Balisha