There are some books that you read. And then there are books that happen to you. John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas definitely falls into the latter category.
It is flawed. It is manipulative. It is also one of the most effective empathy machines ever written. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The heart of the story is the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel, the boy on the other side of the fence. Their friendship is pure. They don't care about politics or religion; they care about chess and whether they miss their grandparents. There are some books that you read
Book Club & Deep Dives
If you are a student reading this for class: Please, for the love of Bruno, read the historical notes in the back of the book. Don't use this novel as your only source for your history paper. It is flawed
Boyne has said he wrote a fable, not a textbook. He is not trying to teach you the logistics of the Holocaust; he is trying to teach you the morality of it.
October 26, 2023