Gripping Story

Another book about the Holocaust? Yes, and a great one it is. Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer is the story of three rather ordinary girls in a modest Kansas high school, who, under the guidance of their gifted history teacher, discover an unsung heroine of the Warsaw Ghetto and write a play about her saving over 2,500 Jewish children whose parents perished. The girls’ participation in History Day changes their lives and takes them to Poland, where they meet the 90-year old Irena Sendler and awaken that country to recognize what she did. I had read about and deplored the Warsaw Ghetto before, but this time I learned more about how such hatred developed and how a network of caring people managed to overcome fear with great courage. This book offers important insights for high school students, parents, teachers, education and foreign policy-makers, and all humans on this earth. It will grip your heart and make you cry.