The Boy on the Wooden Box reviewed by Danya- Memoir

Genre: Memoir

The Boy on the Wooden Box

Leon Leyson

This read is by far one of the greatest gifts to society as a reminder of the horrific events that took place during the Holocaust and the strength and resiliency of the Jewish survivors. Leon Leyson writes a beautiful memoir about his experiences during WW2 and the spectrum of the treatment of Jews from before the Holocaust to post-Holocaust. Leon and his family live in Krakow, Poland. They go from a life of freedom to a life filled with constant fear and a day-to day goal of simply trying to survive until the next day, which was an unthinkable challenge. This memoir takes readers from the Jewish ghettos in Krakow, to a couple different concentration camps where Leon's family lived and worked during the Holocaust.

Though students are often taught about the Holocaust during history classes, I truly don’t think anyone will ever understand the atrocities Jewish people felt while under attack from the Nazi’s.  This story accurately and truthfully depicts the terror Jews dealt with while at concentration camps. Though it was definitely disturbing and difficult to read at times, it is necessary so people actually remember the truth about what happened during the Holocaust.

Thankfully, Leon and has family worked under Oskar Schindler-a Nazi factory owner, who worked miracles to save the lives of his workers. This book is an excellent memoir that can give students a better understanding of what it was like to live through the Holocaust. As a Jewish person having read numerous texts and memoirs that were Holocaust related, this is truly one of the best.