The Boy on the Wooden Box

The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible...On Schindler's List by Leon Leyson

Summary: This is a memoir of a boy who was saved from the Holocaust by being placed on Schindler's List.  For those who have read Schindler's List or seen the movie, people mentioned in the book will be familiar. For those who are not familiar with the story of Schindler's List, this book should spark interest in the story.

My Thoughts: A good memoir and biography of a Holocaust survivor who was a child at the time. The book starts with Leon's sheltered childhood in a small village in eastern Poland before the war begins, surrounded by generations of extended family.  The story goes through his pre-war childhood, the family's move to Krakow, and then the events of World War II and the Holocaust unfold and the reader is introduced to Oscar Schindler and Amon Goeth.  The book ends with the eulogies given at Leon's funeral in early 2013 by his two children.  A worthwhile read!

Breaker Boys

Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor by Michael Burgan

Summary: Lewis Hine was a photographer took pictures of child laborers accross the United States.  Some of his most famous pictures were taken of child workers in the coal mines of Pennsylvania.  They were used by the Progressive movement to help end child labor in the United States.

My Thoughts: The photos of these child laborers are powerful even today.  Both the history of the fight against child labor in the United States and the work of Lewis Hine is woven together in an easy to follow narrative.