In the excerpt from The Boy on the Wooden Box, Leon Leyson tells his story of survival during the Holocaust. He explains how he and other Jewish people maintained their poise, hope, and sense of self despite the terrible conditions of life in a ghetto. Leyson describes the crowded, unsanitary, and devastating conditions in the ghetto. Because of these conditions, people would get sick and they will die. He also writes that some people were forced to take trains to new ghettos in the countryside. If Jewish people escaped these new ghettos, they returned to the city with awful stories. This made people afraid to get on these trains. Unfortunately, Leyson’s brother was forced onto a train. Leyson also describes how his neighbors, and others in the ghetto, worked hard to maintain normalcy. It was essential that they be active to maintain a sense of self-worth and dignity. They cooked together, cared for each other, and fell in love. Leyson says, “Despite everything against us, we remained determined to show respect and decency toward one another.” Subtle forms of resistance were used by these victims to fight the devastating treatment they experienced. “Retaining our humanity, cherishing our heritage, we fought the depravity of the Nazis with subtle forms of resistance.” This develops the theme that humans are resilient and able to find many ways to challenge oppression.
Leyson, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible on Schindler’s List. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015.
