Those who know me well, realise that I am not exactly a film afficianado and as such prefer to read rather than watch film adaptations of books. Unfortunately, when a novel hits the silver screen before you have even had a chance to read the story there is often the problem of finding out what happens due to publicity and general discussion by movie goers. This was certainly the case for me recently with the book/film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" by John Boyne. A large majority of my students saw the film when it came out, and, for many of them, it prompted a desire to read the book. For me, that meant that suddenly I became acutely aware of what actually happened in the film/novel before having had the opportunity to read it myself.
However, at the beginning of these summer holidays, I made myself sit down and read the story and was pleasantly surprised that, while I knew full well what would happen at the end, the book still held my attention. Most of note, was the poignant way in which Boyne captured the sense of innocence in his central male character. His innocence, and in many cases ignorance spawned from a lack of explanation by his elders, tugged at my heart as it demonstrated such a stark contrast with the world being explored.
I have read a variety of books over the years dealing with the perspective of Jewish adults and children who experienced the Holocaust; however, this was the first time I saw the situation through the eyes of someone deemed to be on the 'other' side. Albeit, in this case, the 'other' had absolutely no understanding of what was actually going on around him.
While I realise that Boyne's intention in the novel was no doubt to instill in younger readers an awareness of how society and humankind can be so cruel and violent, I felt in many instances that the story became somewhat preachy and focussed too heavily on pushing the moral element of the book. However, this may simply be due to the fact that when it comes to a literary insight into WWII, I prefer to read works that are non-fiction rather than somebody's fictional interpretation of events.
Still, I think that as a children's book this one is simple to read, although the issues can interest anyone in any age bracket, and may prompt readers to then search for something more substantial and historically accurate.
However, at the beginning of these summer holidays, I made myself sit down and read the story and was pleasantly surprised that, while I knew full well what would happen at the end, the book still held my attention. Most of note, was the poignant way in which Boyne captured the sense of innocence in his central male character. His innocence, and in many cases ignorance spawned from a lack of explanation by his elders, tugged at my heart as it demonstrated such a stark contrast with the world being explored.
I have read a variety of books over the years dealing with the perspective of Jewish adults and children who experienced the Holocaust; however, this was the first time I saw the situation through the eyes of someone deemed to be on the 'other' side. Albeit, in this case, the 'other' had absolutely no understanding of what was actually going on around him.
While I realise that Boyne's intention in the novel was no doubt to instill in younger readers an awareness of how society and humankind can be so cruel and violent, I felt in many instances that the story became somewhat preachy and focussed too heavily on pushing the moral element of the book. However, this may simply be due to the fact that when it comes to a literary insight into WWII, I prefer to read works that are non-fiction rather than somebody's fictional interpretation of events.
Still, I think that as a children's book this one is simple to read, although the issues can interest anyone in any age bracket, and may prompt readers to then search for something more substantial and historically accurate.
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