White bird, p.19
White Bird,
p.19
BBC News. “Tel Aviv unveils first memorial to gay Holocaust victims.” January 10, 2014. bbc.com/news/world-europe-25687190
Encyclopædia Britannica
britannica.com/event/Holocaust
Holocaust Encyclopedia
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-camps
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/introduction-to-the-holocaust
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/glossary
Montreal Holocaust Museum
museeholocauste.ca/en/history-holocaust
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
ushmm.org
JEWS IN POLAND AND PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY
Ancestry.com
JewishGen Inc. (affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City)
jewishgen.org
Virtual Shtetl (POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews)
sztetl.org.pl/en
THE FRENCH RESISTANCE, THE MAQUIS, AND THE BATTLE OF MONT MOUCHET
Evans, Martin. “A History of the French Resistance: From de Gaulle’s Call to Arms Against Vichy France to Liberation Four Years Later.” History Today 68, no. 8 (August 2018). historytoday.com/reviews/history-french-resistance
Gildea, Robert. Fighters in the Shadows: A New History of the French Resistance. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2015.
Gueslin, André, ed. De Vichy au Mont-Mouchet: L’Auvergne en guerre, 1939–1945. Clermont-Ferrand, France: Institut d’Études du Massif Central, Université Blaise-Pascal, 1991.
Kedward, H. R. In Search of the Maquis: Rural Resistance in Southern France, 1942–1944. New York: Clarendon Press, 1993.
Sanitas, Jean. Les tribulations d’un résistant auvergnat ordinaire: La 7e compagnie dans la bataille du Mont-Mouchet. Paris: Éditions L’Harmattan, 1997.
Chemins de Mémoire: The Maquis du Mont Mouchet
cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/en/maquis-du-mont-mouchet
Chemins de Mémoire: The Resistance and the Networks
cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/en/resistance-and-networks
THE RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS AND THE HIDING OF CHILDREN IN FRANCE
Bailly, Danielle, ed. The Hidden Children of France, 1940–1945: Stories of Survival. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2010.
Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy. Hidden Voices: Childhood, the Family, and Anti-Semitism in Occupation France. Abondance, France: Éditions Ibex, 2004.
Gilbert, Martin. The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2003.
Grose, Peter. A Good Place to Hide: How One French Community Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II. New York: Pegasus Books, 2015.
Jeruchim, Simon. Hidden in France: A Boy’s Journey Under the Nazi Occupation. McKinleyville, CA: Fithian Press, 2001.
Klarsfeld, Serge. The Children of Izieu: A Human Tragedy. New York: Abrams, 1984.
Scheps Weinstein, Frida. A Hidden Childhood: A Jewish Girl’s Sanctuary in a French Convent, 1942–1945. New York: Pegasus Books, 2015.
YAD VASHEM
Yad Vashem—The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
yadvashem.org/righteous/resources/righteous-among-the-nations-in-france.html
yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/trocme.html
swarthmore.edu/library/peace/DG100-150/dg107Trocme.htm
MURIEL RUKEYSER
Rukeyser, Muriel. Out of Silence: Selected Poems. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1992.
THE BEAST OF GÉVAUDAN
Sánchez Romero, Gustavo, and S. R. Schwalb. Beast: Werewolves, Serial Killers, and Man-Eaters: The Mystery of the Monsters of the Gévaudan. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2016.
Smith, Jay M. Monsters of the Gévaudan: The Making of a Beast. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.
Taake, Karl-Hans. “Solving the Mystery of the 18th-Century Killer ‘Beast of Gévaudan.’ ” National Geographic. September 27, 2016. blog.nationalgeographic.org/2016/09/27/solving-the-mystery-of-the-18th-century-killer-beast-of-gevaudan
FRENCH PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS IN WORLD WAR II
Lafont, Max. L’Extermination douce. Lormont, France: La Bord de l’Eau, 2000.
von Bueltzingsloewen, Isabelle. “The Mentally Ill Who Died of Starvation in French Psychiatric Hospitals During the German Occupation in World War II.” Vingtième Siècle: Revue d’histoire 2002/4, no. 76.
cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=VING_076_0099
GLOSSARY IMAGE CREDITS
1adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images
2Alexander Vorontsov/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images
3Anne Frank Fonds–Basel via Getty Images
4Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images
5, 6Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
7Keystone/Getty Images
8, 9PD-US
10R. J. Palacio
11United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Robert Trocmé
12United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Rudy Appel
WHITE BIRD DISCUSSION GUIDE
Grandmère starts her story with the words “Once upon a time…,” a traditional beginning for fairy tales. How was her early life like a fairy tale?
Part One of White Bird opens with the following quote: “The birds know mountains that we have not dreamed.” What does this statement mean to you? What role do birds play throughout the book?
After Sara asks why people hate them for being Jewish, her father reminds her that not all people hate them. She asks if the people who do are bad. He tells her that rather than seeing people as good or bad, he believes that people have a light inside them, but some have lost that light. “They have darkness inside them, so that is all they see in others: darkness.” He continues, “Why do they hate us? Because they cannot see our light. Nor can they extinguish it. As long as we shine our light, we win.” Think about his explanation. Do you agree? Do you believe that people who live in darkness can once again find their light? How? Can you help? Would you help if you could, knowing that it might put you at risk?
Take a moment to think about Sara’s life in the barn. What are the biggest challenges of living in this space? Consider the actions of Julien, a boy who has been cruelly called Tourteau (“crab”) by his classmates. Why do you think he and his family risk their lives to hide Sara? Why is this decision a perfect example of the power of kindness to change hearts and save lives?
In describing her relationship with Julien, Sara states, “The best friendships are the ones in which words are not needed.” Do you agree with this sentiment? How do you and your closest friends find ways to support each other without having to talk?
Drawing and creating art are instrumental in helping Sara make sense of the world. Examine how her drawings are used in the story. To what degree does Sara’s art connect her to those she loves and to the world at large?
After her son is attacked by the school bully, Julien’s mother, Vivienne, tells Pastor Luc, the school’s principal, “Evil will only be stopped when good people decide to put an end to it. It is our fight, not God’s.” Do you agree with this statement? If so, how do you take action to stand up to injustice?
Despite Sara’s harrowing circumstances, she manages to remain hopeful. Why do you think that is? What helps you to remain hopeful in difficult circumstances?
One of the most important takeaways from White Bird is captured in the following statement: “In these dark times, it’s those small acts of kindness that keep us alive, after all. They remind us of our humanity.” Why is actively choosing kindness so essential? Can you connect this message to events happening today?
Given the state of world affairs, why is remembering the Holocaust and examining current parallels more important than ever?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It takes a village to make a book. This is always true with any type of book that gets published, but it was especially true of the original graphic novel of White Bird, which was published three years ago—and especially, ESPECIALLY true of this novel, written by the incomparable and amazing Erica S. Perl, which was based on that original.
It was my wonderful editor, Erin Clarke, who first suggested I write a novelization of my graphic novel. Despite the rising popularity of the graphic novel genre, “not everyone reads them, and the story of White Bird is worth getting out to as many people as possible,” were Erin’s words (more or less). I agreed, but I knew that I myself couldn’t do it. The writer in me had already expended my creative energy on the graphic novel, and I didn’t think that I could add more to it. In order to become something new, something great—which it would have to be if we were going to do this—it would need a new spark of creativity and a burst of new energy. And yes, a new approach.
Enter Erica S. Perl. I had met Erica at a writers’ conference a few years before. I loved her sense of humor, and we immediately fell into that familiar speech of old friends, even though we’d only just met. Erin had edited Erica’s previous books, so when she suggested we ask Erica to adapt the graphic novel to this format, it felt like destiny calling. I could not have asked for a more beautifully written adaptation of my story. Thank you, Erica S. Perl, for embarking on this labor of love. I know it was deeply emotional and personal for you and your family, and I feel blessed that you lent your enormous talent to this project. And thank you, Erin, for connecting us.
While Erica was writing this novel, the team at Lionsgate was very busy getting the film adaptation of White Bird under way. I, along with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, produced the movie, and Marc Forster, one of the most talented, in-demand directors of our day, agreed to helm the film, which was based on a screenplay by Mark Bomback. Marc, with the incomparable Renée Wolfe by his side, put together an incredible team to film in Prague, in the dead of winter, in the midst of lockdown, and they created what I personally think is one of the greatest movies about the Holocaust since Schindler’s List. The cinematography, the lighting, the costumes, the production design, the set design—not to mention the acting—are at a level beyond anything I could have hoped for as the author of the work being adapted. The young leads, Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt, are mesmerizing. Bryce Gheisar reprises his role as Julian, which is an important loop to be closed for fans of the original Wonder. And, of course, Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson, as Grandmère and Vivienne, respectively, are living legends for a reason. Thank you to all the abovementioned, and the entire cast and crew, for bringing your talents and energies to this movie, which is, sadly, so relevant and so needed at this moment in history.
Thank you to the colossal team at Random House, including Barbara Marcus, Felicia Frazier, Artie Bennett, April Ward, and all the researchers and fact-checkers who helped make this book. Thank you to Sarah Neilson for your careful review of the graphic novel, both art and text; and Dr. Elizabeth B. White and Edna Friedberg, PhD, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, for your thorough examination of the historical events depicted.
Thank you to Alyssa Eisner Henkin.
Thank you to my husband, Russell, who is my partner in all things, and whose family I am so proud to be a part of. I know Mollie is looking down on you and smiling, Russell. And thank you to Caleb and Joseph, for reminding me every day that this world is worth fighting for.
A NOTE FROM ERICA S. PERL
I first picked up White Bird in the graphic novel section of my local independent bookstore. I began to flip through it…then found myself sitting on the floor, having been completely transported while reading it cover to cover. I was pleased when it won the Sydney Taylor Book Award, excited to learn it was being made into a film, and extremely honored to be asked to create a novel based on the graphic novel. I said yes immediately, not only because I loved the story but also because I felt such a strong connection to the material.
In 1937, Hans and Elizabeth Strauss fled Nazi Germany with their young son and five-month-old daughter. That baby girl grew up to be Maryann Strauss Sewell, an accomplished soprano and voice teacher, as well as the mother of my husband, Michael (Mike), and the grandmother of our girls, Francesca (Franny) and Beatrice (Bougie). While I am beyond grateful that Maryann and her immediate family were able to get out when they did, I know that many others were not so fortunate. There are entire branches of my own Jewish family tree that we will never know.
I dearly hope this book does justice to all Holocaust survivors and victims, as well as courageous friends and allies. I also hope that readers will come away with a renewed resolve to stop anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination—work that is ongoing for all of us.
I am deeply thankful to R. J. Palacio for entrusting her incredible graphic novel to me and for being so generous with her thoughts, insights, and encouragement, as well as her research materials. Thank you also to Erin Clarke and the entire team at Random House and Knopf Books for Young Readers. Thank you to Carrie Hannigan and the whole HG Literary team. I also wish to thank Dr. Rebecca Erbelding of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. And I am grateful to the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Jewish Book Council, the Association of Jewish Libraries, and PJ Library for supporting my work. Many thanks to Tammar Stein, Katherine Marsh, and Caroline Hickey—wonderful critique partners as well as true friends—and also Kenna Kay, Sczerina Perot, Gary DiBianco, Elizabeth Lyster, Jenifer Marshall, Phineas Baxandall, Sarah Hill, Elizabeth Shreve, Alan Silberberg, and Erik D’Amato.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to Mike, Franny, and Bougie.
Heike Bogenberger
R.J. PALACIO is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder, which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The book’s message inspired the Choose Kind movement and has been embraced by readers around the world, with the book published in over fifty-five languages.
Palacio’s other acclaimed books include 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts, Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories, the picture book We’re All Wonders, and her new novel Pony, an instant New York Times bestseller and named one of the best books of the year by the Wall Street Journal.
Palacio lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Evy Mages
ERICA S. PERL is the author of over forty books for young readers. Her middle-grade novel All Three Stooges won the National Jewish Book Award and was a Sydney Taylor Honor Book. She lives in Washington, D.C.
ericaperl.com
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R. J. Palacio, White Bird
