In what is terrible news for Holocaust education, John Boyne has penned a sequel to his 2006 book, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Much like the book, Holocaust scholars are also critical of the 2008 film adaptation (released in North America as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) for the false equivalences that it creates between the Jewish victims and their perpetrators. I have not seen the film nor do I have any plans to do so. You will not be getting a film review from me. Not on Yom HaShoah and certainly not on Tisha B’Av. Not ever.
I recommend reading this piece about all of the problems in both the book and film. The film is not a true story. It is full of harmful stereotypes. If you think the whole Whoopi Goldberg situation is bad, this book is even worse.
When John Boyne posted the news today, he was appropriately slammed on Twitter in the replies and quote tweets. Of course, there were those who supported it and can’t wait. Oh well, I guess they prefer Holocaust books centering on the Nazis rather than Jews.
It is the best interest of everyone to just cancel the publication of All the Broken Places. We do not need another non-Jewish writer writing a book about the Holocaust and centering it on the Nazis. To any studio that is currently thinking of adapting the book into a film, let me stop you in advance. Do not do it. Please. I beg of you. When it comes to books about the Holocaust, please listen to Jewish authors. Read Holocaust books by Jewish writers because they center their books on Jews.
https://twitter.com/john_boyne/status/1498946222316417026
If you publish books like this one, people will call you out.
https://twitter.com/DanielleSATM/status/1499116225032605697
This is a book that distorts the Holocaust. Any Holocaust educator would not recommended the book to students. And yet, there are teachers like one in Illinois who teaches The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in school. I feel sorry for her students because they are getting a terrible education when it comes to the Holocaust.
AHHHHHHH!!! I just squealed in delight, scaring a a group of 8th graders reading to a group of 2nd graders. Oops! But oh happy you’ve made me! I have taught The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and have a project where students pose what happens to Gretel, Mother, and Father in 20yrs
— FuneralWife (@funeralwife99) March 2, 2022
https://twitter.com/DanielleSATM/status/1499127083590733831
Case in point: The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum has previously tweeted that it should not be taught in schools.
We understand those concerns, and we already addressed inaccuracies in some books published. However, "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" should be avoided by anyone who studies or teaches about the history of the Holocaust. https://t.co/dVJ9kf9dtz
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) January 5, 2020
It’s not too late for too late for Penguin Random House and Doubleday UK to cancel the upcoming publication.