Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust
					Meltzer, Milton. 1988. RESCUE: THE STORY OF HOW GENTILES SAVED JEWS IN THE HOLOCAUST. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.
						“But [the Jews] could not have succeeded without the aid of the men and women of the church, the professions, and the government, and of workers, farmers, and housewives. To those outstretched hands, to their own courage and daring, and to the unpredictable gift of good luck, the survivors owed their lives” (page 128).
		During a time when inhumanity was at its best, good decent human beings still existed and did their best to do right. These Gentiles stepped in to help the persecuted and did it with little to no recognition. In RESCUE, dozens of stories are told about the men and women who risked their own lives in order to save others. “This impassioned narrative of a neglected side of the Holocaust is a call to remember not only the evil done by racism, but also the heroes and heroines whose moral choices, and actions, show us that one need not be passive or silent in the face of evil” (Book Jacket).      Meltzer begins the book with a brief history about the Jews and the persecution they received prior to and leading up to the Holocaust. The synopsis allows readers to remember the horrible deeds that had been done against the Jews and provides an introduction as to how important it is to remember those who stood against the deeds. Also included in the opening pages is a map of Europe during the Holocaust; the majority of the map is a light gray color which, according to the key, was the area controlled by the German Nazis.      Each chapter of the book focuses on a different region in Europe, beginning with a map which shows the cities that are discussed in that chapter. Short and concise, each chapter gives a brief overview of the historical situation in that region, such as how many Jews live there and what their relationship was with the Gentiles, and what the Nazis were demanding be done about the Jewish population. While some of the chapters focus on one rescue story, others tell numerous shorter stories or focus on a whole town’s rescue efforts. The book reads as a series of short stories that all discuss the same topic, but each chapter could be read individually.      A bibliography is included in the back of the book, listing the sources that were used in this book. Meltzer also directs readers to his previous book, NEVER TO FORGET, which included an extensive list of titles about the Holocaust that were arranged by category of interest. Also included in this book are recommended additional resources and people who contributed to the book. An index is available for easy searching.      A tree is planted in memory of each Gentile who risked his or her life to help the Jews, and a medal is given to the person or representative. “On the medal is the inscription ‘Whoever saves a single soul, it is as if he had saved the whole world’” (page 158). Goodness does happen, and RESCUE helps remind readers of people who did good during a bad time. “The most remarkable aspect of this book, aside from the array of astonishing facts, is Meltzer’s clear sense of perspective. This is a calm book (about extreme events) that lifts the spirit” (Publishers Weekly review). Publishers Weekly. 1991. New York: Reed Business Information, Inc. Available at http://www.amazon.com                                              YA Literature Home Page