Review: Uprising
Uprising
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Scholastic Press (imprint of Scholastic, Inc), 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein
Buy at Bookshop.org
Based on the life of Lidia Durr Zakrzewski, this is a fictionalized account of Poland under the Nazi occupation, as experienced by Lidia and her well-to-do family in Warsaw. They are not Jewish but seem to have good relationships with the Jews around them, including employing Doda as a housekeeper. Lidia is a headstrong, confident pre-teen as the book begins, talented at the piano, but the object of her mother's constant criticism, unlike her older brother, Ryszard and the memory of a long dead sister, Krystina. With Germany's invasion, life changes suddenly. Papa joins the army and is not seen again. With the months and years of war and its deprivations, Lidia grows to be an independent and resourceful young woman, determined to get an education, help others, and join the Resistance. When Doda and her mother, Bubbe are forced to move into the Jewish ghetto, Lidia seeks to find them and bring them food. She is shocked by the conditions, and then by the clearing of the population that follows. Her work with the Resistance brings her a found family, but it is a constant search for food, weapons, and passing on of news that keeps her going. There are many losses in Lidia's world, of family and friends, but she keeps volunteering for missions; perhaps if she stops she might have to feel? At book's end, she is evacuated to England and eventually comes to live in the US for a life of family, professional success, and peace.
Lidia ages through the course of the book from 11 to 17 but the voice remains mostly the same, making this book more middle grade than YA. The months and years of deprivation and battles at times blend together, as do the many characters, all using code names as members of the Resistance; Lidia is "Cello" and it was hard to get a sense of age or anything to make them seem like full characters.
The Jewish representation in this book is minimal, as the plight of the Jews in Warsaw and all of Poland is given a mention but is not the focus of the book. While Lidia had favorable feelings towards Doda, her mother, and other Jews she encountered, and there were a few mentions of antisemitic comments, this story is mostly absent of Jews and the antisemitic attitudes in Poland at this time.
Based on the life of Lidia Durr Zakrzewski, this is a fictionalized account of Poland under the Nazi occupation, as experienced by Lidia and her well-to-do family in Warsaw. They are not Jewish but seem to have good relationships with the Jews around them, including employing Doda as a housekeeper. Lidia is a headstrong, confident pre-teen as the book begins, talented at the piano, but the object of her mother's constant criticism, unlike her older brother, Ryszard and the memory of a long dead sister, Krystina. With Germany's invasion, life changes suddenly. Papa joins the army and is not seen again. With the months and years of war and its deprivations, Lidia grows to be an independent and resourceful young woman, determined to get an education, help others, and join the Resistance. When Doda and her mother, Bubbe are forced to move into the Jewish ghetto, Lidia seeks to find them and bring them food. She is shocked by the conditions, and then by the clearing of the population that follows. Her work with the Resistance brings her a found family, but it is a constant search for food, weapons, and passing on of news that keeps her going. There are many losses in Lidia's world, of family and friends, but she keeps volunteering for missions; perhaps if she stops she might have to feel? At book's end, she is evacuated to England and eventually comes to live in the US for a life of family, professional success, and peace.
Lidia ages through the course of the book from 11 to 17 but the voice remains mostly the same, making this book more middle grade than YA. The months and years of deprivation and battles at times blend together, as do the many characters, all using code names as members of the Resistance; Lidia is "Cello" and it was hard to get a sense of age or anything to make them seem like full characters.
The Jewish representation in this book is minimal, as the plight of the Jews in Warsaw and all of Poland is given a mention but is not the focus of the book. While Lidia had favorable feelings towards Doda, her mother, and other Jews she encountered, and there were a few mentions of antisemitic comments, this story is mostly absent of Jews and the antisemitic attitudes in Poland at this time.
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Reviewer Judy Ehrenstein is a children's librarian in Silver Spring, MD. She is a former member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and the co-editor of children's and teen book reviews for AJL News and Reviews.
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