Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a week-long event that celebrates the work and contributions of book bloggers. There’s a new blog topic each day, and I plan to actively participate. I’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming next week.
Tuesday’s Topic: Post the interview you did with your BBAW Interview Partner.
My partner for this year’s BBAW Interview Swap was Donna who has a couple of blogs – Holocaust Resources and LibrarysCat Book List: Reading in 9 Lives. My partner e-mail mentioned Holocaust Resources specifically, so that’s what I asked about.
Holocaust Resources is another new to me blog, but after perusing around the site and looking at all the resources Donna’s collected, I’m really impressed with everything she’s pulled together. The site offers age-specific books and recommendations on the Holocaust, and I think it’d be a great resource for anyone with kids or interested in the topic. I hope you’ll head over and take a look.
Here are the questions that Donna so graciously answered (with some of my comments in italics in the middle)!
1. Why did you start Holocaust Resources? What are your goals with the blog?
I have had a life-long interest in the Holocaust. I returned to school when I was 42 and completed a MA in History with a focus on the Holocaust. Next I attended school for a MLIS in Library Science. For one of my classes I had the opportunity to compile Holocaust resources for children. The seed was planted, but I had absolutely NO TIME!
Now that I have completed school, I work in a Curriculum Materials Library. So now I have the time and the resources, so I am slowly bringing together the many wonderful books on this topic. My goal is to provide parents and teachers with a usable list of grade specific Holocaust resources with a summary and links to lessons or materials which would logically be used with the resource. I hope that children will be exposed to these materials early and realized that it is our responsibility to remember what happened and do whatever is within our personal power to stop such things from happening again.
2. What is one of your most popular posts? Why do you think it’s popular?
I am not sure which post would be considered the most popular. For me, Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story, is one of my personal favorites. I like this book because it is a true story of how one person’s courage and caring made a huge difference to so many people. Also, it is a little known story of the Holocaust – you know, not a piece of history that many people know about.
I reviewed another book on this same topic called A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara, Hero of the Holocaust. The first book is for younger children while the second is for middle school children. I hope you and your readers will take a look at both reviews – the story is amazing.
I read both of these reviews and the books look awesome. And I love history books that tell a new story, especially on something like the Holocaust which I sometimes think I know enough about even though it’s clearly not true.
3. Outside of blogging, what are some of the things you do?
Well, I work full time in a library. I have four adult children and two grandsons. My husband and I have three Chihuahuas who are like our babies! I like to crochet, although I am awful at it. And living on the Gulf Coast, I love the beaches. I also love to cook.
I love almost all of those things! But I live in the Midwest, so there are not quite as many beautiful beaches.
4. If you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what five books would you want with you?
I would have to have:
- my favorite book – I Cannot Forgive by Rudolf Vrba (a Holocaust narrative)
- a book I have read a million times – Pride and Prejudice
- a book I long to read again – Little Women
- a bitter-sweet book – Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- a book about friendship – Astrid & Veronika
And may I please bring at least one more – something on Island Life perhaps!!
Ok, a sixth book is granted – make it a good one! I like the way she characterized the books, too.
5. If you had to describe your blog in five words, what five words would you use?
Holocaust Resources for Children: A Place Where Memories Grow
Thanks for reading my interview with Donna, you can head over to her blog to check out her interview with me (which I assure you is deeply fascinating 😉 )! Happy BBAW!
Comments on this entry are closed.
Hi Kim,
I just wanted to publicly thank you for such a fun exchange of interviews for this event! I love your blog and will be back again and again to see what you are reading in your dorkiness.
Thanks,
Donna
Donna: Right back at you 🙂
Great interview! I have never heard of Holocaust Resources before but I think it’s a fabulous idea.
Ash: I hadn’t either, but totally agree. I hope other people, especially teachers, are able to find and use it.
I’ve never heard of Astrid and Veronika before; I’ll have to look it up. How great to feature Donna and her subject on a blog that just won the nonfiction award today!
Jeanne: I hadn’t heard of a couple of the books either and looked them up. Lots of good choices.
I interviewed Donna for her LibrarysCat blog so it was doubly interesting for me to learn more about her other blog.
Heather: Yes, I saw your interview but haven’t gotten to read it. I’m so far behind today!
Oh no worries – this is one crazy week!
Interesting! I also was previously unfamiliar with this blog. Vrba’s book was the first book I ever read on the Holocaust. I think a 6th book is a good idea – something like Survival Skills on an Island! :–) Off to check out the blog!!!
rhapsodyinbooks: Maybe Survival Skills on an Island or some other book should just be assumed. No self-respecting book blogger would be caught on a plane that goes down without that one 🙂
Wow, that is such an ambitious project and quite hard I think. Not only because of the subject matter, but also for having to present it in a way that is suitable to all audiences.
I do love the way she characterised those books as well!
Iris: Yes, it’s a huge project. But I imagine if you worked on it over time, you’d eventually get close to having almost everything.
Wow, that blog really sounds like a labor of love.
bermudaonion: Yes, absolutely.
Wow, what a fascinating sounding resource. I’m off to check it out!
Amy: It really is impressive; it’d be especially helpful for people who read YA, MG, or children’s books.
Learning about this blog is timely because questions about the holocaust by my kids have been coming up more often– now that they are at ages where the history is brought up in school. I’m glad to know of this resource.
Valerie: I’m so glad that I got to interview Donna and that you were able to find this resource. I hope there are some good books you can read with your kids.