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Chapters 1-8, The German Soldiers made a policy for the Jewish people to wear The Star of David armbands to represent that they were Jewish. 

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Yaneks Literal Journey

Yanek and his family live in Krakow, Poland. But just in the blink of an eye, the Germans invaded their city beginning WWII. For now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. The Nazis were very Anti Semitism, they hated all Jews. They stay in their flat for a while with several other families. They were forced to have Yaneks Bar Mitsvah in their flat's basement. Anti-Sematic rules have been put in place that persecute Jewish people, taking away any rights they had. Over time, walls are built up around the ghetto to contain the remaining Jews who have not been taken for resettlement or deportation yet. One by one, many Jews were relocated to other Jewish ghettos, work camps, and concentration camps or were killed on sight.

Yanek's Figurative Journey.

With the stress of no food, and constant. Yanek is living in fear of being caught by the Nazis. His emotions state us one of constant terror and panic at what awaits him at every turn. The unknown aspects of the war leave a feeling of being unsettled. Yanek's early life as a 10-year-old boy before the war was very normal. He attended school, played with friends, and went to the synagogue with his family. He loves his mom and dad and looks up to them but as the war continues, Yanek begins to doubt his father's constant hope and positivity and wonders who is right- his father or uncle Moshe. "I still worried he was wrong, but the fresh bread made me forget all my troubles. For a little while, at least." (pg.25" Doubting your parents for the first time is a struggle for Yanek especially in war-torn Poland.

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Chapters 9-12. Yanek was resettled into Plaszow, a concentration camp, to work as a tailor. The barracks they slept in were tight, small, and dirty, and it was difficult to survive, as one no longer had an identity. 

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Yanek's Figurative Journey.

In Krakow, the Nazis started the resettlement and began by taking 7,000 Jewish people. Yanek hid the first resettlement out and so did his family. But then came the second and third resettlement, all of the rest of his family got taken, including him. He was resettled in Plaszow, where he found Uncle Moshe. "I thought I saw a familiar face. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Uncle Moshe! "Uncle Moshe!" I called. "Uncle Moshe! it's me! Yanek." Moshe looked up, not in excitement but in horror..."Who was that? Who just said that?" The Capo barked. Everyone fell silent."(Pg.66) Yanek spoke when he wasn't supposed to. The Capo: The Jewish group leader. Shouted out and later struck someone in the back for speaking out of line.

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Wieliczka Salt Mine, Daniłowicza, Wieliczka, Poland

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Chapter 13. Yanek had been resettled in a beautiful salt mine, even though it was torture and the Nazi's made me do this for fun, Yanek couldn't help but be amazed at the sight of everything. 

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Wieliczka Salt Mine, Daniłowicza, Wieliczka, Poland

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Wieliczka Salt Mine, Daniłowicza, Wieliczka, Poland

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Yanek's Figurative Journey.

Yanek was taken from Plaszow and resettled in Wielicza Salt Mine. Yanek was surrounded by other Jewish people making rumors while being transported. The thoughts got into his head when he stepped foot in the mine, but his thoughts completely changed when he got farther into the mine. "Until we came to another huge chamber, this one lit with electricity again. Here there was no lake, but something even more amazing: Statues! Dozen of figures, all carved out of salt. And the lights in the ceiling-they were chandeliers. Chandeliers made out of salt." The chandeliers and statues gave Yanek hope about what imagined could happen.

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Wieliczka Salt Mine, Daniłowicza, Wieliczka, Poland

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Chapter 14. Trzebinia, Poland. A violent, concentration camp that cruelty murders innocent people for fun. Yanek describes it as the guards kicking the Jews around like a ball in a game of soccer. 

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Yanek's Figurative Journey.

After Yanek worked in the salt mine, he was resettled in Trzebinia, Poland. Yanek explained that the salt mine was bad, but he expressed that Trzebinia was worse. He almost worked to death as the soldiers made them move huge rocks, and then moved them back to their original spot. In paragraph 107, "I tried not to let the Nazis see how afraid I was they were like Amon Goeth dogs they could smell fear." Yanek continued to carry the rocks and from the fury, he fumed and hefted the stones. "Now move them back!" the Capo shouted." This evidence shows that the Nazis don't care if he moved all the rocks already, they would make Yanek pick them all up again and carry them back to their original spot.

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Birkenau, Ofiar Faszyzmu, Brzezinka, Poland

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Chapters 15-18. Birkenau, a place where the Nazis burn people for fun, and gas them till death. 

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Birkenau, Ofiar Faszyzmu, Brzezinka, Poland

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Birkenau, Ofiar Faszyzmu, Brzezinka, Poland

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Yanek's Literal Journey.

Yanek was taken out of Trzebanina, and transported onto this cattle wagon. People spread rumors on the cart about the Nazis burning them alive or gassing them so they die faster, also the crematoriums. The Jews tried their best to survive but as a dead body lays on Yanek's side, he fears whether or not he is going to live. At this moment, he feels that surviving all that time was worth nothing at all and that pushing himself to his limits meant nothing to the Nazis.

Yanek's Figurative Journey.

Yanek felt hopeless, the Nazis didn't feel remorse for all the killings they did. Yanek was feeling scared, worried, and lost. The Nazis made Yanek go into a cart packed full of Jews, with putrid smells of urine, poop, and vomit. Yanek was told to stand under the air vent by a man so when he died by the gas it won't be as bad. Yanek does as told but what happens is not what he expects. Page 129, "The pipes rattled and moaned, something was coming out. Kill me, I prayed. Please kill me, and put an end to this. I'm ready. Water rained down on me. Cold water, so cold it made me scream. Water! Not gas! I was going to live!" Yanek prays to go to end his suffering and push through, but the pipes spray out water, not gas. So, Yanek lives to see another day.

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Chapters 19-22. After Birkenau, Yanek was resettled in the worst concentration camp, Auschwitz. As he traveled through the death march, he struggled to survive. Will he live? 

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Yanek's literal Journey.

After Birkenau, Yanek was resettled into a new concentration camp, called Auschwitz. Auschwitz was one of the worst camps you could go to. At the top of the gates, before you walked in, it read, "Arbeit Macht Frei" which in German means 'Work makes you free'. Yanek was starved and barely could survive, as they went on the death march, Yanek had just lost his close friend Fred, whom he had met in Auschwitz. As they walked on the death march, he saw a very sick, close-to-death boy. This boy reminded Yanek of Fred before he died. He walked over to the boy and helped him walk, as he was stumbling and the nazis would have killed him. Yanek saved a life.

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Chapter 23. As Yanek successfully finished the death march, he made it to Saushenhausen. But will he survive? 

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Yanek's Figurative Journey

After a long tiring 13 days of marching in the cold weather, Yanek finally made it to Sachsenhausen. He was greeted with yummy and rich soup and bread, but not having eaten a good meal in days made his stomach ache. He was thrilled that he had a bed, a warm place to sleep, and food instead of eating snow, but it came with consequences. Yanek was eating and sleeping well because the Nazis wanted to fatten them up so they could work. Since the Nazis were feeding them good they wanted to get at least them frustrated for their enjoyment. On page 192, "No. It was a trick, of course. All part of the Nazis' game. And in Sachsenhausen, they played the game with relish. The other boys and I were lined up in front of the soldiers' tables, and we were told to sing." The Jews were to sing for the soldiers in front of their feast as a punishment.

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chapters 22-24.  Yanek and some of her stronger prisoners arrive at Bergen-Belson and they realize its different from any other camp they've been to. There's no chimneys and gas chambers. 

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Yanek's Literal Journey.

At Sachsenhausen Yanek volunteered to leave that camp and go to another one only to escape from the murdered, A capo killer and a perpetrator-Moonface. But the prisoners didn't just volunteer to leave they ran around the barracks in a race to go. The Nazis did it as torture and entertainment, they said it as Euphemism. Yanek made it through the race and successfully left Sachsenhausen for good. At Bergen-Belson they would sleep and eat well, as it was not a killing camp, it was more of a work camp than anything. They were used to breaking rocks to make gravel. but they finally got a break.

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Chapter 25. After Bergen-Belson, the Nazis had killed so many Jews that Yanek and some others had to get resettled in Buchenwald, Weimar. 

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Yanek's Figurative Journey.

Yanek was resettled in Buchenwald, Weimar after the Nazis had complained that they had killed too many Jews so there wasn't enough of them to work. Yanek arrived at Buchenwald and saw the strategies that happened there. The Nazi workers would abuse the zoo animals and torture the Jews into working harder for fun. Page 208, "While it nibbled at the food one of them offered, the other officer tied its antlers to the fence with a leather strap. The Buck only discovered that it was caught when it tried to pull away. The SS officers laughed at it taunted it, and left it tied to the fence." Yanek felt horrible that the SS officers could be so cruel, not just to humans, but animals too.

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Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoznica, Ofiar Gross Rosen, Rogoźnica, Poland

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Chapters 26. Time went on, Yanek got delivered on a train to Gross-Rosen. A disgusting train  filled with dead bodies and human remains. 

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Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoznica, Ofiar Gross Rosen, Rogoźnica, Poland

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Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoznica, Ofiar Gross Rosen, Rogoźnica, Poland

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Yanek's Literal Journey.

As Yanek was being transported to a new concentration camp, Gross-Rosen. The Nazis forced Yanek to be transported in a train, a crowded train. Yanek closes his eyes and describes his train ride as being surrounded by death everywhere he went. As he closed his eyes, he was ready for death. He was so prepared for death that he told himself that he would become like all the other dead bodies that surrounded him on the train. But, he pushed through, stayed strong, and lived to see another day. When he got off the train, he ripped off his Star of David armband and said he never read the Torah and had never been to the synagogue. Sadly, they told him if you were born a Jew, you're still a Jew and they threw him back in line.

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Chapters 28-29. After another brutal death march, Yanek arrived to Dachau, Germany. This wants a work camp, but it sure was bad. 

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Yanek's Literal Journey

After another brutal death march with little to no food, he arrived at Dachau. Dachau didn't make you work, but they left them starving in the cold. One night Yanek couldn't sleep because the Allies were bombing everywhere, very close to Dachau. In the morning, Yanek and some others didn't hear anything outside, so they checked. All the guards were gone, they had all fled since the Allies were getting too close. All the prisoners ran out to the yard, all the guards were gone, but they saw men running up to them in green suits. The Liberation of the camp made everyone so happy that they just stood in the yard and cried. No one knew who they were until they saw the American flag, they had been saved. Now free, from abuse, torment, struggling to survive, and starvation.

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Chapter 30. After Yanek got saved from the Americans, he was transported to Munich, a place where no matter you're religion, you were safe. 

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Yanek's Literal Journey

After the Americas rescued the Jews from the concentration camps, they gave them food, beds, clothes, warmth, and a home. Soon after Yanek was resettled in Munich, he found his mean old lady neighbor, Mrs. Immerglick. She was so happy to see him, and she told him that some of his cousins were still alive and gave him her address. Yanek met up with Mrs. Immerglick and his cousins, he also met a family named the Gamzer's. Soon, his family and the Gamzer's said it would be safer if he moved to America, so he could start a new life. It took years for him to immigrate to America, but soon after he left, he changed his name to Jack Gruener, and he was drafted into the Korean War. After the war, he visited his family and the Gamzer's, before he left, the Gamzer's daughter Luncia was 12, and now she grew up to be a beautiful young woman who changed her to Ruth. Finally, Yanek and Ruth got married and they lived out the rest of their lives happily and safely, from the Nazis.