Yanek and his family live in Krakow, Poland But in just a blink of an eye, their city was invaded by the Germans, beginning WWII. For now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. For a little while they stay in their flat with several other families. Anti-Semitic 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, concentration camps, or were killed on site.

Yanek's Figurative Journey

With the stress of no food, and constant hiding, Yanek is living in fear of being caught by the Nazis. His emotional state is 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 look up to them but as the war continues Yanek begins to doubt his fathers constant hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is really right- his father or Uncle Moshe. "I still worried he was wrong, but 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 the war-torn Poland.

9-12

The illustration depicts the leader of the Plaszow Concentration Camp. Yanek has experienced a LOT throughout the recent chapters of the book. By a stroke of "luck," one day Yanek decides to go to his friend's house. While he was there, his parents were ,unfortunately, snatched away by the Nazis and were deported to a Concentration camp. Yanek actually saw them being deported while walking back home, but thought that they were a different couple that looked similar to his parents. He realized this when he returned to the Pigeon coop and saw that only his cousin, Sala, was there. Eventually, Yanek himself was transported to the Plaszow Concentration Camp himself! One day, while Yanek was working in the tailor ship, the Nazis snatched him up and put him on a truck that was headed to the camp. When Yanek asked why he was being sent there, the Nazis told him that the camp was lacking workers. Soon, Yanek would find out why the Plaszow Concentration Camp had so little workers. Amon Goeth was the leader of the concentration camp. He would ,basically, kill Jews for fun! A quote from page 73 further exemplifies this by stating, "Amon Goeth wouldn't have his breakfast each day until he'd killed at least one Jew."

Yanek would face yet another tragedy as Amon Goeth would kill Uncle Moshe after being unsatisfied by his work. After this, Yanek and his friends nearly gets caught hiding under the floor boards of their barracks by Amon Goeth. They managed to come up with a excuse that convinces Amon Goeth to not kill them. One day during roll call, he and 50 other prisoners are taken to the Wieliczka Salt Mine where he would remain for the entirety of Chapter 13. There he and the other prisoners find out that the Judenrat who governed the Krakow Jewish Ghetto managed to also be chosen to go to the salt mine. An unknown vindictive prisoner would kill the Judenrat by smashing a pickaxe into his head and rubbing raw salt into his wounds. Yanek would discover some of the carvings that were in the salt mines and would wish that the carved out creatures and heros could come to life and save them from the Nazis.

Yanek was transported to Trzebinia Concentration Camp. He hated his short, yet painful stay there. At first, Yanek was extremely furious at the Nazi workers. They would constantly tempt the workers to break the rules just so they could beat them. The Nazi workers made Yanek and a few other prisoners move rocks back and forth multiple times for no reason. Yanek had thought that one day he was going to finally snap at one of the officers. But that fury turned to fear when a fellow prisoner,who had the same idea as his, decided to finally snap and attacked a officer that was tempting them. The actions of the prisoner caused not only their execution, but also the executions of other innocent prisoners. This fear eventually turned into acceptance as he realizes that rebelling would only lead to the death of him and the other prisoners at the camp. He realized this as another prisoner, who was similar to him in age, was executed for merely standing next to the previously mentioned rebellious prisoner.

One day, the entirety of the camp is ordered to march to an "unknown" destination. They pass by the places where prisoners would dig their own graves before being shot and pushed into the grave. Eventually, they reach their destination, a train. Unfortunately, the train doesn't have normal passenger cars, as the train only has cattle cars. The prisoners are forced into the cattle cars at gunpoint. When Yanek enters one of the cars, he realizes that the inside reeks of the smell of feces and urine. The prisoners are packed together so tightly within the cars, that Yanek can't even move his hand! A man next to him dies because of how tight the squeeze was. Unfortunately for Yanek, the human crush is pinning the man against him. The dead body is now his companion for the remainder of the train ride. The train makes a stop at a train station where some kids mock the prisoners by telling him that, "They're going to turn you into soap, Jews! ...They're taking you to the gas chambers!" (pg. 117) After mocking them, they throw a snowball at the grate where Yanek is laying on. Yanek initially was mad at them, but realized that the snow would contain fresh water. He licked the water from his face and shirt. The train continued for a couple more days before it finally arrived a the death camp, Birkenau during the night. They aren't let off the train immediately however, as the death camp was still burning the bodies of the previous prisoners. The camp finally finishes burning the remaining bodies after half of an entire day! The prisoners are then stripped of their clothing and forced into the showers of the camp. Yanek thinks that his death has finally come and prepares to be gassed down by the Nazis, but luckily for him, the shower head releases water instead of gas.

Yanek's Figurative Journey

Yanek's mental health reaches a low point at Birkenau. After being shoved into the showers, Yanek thinks that he's about to be killed by the incoming gas. He finally breaks, he begins to laugh manically, and begs for the gas to finally come and end his long and painful suffering. In his manic state, he comes up with different scenarios in his mind to find out why the gas isn't coming out from the shower heads. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the shower heads begin to rattle. Yanek raises his arm high into the air and tries to reach for the shower head. He desperately begs to be killed. But, luckily for Yanek, gas doesn't come out from the shower heads! Instead, freezing cold water showers onto Yanek's body. He screams out in shock from the sudden coldness, but that shock is instantly replaced with happiness as he realized that he isn't going to die. The shower experience gave Yanek a new will to live. A will to survive despite the terrible things that were happening to both him and the other prisoners. He began to take "showers" at the water pump of the camp. He'd also wet his fingers in order to "brush" his teeth. "...but it felt important to remember what it was like to be human." (pg. 136) This quote shows how Yanek was trying to make the "best" of his current situation. Not only would he shower and brush his teeth, he would also strategically place himself at the end of the line in order to get more rations.

After a few months of working at Birkenau, the prisoners were told that Auschwitz Concentration Camp needed more workers. Since Auschwitz was nearby, they didn't take the prisoners by train and forced them to march to the camp. Yanek saw that recently captured Jews were also being loaded into the camp. He watched as the Nazis blatantly lied to the new prisoners. He also watched as many of their family members ,like their wives or kids, were being taken to the gas chambers to be killed since they couldn't work. While at the camp, he met a boy named Fred. Yanek ,surprisingly, told Fred his information as well! They found out that they lived near each other before the war and visited some of the same places as each other. Yanek and Fred bonded closely together! They often worked on the same jobs and were known to be inseparable at the camp. Unfortunately, Fred would get sick one day. His sickness would affect him so much that he couldn't gather the strength to get out of his bed. Yanek knew that he would be killed soon if the Nazis found out. Yanek tried to help him, but all of his attempts were futile. He was forced to watch as the guards beat Fred before hanging him in front of the entire camp. Right before the Nazi hanged Fred, he said the infamous phrase of "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work makes you free). The chapter ends with Yanek making another kaddish for Fred and vowing to never forget him.

Yanek's trip to Sachsenhausen was one of the most brutal things that have happened within the book so far. One day at roll call, the Nazis told that all the prisoners of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp were being transported to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The Nazis gave the excuse that the camp had run out of workers, but after seeing previous allied bombing raids of nearby areas, they knew that the true reason was that the Allied Powers were pushing Germany back. The Nazis were tired of shipping the Jews around in trains, especially since the majority of the trains have been destroyed because of the war. They ordered that the prisoners were to march to the camp. It took them 12-13 DAYS to reach Sachsenhausen! If any prisoner walked too slow or fell behind of the group, they would be shot by the guards that were patrolling the prisoners to the camp. Yanek and the prisoners were forced to march during harsh snow storms. The snowstorms were so harsh that one day when the prisoners woke up, they found out that a man's ear had froze to the ground during the night! Although, the Nazis did let the prisoners sing during one of the first days of the "Death March." Towards the 9-10 day mark of the Death March, Yanek spots a boy that is walking oddly slowly. He goes up to him and tells him to continue moving on since they're "almost there." But suddenly, the boy trips and falls! Yanek catches him, but realized that the boy can no longer walk on his own. Yanek will either be forced to use the little energy he has to drag the boy along, or let him go to be shot by the Nazi soldiers at the back. He decides to drag the boy along, despite him knowing that he will waste valuable energy on the boy. He is forced to drag him for hours as nobody around him wants to help him. But, a old man decides to aid Yanek in carrying the boy. They carry him through the entire day until the Nazis finally let the prisoners rest on the cold ground. Yanek lays the boy down on the ground near him. His hunger has been eating at him the entire day now. When he goes to eat his half loaf of bread, he realizes that it isn't there. Half of his food had fallen out of his pocket during the process of carrying the boy. He fell to his knees while sobbing but forced himself to fall asleep. What's even worse is that the boy wasn't even thankful about his help! As Yanek finally reaches Sachsenhausen, he stumbles in, both hungry and dazed. Little did he know that his situation was not going to get any better...

After 'escaping Moonface,' Yanek was transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp. This camp was very unique from the previous camps Yanek had been to because this camp had a zoo! The guards of the camp could bring their family to the zoos as well. The Nazis treated the animals better than the prisoners. During the roll call, Yanek was forced to watch as one of the guards fed a bear a big bloody steak. Yanek stated that he would, "...fought one of the bears for that meat and eaten it raw-steak and bear. One day while Yanek was washing himself, 2 SS officers lured a deer to the camp's fence with food. While it was eating, they tied it's antlers to the fence. The officers laughed as the deer kept trying to pull itself free from the fence with no avail. The 2 officers would be punished by having their zoo privileges token away, and being banned from the Camp movie theatre for 3 months.

A few days later at roll call, The kapos told the camp that they were going to be transferred to Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp because they needed new workers and there was no new shipments of prisoners coming from the countryside since the Nazis had killed so many Jews. They transferred the prisoners by train. The prisoners were packed so tightly that they could do nothing but stand in the cattle cars. There were prisoners dying all around Yanek. Allied planes flew around the train. They were flying so low that the cattle cars were rattling every time they passed. A bomb detonated near the train. The bomb was so close that Yanek could feel the heat from inside the train! The train came to screeching halt, but soon started rolling down the rails once more as the allied planes had gone away. The train would finally arrive at Gross-Rogen, but the trouble wouldn't end for Yanek. A kapo asked where Yanek's button was. After telling the kapo that he must have lost it on the train ride, the kapo told him that he was going to be lashed 20 times. The kapo forced Yanek to count every lash in German and if he said the wrong number or the number in a different language, they would start over. By the time it was finished, Yanek had gotten way more than 20 lashes. At the end of the chapter, the prisoners were suddenly awaken by the detonation of multiple bombs near the concentration camp.

In a desperate attempt to avoid allied capture, the Nazis moved the prisoners in Gross-Rosen to Dachau Concentration Camp. During Yanek's short time there, the concentration camp was under chaos. There was no work being done at Dachau and the surrounding city was being bombed to the ground by the Allies. Despite this, the prisoner's environments were still horrible. Even when being actively bombed, the Nazis' hatred towards the Jews remained undeterred. One day, Yanek woke up, but realized something was off. A kap hadn't woken him up, his own body did. The other prisoners soon took notice, and when they got out of their barracks, they realized that the kapos and guards of the camp had fled in the night! The prisoners didn't know what to do with their new found freedom since for the past 6 years, they were forced to listen to the Nazis. The text says, "For so many years, we had only done what we were told. That was the only way to survive." (pg. 243) While the prisoners were deciding what to do, some of the prisoners noticed that an army was coming! Many thought that the German army had arrive to kill all of them, but as the army grew closer, they noticed that this army didn't wear the same uniforms that the German army did! The army wasn't German, but in fact, American! Yanek and the rest of the prisoners had finally been liberated after 6 years of German occupation and 10 different concentration camps! The chapter ends as Yanek tells his name to one of the American soldiers.

After being liberated by American soldiers in Dachau, Yanek and the rest of the prisoners are transferred to barracks in Munich that once had been designed for SS officers. Yanek is surprised by the revelation that he didn;t have to share his bed with nobody! "A Bed all to myself! Then-wonder upon wonders- the soldier gave me a blanket, a pillow, and sheets for the bed. Sheets!" (pg. 249) Yanek looks to a nearby table and sees that the Americans gave them more "gifts." There, on the table, was a wash cloth, toothbrush, and cup. Yanek was very thankful and happy for these simple items because he hadn't seen a toothbrush since the German occupation of Poland 6 years ago! The Americans then held a feast for the prisoners. Some of the prisoners had cried since they hadn't had a proper meal in years! A few days later after the feast, Yanek realized that not everyone he knew had died. He ran into Miss Immerglick, a neighbor who had yelled at Yanek for bouncing a ball in the hall, they were extremely happy to see each other. Immerglick also revealed that not all of his family had died! His cousin, Youzek, had also survived! He met up with Youzek where he reintroduced Yanek to his wife and child. Youzek revealed that his family and the Gamzer family had went into hiding during the duration of the war. Youzek and Hela became family to him. Youzek had suggested for Yanek to travel to America to pursue his dreams of being a film maker. Yanek went into a program designed for Jewish orphans after the war. After years of waiting, they finally accepted him in March of 1948. Yanek gave a emotional farewell to Youzek, Hela, and the Gamzers family. The Gamzers family had planned to move to America soon after Yanek arrived there. Once the Gamzers moved to America, Yanek would fall in love with Luncia and they would get married a couple of months into their relationship! The tattoo-B-3087-would, unfortunately, be forever be etched into his arm. The book states it best when it says, "but it is his name , Jack Gruener that lives on." (Pg. 260)

When the prisoners arrived at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, the kapos immediately started to pick some of the prisoners out. Yanek thought that those prisoners were the ones that were chosen to work at the camp. He puffed his chest up and tried his best to look as healthy and as strong as he could, but unfortunately he wasn't chosen. Yanek soon found out that not being chosen was a blessing in disguise as all 75 prisoners who were taken out of the line were ordered to march to the side of the tracks where they would be gunned down by the guards of the camp. After this horrifying sight, Yanek heard some good news. Due to their conditions, the kapos ordered them to not work for an entire week! Then, the prisoners were fed the thickest and meatiest soup they had in years! Yanek also noticed that there were no chimneys or gas chambers at the camp! Yanek thought that if he could manage to stay at the camp, he could survive the war. But, another trouble far more menacing than the gas chambers or chimneys was waiting for Yanek. Moonface. Moonface was a kapo at the camp that was an absolute menace. He would punch people for no reason! Unfortunately, Yanek was one of his main targets. Also, Moonface was convicted for murder before the war, but somehow managed to get into the position as a kapo of the camp. The Nazis were gathering the strongest prisoners to be transferred to a different camp. Yanek had to earn his position via a race against his other fellow inmates of the camp. Yanek manages to win the race, and is loaded onto another cattle car to be transferred to the next concentration camp, Buchenwald.