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-Semetic 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-site.

Yaneks 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 continual 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 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 hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is 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 war-torn Poland

Upon arriving at the concentration camp, Uncle Moshe tells Yankek that he is no longer just a boy without friends. "Don't let these evil monsters rip the pages from our story," he advises.

Yanek goes into the elevator that would take him into the mine. It was a closed tight space, Yanek began to have a panic attack and was scared. when he got into the mines he followed the kapo around since he was afraid and the kapo was not helping. "Maybe you thought it would be easy to escape into the darkness. There are 9 levels—three hundred kilometers of tunnels of tunnels. Maybe you're thinking we will never find you. The kapo stopped and turned his headlamp on us your right we wouldn't find you. You would be lost forever and have nothing to eat but salt or drink salt water." In this chapter Yanek is forced to go to a salt mine and work. the work here was hard and took a lot of energy. This explains why the guards hand-picked the most healthy prisoners.

The guards would wake up and want to hurt the Jews. in Trzbinia they don't make you work they torture you. Yanek thinks to himself and wants to fight back. but he knows he can't on his own. When one person tries to fight back guards would shoot him and start hanging others. This is when we realize that this is different. they don't just want to work they want us to feel the pain they want to tire us out they want to kill us

Yanek was trapped he was put on a cattle train no bathroom no water standing for days. Yanek would realize that the person next to him was dead and many others would die to. On this train ride it was yaneks first time leaving Poland and his home. He would learn that while he was a prisoner the rest of the world continued their lives. This is also where he realized that even if one of the people tried to escape no one would let them live. the polish would most likely sell them to the Nazis. there is nothing they could do or know what was coming next.

Figurative Journey

Yanek at first when he hears the fact that the train he is on is going to a kill camp. but when they get there and yanek has had a dead body laying on him and they waited outside almost all day standing he starts to go insane. when they get put in the gas chamber yanek goes insane and snaps saying things like "IM READY" "KILL ME ALREADY" "DO IT ALREADY". only for instead of gas water comes out and they all get a shower.

In the chapter Yanek enters auschwitz where he reads a sign that says "Work will set you free". But when the guards are talking to the Jewish people they say "You enter threw the gates, and leave threw the chimney" meaning the gas chamber. They see new prisoners who do not lie about there age and how healthy they are get sent to a gas chamber. and yanek meets a boy his age named Fred. Fred is the first person yanek has told his name to since birkenau but Fred wants to die so he can see his family. Which should be a red flag and a reason to not be attached its life or death you don't want to be killed or have to feel the feelings of someone you love dying. but yanek now has someone to talk to. at the end of the chapter yanek watches Fred die and they are forced to leave and be transported to the next location.

Yanek walks into the gates after the death march and is starving. He was immediately put to work and there was a tower that was being highly protected, mainly because the Allies wanted to knock it down. Yanek would say "We were in Sachenhausen and I was so tired and hungry that I didn't even care if I lived or died. Death seemed like such a welcome release." the guards were evil, they would make the prisoners fight each other. "before roll call we would wash, the Nazis told us, and they marched us out to some pumps. there was no soap and no towels, but I rinsed anyways".

Yanek was locked up in a new camp and immediately put to work. In Buchenwald, they notice that there is a zoo inside the camp. One of the guards was being mean to one of the animals so when the Beast of Buchenwald figured out the guard would be punished. Yanek would notice and would say "They are treating the animals better than us"

Yanek arrives at Gross Rosen and is put to work. In the middle of the night, Yanek dreams of falling into the earth. and we discussed that the top of the world would be heaven/being alive. the middle where Yanek was falling was the camps and the bottom of the hole is death. "As I laid back down on my stomach, my bloody back still screaming in agony, I remembered my dream. I told myself I would climb out again. The allies were getting closer and I would welcome them when they got here."

The war was close to being over. The Allies were coming They could hear the bombs and gunshots, they were going to be free soon! most nights they could listen to the gunshots and bombs. Finally one day the prisoners would wake up and see the SS officers of the Nazi army were gone... They would walk outside and look around They saw tanks coming and it was American tanks the Allies were here! and after 6 years they were finally free!

After the Allies had saved the Jews they were transported to Munich. they were finally able to live their life not in prison. Yanek began to cry after learning he would not share a bed and was able to clean up. He had a great dinner and could walk around and see others. He would know that his cousin and his neighbor had survived. Yanek wants to go to America but does not want to leave his friends and family.