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 were 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 Natzis. his emotional state is on the constant form of 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, and went to the synagogue with his family. He loves his mom and dad and took up 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.l worried "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.

"Yanek, we haven’t much time,” he whispered. “Listen closely. Here at Plaszów, you must do nothing to stand out. From now on, you have no name, no personality, no family, no friends. Do you understand? Nothing to identify you, nothing to care about. Not if you want to survive. You must be anonymous to these monsters. Give your name to no one. Keep it secret, in here,” Uncle Moshe said, tapping his heart with his fist." (pg 68) although Yanek has felt much grief and still feels traumatized, he still has the heart to live and continue on with his life no matter where he may be led to.

When yanek is first loaded into a truck, he thinks that he is going to get a new better job, but that is not the case. he is forced to do grueling work mining salt all day and he loses hope. But soon, while he mines, he discovers a whole church, mined out into the cave and he sees the beauty of it and gains his hope back again.

When Yanek first arrives at trzebinia concentration camp, he is told to move rocks back and forth just for the labor of it. when he finds out that he is laboring for no reason, he gets angry and wants to rebel. but then someone else rebels against a german officer, and gets himself, and 6 other people killed for that person's actions. his emotions then change from anger to fear understanding that rebling will only get yourself and others killed.

When yanek is first ordered to stop working, he is confused and doesn't know what to do. He soon finds out that he is going to a new location on a train. from there, for over two days yanek is stuck in a train so tight that he can't even move his arms. He finds out at his destination that they would be killed here because they are at the gas chambers. he loses hope and starts to lose his mind.

When yanek arrives at birkenau he feels that he has survived up to this point for nothing and starts to lose his mind. he goes right up in front of a showerhead and yells into it to kill him. Expecting gas to come out, he is surprised when water comes out and showers him instead. He rejoices and is glad that he is still alive

"one morning after roll call at Auschwitz we were told we were being moved. All of us." (pg 166) Yanek wakes up one morning to find out that he is being moved to another Camp. for the next nine days, he is forced to walk on the frozen ground in wooden shoes and survive on half a loaf of bread.

After Yaneks first death March, he is tired and all he wants to do is sleep. He is given watery soup and dry bread before he sleeps and soon after eating his soup, he falls asleep. The next day they are called to roll call and they are forced to stand outside in the freezing temperatures. One person wipes sleet from his face and he is instantly beaten and told to do the "Sachsenhausen Salute" which is just a squat position. The man swayes on his feet and he is killed. Another man makes a run for the electric fence and kills himself. he is traumatized and shocked because he had never seen such a brutal death before

When yanek first arrives at Bergen belsen concentration camp, he is given good food and no work for a full week. But soon enough, he is back to work mining stone and chopping wood. At the camp, he also makes an enemy cappo nicknamed moon-face. He finds out that moon-face was a perpetrator even before the war and now wants to get as far away from him as possible. He also gets the opportunity to be moved to a new camp if he wins a race. He wins and he is shipped off to another Camp.

During the second day of being at Buchenwald concentration camp, yanek notices a zoo in the concentration camp and remarks at how the animals are being treated better than they are. Later at roll call, a couple germans tie up a buck by the antlers and they are punished for it. yanek gets extremely angry at this not only because the animal was mistreated for no reason, but also because the officers would get in trouble for harming an animal, but not even care if a Jew was killed. He feels just as helpless as the buck.

At the start of this chapter, yanek describes how he has been around death for so long that death is almost unremarkable "I had been surrounded by death for so long, seen so many men die before my eyes, lived with so many dead bodies piled and stacked and strewn about like so much human firewood, that I almost couldn't care anymore. Almost" (pg 212) Yanek also talks about having a dream where he is in a field as happy as could be, when a huge storm rolls in and the ground beneath him splits open, Where the field is his past life, and the hole and the storm represent the natzis.

When yanek whales up one day with no Natzis guarding the place, him and many others get confused, and wander outside cautiously. "There- there aren't any guards! he told us. I don't see any guards!" (pg 243) Soon soldiers arrive and Yanek and the other jews think that german soldiers have arrived to kill them, but turns out that they were the allies here to set them free. They all get onto a train and arrive at munch and receive care and supplies from the U.S soldiers.

When yanek first arrives at Munich, he is shocked to be given a simple toothbrush and a bed all to himself. He is grateful to the point where he cries remembering the time when he got his first toothbrush from his now dead mother. "I picked up the tooth brush reverently and cried as I held it in my hands." (pg 249) A few days later while walking outside, he finds one of his old neighbors. Filled with memories, he goes up to her and they hug and talk together. she gives him advice saying that he should go to America saying that there is a free program that would allow him to. he signs up for the program and he leaves for America.