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, and 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 tear 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 work continues Yanek begins to doubt his father's 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 war-torn Poland.

After Yanek's decision to go to a friend's house instead of standing in line for rations he goes home (Pigeon Coop) to find his cousin only. During these chapters, Yanek feels alone, and scared, and hopes that his parents are still alive. When Yanek gets taken to the concentration camp to work he sees Uncle Moshe. This gives Yanek a feeling of relief but from this moment on Yanek knows he can not stand out, he can not be seen, and he can not react to any of the craziness around him. After Yaneks Bar Mitzvah, he has now come to age and will need to be strong. Yanek is feeling determined to stay alive for his parents and will be brave.

As Yanek gets sent to a new place he walks through the mines and he starts to remember all of the beauty in the world and starts to have a sign of relief. After Yanek walks through the mine he starts to believe there is still hope in this wartorn world. Yanek starts to feel more and more determined to stay alive. Yanek starts to fend for himself, but no one can help him. But when Yanek witnesses the beautiful salt mine it is realiving to him.

Yanek is taken to Trzebinia concentration camp where the guards are playing "games" with the prisoners. These games that are being played with the prisoners aren't really games. At the beginning of this chapter Yanek starts to feel Fury he starts to consider dying fighting instead of dying quietly and alone. When Yanek starts to witness other prisoners fighting back he realizes he doesn't like the outcome and other people's lives in danger. Eventually, Yanek realizes he doesn't want to die fighting and he wants to die alone to not risk other peoples lives.

Yanek was picked up and taken to a train car which smelt like puke and urine for multiple days. After the Nazis show a ton of Anti Semitism Yanek will not last much longer without food or water. While Yanek is on the train he watches the man next to him die from starvation. After Yanek witnesses all of this Euphemism he starts to realize that the Nazis try to act like it is okay to do what they are doing to these people but they are killing everyone. Yanek falls asleep to wake up to a man pale as snow and still as board lying on him. Once the train stops right across from some children the kids start throwing snow at Yanek. These children who were trying to hurt Yanek ended up helping him. Yanek decided to eat the snow to help him get water.

Yanek´s Figurative Journey

When Yanek is taken to the gas chambers he starts to have a nervous breakdown. Yanek started thinking of all of the crazy miracles that could happen. While Yanek is in the gas chamber he starts to think that he wants to die. Yanek no longer has the desire to live and is done fighting. Yanek starts to hear the pipe rattling and waits for his time to come. Yanek gets that miracle and gets water instead of gas. This was in the form of a baptism or second chance.

While Yanek is entering Auschwitz he is told death is waiting for him. When Yanek enters the camp he notices a sign that states Arbeit Macht Frei which translates to work sets you free to keep the prisoners calm. At this point in his journey, he is still very determined to stay alive. Yanek runs into a boy named Fred who is the same age as him. Yanek remembers what Uncle Moshe said to him not to make any acquaintances and for no one to know your name. Yanek has a hard time with this because he is lonely and needs someone to talk to. There is some good things about making friends with Fred and there are also some bad things. The reason behind Uncle Moshe´s message is for Yanek not to get hurt if someone he made friends with dies or struggles. Yanek struggled with the loss of Fred when he got hung for being sick and not being able to get out of bed and did not take Uncle Moshe´s advice.

After Yanek leaves Auschwitz he has to march for 12-13 days on end. Yanek will not survive much longer with the constant Deportation. Yanek finds a boy who is lagging in the march, meanwhile, Yanek knows that if you are lagging behind you will get shot. Yanek decides to help the boy puts him on his shoulder and carries him the whole march. Yanek soon realizes he has lost half a loaf of bread that was in his pocket. Yanek is so close to becoming a Musselman that if he does not get food soon he will not be able to work and he will die. So Yanek has to rest or eat something or he will become a Musselman.

During Yanek's time at Bergen-Belsen, he arrived and was in complete shock at what he had heard. He was told to rest for a week and get his strength back. He was given real food and lots and lots of it. Yanek knew there was something up with this he knew that this could not be this good. The next night Yanek was sick to his stomach and had stomach cramps all night and was throwing up. After this Yanek realizes he needs to eat little bits at a time or he will be sick. Yanek then meets a nazi called "Moonface" he had acne scars and a round face. One day Yanek had snow on his face and he got beat and had to play "games" Yanek has to get away from this Nazi or he will not survive. When it was time to decide who was going to work Yanek had to race another boy to see who would live and work.

"And at Buchenwald, as I was to learn, death came for you in many guises." This quote from Yanek shows how Yanek was internally exhausted and started to think that there was no way to survive because no matter what we are Jewish and we will always be punished for this in many different ways. Yanek arrived at Buchenwald and witnessed the Nazis people treating the animals better than they were treating the Jews. Yanek witnessed the guards tying a deer to a fence by his antlers and the guards got in a lot of trouble because when the Nazis hurt the animals they got in lots of trouble. Yanek said that he knows that it is a terrible thing what they are doing to all of the Jews but when the guards hurt the deer it made him quiver. Yanek thinks that it is very unfair that they feed the animals these big huge steaks but then he gets nothing.

Yanek still has a strong will to survive. " I told myself I would not fall down the hole. I would climb out again. The Allies were getting closer, and I was going to be there to welcome them when they got here." As you can see by the novel Yanek was still very eager to survive and was not going to give up. Yanek had dreams about green grass and meadows and dark stormy clouds and falling through a hole in the earth. This dream Yanek had was meant to imitate heaven and hell. The switch from beautiful meadows and green grass to a dark stormy night and falling through a hole has made Yanek become numb and indifferent to all of the craziness going on around him. Yanek continues to let this Persecution continue.

After Yanek's terrible Journey, he gets a reward. The Nazis were gone there were no guards or soldiers anywhere to be found. The Allies came and rescued the prisoners from the Dachau Concentration camp. Yanek was so grateful for this and got sent away to his hometown where he reconnected with Mrs. Immerglick his neighbor who used to yell at him for playing with a ball. She says to Yanek that he has other cousins that he does not know about yet and that they are close by. Yanek meets his cousins and realizes that these people start to become his family.

When Yanek arrived in Munich Germany, the Americans treated him with hospitality. The Americans treated them with beds to sleep in, feasts, and real food, and let them be free and not have to work for anyone. Yanek was watching the reactions of all the other prisoners when they were getting all of this nice stuff Yanek witnessed everybody reacting differently. Everyone missed their families, was stuck, and did not know what to do now. Yanek was taken back to his hometown in the Krakow Ghetto and the first person he saw was his neighbor Mrs. Immerglick. She told him that he had other cousins that he had never met yet nearby and told him to go find them. Yanek went to meet his cousins and they became family to him. Eventually, everyone started telling Yanek to move to America get a good job, and have a better life. Yanek had now survived the war and could survive anything now.