THE UNDERGROUND REPORTERS

In the dark days of the Nazi occupation of the Czech Republic, a group of Jewish teenagers refused to allow the suppression of their private thoughts and dreams, as the political climate of their town changed daily with the implementation of life-limiting laws. Barred from ordinary forms of work and recreation, these creative youths formed a community-wide newspaper with positive light-hearted stories, poems, jokes, artwork, and harmless gossip, managing to include the slightest of subversive commentary. They circulated the single copy of the paper among the Jewish families of the community for 20 editions that grew from three to almost 25 pages and became a symbol of resistance and a lifeline connection within the Jewish quarter. Kacer has zeroed in on the positive aspects of this courageous story, overshadowing the inevitably difficult, fatal outcome of many of the participants as deportation orders reached them. Well-paced biographical and anecdotal passages drawn from personal interviews of the few survivors bring a sense of intrigue and thoughtful admiration for these brave, defiant teens. Copies of the original editions and black-and-white photos salvaged from the war add to this incredible piece of Holocaust history. (Nonfiction. 10+)