Module 6: Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness

Schmidt, Gary. 2001. Mara’s Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness. Henry Holt and Company: New York. ISBN: 0-8050-6794-9

The Holocaust is considered one of the sinister periods in world history. Instead of investigating the horror of this event, Gary Schmidt chooses to write of this tale using an unconventional but effective angle. Mara is a young woman trapped in a concentration camp. Every night the other women in her barrack gather around her bed for tales of hope, pain, desperation, and miracles. Each chapter is a separate tale told by Mara. Mr. Schmidt chose for Mara to relay a wide variety of types of tales. Shards and Unexpected Treasure are stories of betrayal and treachery. The “Good Morning” tells of a miraculous escape from death. A Calf is a Calf and The Pretzel Bakers are tongue in cheek tales about the foolishness of the Nazis. While these stories are not true, they are based on other tales or collections of tales. Mr. Schmidt provides extensive notes outlining his sources and methods for acquiring each account. This book would make an excellent Holocaust introductory novel for younger students. It exposes the hardship and despair of the events without the overwhelming graphic description often included in Holocaust literature.