Gr 5 Up—Karen Levine's Hana's Suitcase (Albert Whitman, 2003), winner of numerous literary awards, is the foundation for this compelling documentary. Both versions combine historic and contemporary details about Hana Brady, a victim of the Holocaust, and her brother George, a survivor. The suitcase was the artifact that led a Japanese educator to pursue the history of this Jewish girl from Czechoslovakia who died in Auschwitz. Upon receiving the suitcase, Fumiko Ishioka, children's educator at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum, tried to learn as much as she could about Hana. When Ishioka discovered that Hana's brother was living in Canada, she reached out to him. Her visits to Nove Mesto, Terezin, and Auschwitz are mirrored in artful juxtaposition with George Brady's quest to retrace his sister's life. Old family movies, photos, dramatic representations, and contemporary footage blend in the telling of these two dimensions of Hana's history. George and his daughter travel to his childhood home, to Auschwitz, and then to Tokyo where they're welcomed by students at the museum. Students in Japan, Canada, and the Czech Republic speak with passion against the hatred that led to the Holocaust. Their understanding of Hana's story is rich with honor for this lost child. Japanese elders also share wartime recollections, defining the differences between Japanese victims of Hiroshima and Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The suitcase becomes a central character in the narrative, and then it is discovered that it is a replica. Hana's actual suitcase was destroyed in a deliberate fire. Yet, because its symbolism has such deep emotional impact, the suitcase still calls out for righting wrongs against humanity. While most Holocaust material is inappropriate for younger students, this documentary provides the metaphorical distance to begin broaching this painful aspect of history to children as young as ten or eleven.—Robin Levin, Fort Washakie School/Community Library, WY and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
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