Living with Honor: Resistance Book Review

It all started one rainy day. I had been given a copy of A Night Divided, and the result was a book that kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly turning pages.

Nearly a year later, I checked out Resistance and began reading.

The result? Jennifer A. Nielsen kept me on the edge of my seat. Again.

Review Note~

This is the first time I’ve written a review on my blog, so a quick run-through of my method:

I usually try and focus on my thoughts in general. On top of that, I'll be sharing a bunch of favorite quotes, warnings, a rating, genre, discussion of the theme, and the age range.

Without further ado, let’s jump in!

Blurb~

Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people.

Soon Chaya joins a resistance cell that runs raids on the Nazis' supplies. But after a mission goes terribly wrong, Chaya's network shatters. She is alone and unsure of where to go, until Esther, a member of her cell, finds her and delivers a message that chills Chaya to her core, and sends her on a journey toward an even larger uprising in the works — in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Though the Jewish resistance never had much of a chance against the Nazis, they were determined to save as many lives as possible, and to live — or die — with honor.

My thoughts~

Resistance is a compelling read with an impactful storyline and main character who is determined to live with honor.

Chaya’s determination and her brains played a big part in her journey. Part of me was living in the real world--and part of me was living in her world. A world of danger, excitement, and intrigue.

The descriptions were what brought me in. Jennifer A. Nielsen does an amazing job with making you feel as though you’re right in Germany, with the descriptions of the ghettos (*shiver*) and the horrible mistreating of the Jews. The suspense was incredible.

With that aside, I want to dive into what I didn’t like. *hides*

Some parts (especially the ones in Warshaw) seemed to drag on and on. I grew slightly impatient with Chaya and how she could actually sleep when people were dying all around her. Sometimes she seemed kind and caring, other times she couldn’t care less for the people she didn’t know, and I felt that it was unrealistic that she would just shrug and walk away if strangers died.

I didn’t get a good grasp of Esther’s character. At first, I thought she was a little girl (since she seemed so timid), but then, later on, she talked about getting married. She seemed so young partway through the book but then was mentioned that she was a teenager around Chaya’s age.

Oh, but Esther. Her scarf knitting made me laugh.

There were some weird time jumps at the beginning, though I couldn’t tell whether they were time jumps or if they were happening in the course of the story. Also, the second and third chapters felt a bit like an info dump.

I also felt like Chaya could’ve changed in the end. Looking at it from an author’s point of view, there was potential for a good subplot in her realizing whether it was right to murder and kill in defense. At one point in the story, Chaya’s beliefs were challenged by the three children in Lodz that might’ve seemed potential for a positive character arc or at least a change in viewpoint. But unfortunately, nothing really came of it.

However, I really did hate those German soldiers with a vengeance. Jennifer A. Nielsen did a really good job of making them very unlikeable.

I loved the whole message of living with honor and virtue in the face of hopelessness.

Jennifer A. Nielsen really sheds light on the Jewish resistance and how hard they tried to fight evil.

Genre~

Resistance is unmistakably historical fiction. The characters are fictional, but the events were very real indeed.

Warnings~

As this book is set in a horrific time period for the Jews, death, killing, and blood is mentioned continually. There are also various explosives, weapons, and tanks, and some descriptions of each. As well as numerous fight scenes, explosions, bombers, and guns. A few characters were shot to death (or injured) in scenes, as well as injured by German soldiers. There are also mentions of the Jewish holidays and faith in God.

If this may sound daunting, I want to clarify that most gory scenes are not written in great detail. They mention people “being shot, one by one” but there’s very little detail past that.

Rating~

I’d give this 4 stars. The descriptions were good, but the lack of character development was slightly disappointing. I could sympathize with a lot of the characters though, and the message was impactful and thought-provoking.

Favorite lines~

• Death had become normal here, inevitable. And since there was nothing to fear from the normal, attempting to delay one’s death seemed almost illogical, like resisting the urge to breathe.

• “We are fighting for our three lines of history just so that it will not be said that our youth went like sheep to the slaughter.”

• “Let us be foolish, then, because if we save even one life, we are the best of fools.”

• I silently vowed again never to quit fighting, never to accept defeat. And always to remember that every act of resistance mattered.

Age range~

I’d say this book is for the 12+ age range. There’s a lot of violence, but it’s not described in detail, which makes it acceptable for mature 12-year-olds. However, I’d encourage you to use your own judgment.

Resistance was a good read that displays courage, honor, and sacrifice. It explores deep themes and the horror of the persecution of the Jews without being depressing or weighty. I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy books in this time period.