My Brother's Keeper by Rod Gragg

Thirty captivating profiles of Christians who risked everything to rescue their Jewish neighbors from Nazi terror during the Holocaust. 

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER unfolds powerful stories of Christians from across denominations who gave everything they had to save the Jewish people from the evils of the Holocaust. This unlikely group of believers, later honored by the nation of Israel as "The Righteous Among the Nations," includes ordinary teenage girls, pastors, priests, a German army officer, a former Italian fascist, an international spy, and even a princess. 

In one gripping profile after another, these extraordinary historical accounts offer stories of steadfast believers who together helped thousands of Jewish individuals and families to safety. Many of these everyday heroes perished alongside the very people they were trying to protect. There is no doubt that all of their stories showcase the best of humanity--even in the face of unthinkable evil.

My review:

  This was a fascinating book to read. I know from studying history that there were many who helped rescue and protect Jews during the Holocaust, but I have never read a book that compiled several of those people together.

 The book has 30 chapters, with each chapter chronicling the story of a Christian, or sometimes a couple of Christians, who risked their lives to help protect Jews from being captured and killed. These stories are interesting, yet also sobering as it brings to mind the horror of the Holocaust. It is also challenging to realize what so many people risked to do the right thing.

 This is not a quick read, but is one I enjoyed. These are real people who did the right thing, no matter how hard that was to do. The author did a great job of telling these stories in a concise and interesting way that kept my attention, and helped me learn more about this horrible time in history.

This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

ROD GRAGG is a historian and the author of more than twenty books on topics in American history. His works have been selections of the Book-of-the-Month Club, the History Book Club, and the Military History Book Club. His literary awards include the Douglas Southall Freeman History Prize, the Fletcher Pratt Award, and the James I. Robertson Award. One of his books, Confederate Goliath, was the basis of a PBS film of the same name, and another, Forged in Faith, was nominated for the George Washington Book Prize. He and his family live in South Carolina, where he serves as director of the CresCom Bank Center for Military & Veterans Studies at Coastal Carolina University.


My Brother's Keeper is available from Center Street Publishing, part of the Hachette Book Group.