The Jewish Nursery School/We had to save them - Original Title "De crèche"

 

"This story is about courage, hate, and exclusion." You can read in the final pages of this book. It is true.

This book came to my hands by chance, and I never thought I would be so impressed by it. I can't remember the last time I read a book this quickly. I found two different English translations of it, so I'll use its original title in this review.

De Crèche tells the story of a group of Jewish children in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. The children would be separated from their parents. They would go into this institution until it was time to go to the concentration camps. In the middle of such tragedy, these brave young women would go against all the laws to keep them safe. 

Elle Van Rijn's narrative is thoughtful and sweet but never disguises the truth - the horrible truth those people were living in. 

She makes you care

We can't stop reading, you want to know more. You need to know more. The story follows a chronology; you can't avoid feeling a shiver down your spine with each new measure from the Nazi government.

The protagonist is Betty, a 17-year-old girl full of dreams and hopes. But, she grows up fast throughout the story. Her dreams, boys, all those things a 17-year-old cares about, all lose importance because she is involved in something bigger.

Despite her age, she never stops fighting. Even after losing her family, she keeps protecting those babies with such devotion that you may drop a tear or two. 

Elle Van Rijn is able to do what any great writer should: she makes you care about the characters. You almost can feel their fear. You also want to pick up those kids and take them out of there.

A tormented life

When I finished the book, something really impacted me: Betty survived the war, but despite everything she's done for those children, she still felt she didn't do enough. She still grieved for the ones she couldn't save.

De Crèche is a book full of emotions and courage in a time when being brave could mean your death. It keeps the memory of those brave women alive, and I recommend it.