The children in the book had similar experiences as the actual children of the Holocaust. For example, children such as Sami and Peri were difficult to travel with because they would risk getting caught. …show more content…
In the novel, Selva Hanim says about Sami and Peri, “‘ if something should happen en route, they’ll have to act as if they are Turkish’” (Kulin, 2002, p.252). Similarly, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum says, that if they had no choice but go in public, “They kept away from situations where their true identity might be exposed” (Life In The Shadows, n.d.). Children were difficult to pretend to be non-Jewish because they were too young to understand their situation or get too nervous when they were forced to lie about their identity. Aşye Kulin’s description of the children Sami and Peri was accurate because children of the Holocaust were just as difficult as the fictional characters in the book because they were forced to learn a new language and customs which was too difficult for young children. Additionally, in the book Selva Hanim says “‘I’m giving Turkish lessons. So they don’t run into trouble on the way’” (Kulin, 2002, p.179). In …show more content…
Characters such as Nazim Kender and Tarik Arica used their political power to help the Jews escape similarly to the actual people in Word War 2. For instance, in the book The Holocaust Heroes, the author says “Professionals often had opportunities to rescue Jews and devoted their lives to saving others” (Fremon, 1998, p.30). Likewise in the book, Nazim Kender, the consul of Turkey states, “‘Furthermore, I have diplomatic immunity. Rest assured, raising your hand might lead to a diplomatic scandal’” (Kulin, 2002, p.197). Nazim Kender and Tarik Arica threatened the German soldier to let the Jews go or else they would be forced to use their power and fire him. These Turkish consuls were professionals and rescued the Jews even though it meant risking their lives. This is true because actual politicians would help Jews escape during World War 2 as well. Jewish people who had connections with consuls and politicians would ask to help rescue them. Furthermore, Nazim Kender says, “‘Look who we’ve got here, Halim. Our Peri and Sami are here’” (Kulin, 2002, p.199). Similarly,“‘one time we escaped because I happened to know one of the policemen’” said Kurt Loewenthal in The Holocaust Heroes (Fremon, 1998, p.30). This book accurately describes the consul Nazim Kender knowing the German soldier named Halim on the train to the death camp. Kender says to Halim that he must let the Jews