Book Review: Risk, Resilience and Redemption

The official date recognized as the end of the Second World War is September 2, 1945. However, this date did not put an end to all prejudice and maltreatment. Unfortunately, eighty years later those worldly foes still continue.

It’s important to provide today’s youth with true stories from the past. True stories serve as guides for our children as they grow and formulate their opinions and choices in the future.

The nonfiction book, Risk, Resilience, and Redemption, gives middle-grade students a glimpse of what it was it like for two young people to live through the Holocaust slave labor and survive.  

The Author

Frank W. Baker is a nationally recognized media literacy educator and author. He has led hundreds of educator workshops across the United States and is the founder of the Media Literacy Clearinghouse Currently, he serves as an educational consultant specializing in media literacy for students.

In March 2025, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the SC Association of School Librarians in Columbia, SC.

He is an avid nature photographer whose exquisite photos have been published in numerous publications including the North American Nature Photographer’s Association and the official magazine of Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. You can learn more about Baker at www.frankwbaker.com.

Baker is the author of three books and has contributed chapters to several other books. In 2022, Baker’s graphic novel: We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma & Felix Goldberg Story released.

Risk, Resilience and Redemption is based on the same story but presented in a short, illustrated chapter book.

The Publisher

Tree of Life Books is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization “designed to get books into the hands of the public by finding donors willing to contribute so that books on Jewish culture, history, holidays, cooking, and much more, can be purchased and then donated to public schools across the state of Texas.

Risk, Resilience, and Redemption is slated to release in October 2025.

About Risk, Resilience, and Redemption

This is a small book, 6 x 15.9 inches in size, and only fifty-six pages in length.  However, it carries a precious story next generation needs to hear.

Set during WWII, we first read Bluma Tishgarten ‘s story. As Adolf Hitler’s Nazis stormed though her community, Bluma’s family watched their neighbors and friends forced from their homes. Just before the Nazis approached their house, Bluma’s mother tearfully forced Bluma and her sister out the back door and insisted they escape. Their freedom is short-lived and they eventually find themselves in a concentration camp.

After reading about some of Bluma’s experiences, readers then learn about what happened to another Polish Jew, Felix Goldberg.

Both Bluma and Felix were torn from their families and communities. They experienced extreme conditions of brutality including slave labor. After their liberation, they meet and develop a bond.

This book tells of their separate journeys during the war and how they created a life together after the war built on hope, perseverance, and love.

Additional Content

Additionally, there are numerous illustrated graphics in this chapter book which will especially delight visual learners.

Readers can find bonus content online at www.storiesofsurvival.org. There is a fascinating interactive timeline and interactive map as well as a teacher guide.

Also, there are free chapters of the book available for preview online.

Recommendation

I recommend this book for students in grades 5 – 8. It also could be used as a Hi-Lo book for older readers who struggle with reading.

The illustrations and the short chapters entice even the most reluctant of readers. The bibliography and photos are appreciated. The additional online content is helpful and engaging as well.

Another big bonus is the absence of bad language and gore. The author did an excellent job conveying the atrocities of war in an age-appropriate manner.

This book is written for the general public and would be a good fit for any library or classroom. Would you like to win a copy to donate to a library? Or perhaps add it to your own collection?

Giveaway Copy of Risk, Resilience and Redemption

A name will randomly be selected from our email subscriber list on September 17, 2025 as the winner of this book. As always, the winner pays nothing. I pay for all shipping costs. The winner must live in the contiguous United States.

Thank you, Media Masters, for providing a free copy of the book for me to read and review.

I was provided with a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Motivated by the power of story, history, and His Story, Sally Matheny’s passion is telling the next generation wondrous things.

Her nonfiction writing appears in worldwide, national, and regional publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, and The Old Schoolhouse.

She and her husband live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and are blessed with three children, two sons-in-law, and armfuls of grandbabies. Connect with Sally on several social media sites, but her favorite hangouts are at SallyMatheny.com and Pinterest.