WITHIN THESE WALLS OF SORROW by Amanda Barratt
A Novel of World War II Poland
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Fiction
PUBLISHER: Kregel
RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2023
PAGES: 433
It’s been a full day since I finished reading Within These Walls of Sorrow by Amanda Barratt. Whew. Not since Safely Home by Randy Alcorn has a book so deeply affected me, so stirred me to be someone who actively defies the evil in this world instead of staying in the ‘space between’ good and evil & allowing evil to thrive. Frankly, I don’t even know where to start with a review. There were so many raw emotions that I experienced while reading Within These Walls of Sorrow, and I know mere words aren’t going to do it justice. It’s truly a book that you need to read on your own.
Too often, when learning about World War 2 and the Holocaust, I think the eyes of our heart can tend to glaze over and see the horror of that time in generalities because we are (thankfully) so far removed from it. We often detach from the emotion of it and view it somewhat academically, viewing it as happening to an overall group en masse instead of putting ourselves into the history, instead of seeing each heartbreaking number as a person created in God’s image – a person who could have been our neighbor, our friend, our spouse, our employer, our relative. In some cases, it could have been me or you. With exquisitely gifted storytelling, Amanda Barratt puts us in the middle of the Ghetto, in the middle of the concentration camps, in the middle of the efforts to bring relief and rescue. And, in so doing, she both highlights the individual and tangles our own humanity with theirs, leaving us forever impacted by their stories.
Bottom Line: Brace yourself: on the pages of Within These Walls of Sorrow you will see the worst of that humanity. Evil men and women who not only committed vile and unimaginable acts against others, but also experienced great joy in doing so. Many of them real people (or based on them) who actually perpetrated these horrors. But at the same time, take heart: because on these pages you will also encounter the best of humanity. True heroes who exhibited sacrificial love in its purest form and dared to defy the evil wherever they could. Models of the type of human I want to be, many of whom are also actual historical figures or based on them. Amanda Barratt’s impeccable research allows her neither to shy away from the truth of these atrocities nor share them gratuitously. Instead, she carefully places each scene as an artist paints a masterpiece, with a brush mercifully dipped in hope and grace. I am a better person for having met Zosia and Hania and all the other characters in Within These Walls of Sorrow who were broken by hate and refused to give up on love, who looked evil in the eye and refused to do nothing. A brilliantly-written must-read for every person in the present so we never repeat this part of the past.
(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I purchased for my own collection. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 5 stars / in a class by itself
Amanda Barratt is the Christy Award-winning, ECPA best-selling author of several novels and novellas, including My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a two-time FHL Reader’s Choice Award finalist. She and her family live in northern Michigan. Visit her at www.amandabarratt.net.
Other Recently Featured Books by Amanda Barratt
What about you? What makes you want to read Within These Walls of Sorrow by Amanda Barratt?
Oh, Carrie, this review is such a gift. Truly. Thank you for journeying with this story and crafting this beautiful review. To know this story touched your heart touches mine more than words can say. Thank you, thank you! ❤️
my absolute pleasure, dear one! ❤️
I’ve been waiting for this review ever since you posted the teaser. Outstanding and convincing. I can’t wait for my copy to arrive. Thank you, Carrie!
i can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it!!
Carrie, thank you for this beautifully written review. 🙂
thank you, Regina!
Thanks for the beautiful, touching review, Carrie. Amanda is a superb writer, and I highly recommend all of her books! Her research is impeccable, and her stories are so memorable.
i completely agree with you about Amanda’s writing!
You captured my thoughts exactly. Thanks for the great review. And thanks to Amanda for her outstanding novel.
so very hard to review this one. Such an outstanding novel, you’re right!
Amazing author that breaks our hearts but gives us hope.
so true <3