SuitabookSchindler’s Ark
Thomas Keneally
- Reading
- Read in manageable sections and pause to distinguish historical information from the novel’s reconstruction. Discuss emotional reactions without expecting graphic detail to be the only measure of seriousness, and allow space after difficult episodes.
- Themes
- Moral complexity: Schindler is presented as a flawed industrialist and war profiteer who nevertheless risked his life and fortune to save Jewish people. The book presents competing or mixed signals about this.
- Historical testimony and fiction: The novel draws on testimonies from people Schindler saved and was described as unusually documentary or information-like in style. Its restrained presentation may encourage attention to names, places and facts rather than relying mainly on dramatic or lyrical effect.
- Persecution and rescue: The story places rescue efforts within Nazi persecution and the horrors of extermination camps, including gas chambers. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Prepare for Holocaust material involving extermination camps, gas chambers, mass persecution and intense fear. Schindler’s drinking, reckless conduct, marital infidelity and dishonest behaviour are also discussed in relation to his later rescue efforts.