The true story of how three students at a Kansas school create a National History Day project based on a single paragraph news report, and ultimately uncovered the heroic actions of a Polish woman, Irena Sendler, who managed to save over 2,500 (not a misprint) Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War 2. 

I was recommended this book by a work colleague the best part of 2 years ago, but it's only just reached the top of my TBR pile. I read the ebook, but it's currently available as part of your Audible membership if you're interested in a free listen!

The book is split into three distinct parts, starting in Kansas and introducing you to the students, Liz, Megan and Sabrina, as they are pulled into the project and start their research alongside their teacher, Mr C. I'll be honest, this did throw me a little bit to start with; I was fully expecting Irena's story to be front and centre, but instead you're confronted with a misfit who acts out and an almost stereotypical smart kid who manages to balance her schoolwork with 101 extra curriculars, a boyfriend and helping out on her parents' farm. But actually, it's a really clever way to draw the reader in, immersing you in Irena's story through these girls' eyes first and allowing you to experience their emotions as they learn more about this forgotten hero and the horrors of Nazi occupation. Only then do you move on to hear Irena's actual story, seeing her work through the difficulties and determined to help where she can, before being shown the impact both of her help, and the students bringing their project to wider audiences. It's only once you've finished reading that you realise how powerful addressing things in this way is.

This is written as 'creative non-fiction'. Essentially, it reads like a novel, where individual conversations might be invented and characters given names where they might not otherwise be known, but the action and bones of the story are factual. I think this is the perfect medium for a story like this; what you're reading is a reliable account as far as possible, but it also allows you a deeper insight into the people involved and the events they were a part of. I don't think a purely factual account would have done it justice, and indeed it seems very reflective of the Life in a Jar project itself. 

So many moments are beautifully illustrated and hard-hitting; the deterioration in health of Irena's friend Ewa, for example. Objectively, we know how Jews were treated in the Ghetto and we've seen pictures of their suffering. But this not only puts a name to a face, but makes those photographs come alive; it makes them live again and makes them 'real' to those of us who are far removed from those experiences. It also goes beyond the history of WW2 to examine the reasons why this woman and so many like her were forgotten and ignored by history in the years afterwards, when they should have been lauded, and how hard it can be to drag their stories back into the light. Even this story still continues.

It's by no means an easy read (especially part two), but equally there is this thread of positivity that runs through the whole work which lifts the spirits even in the darkest and most heart-stopping moments. 

My only criticism is that, in places (particularly when telling the student's stories), the writing does become a little clunky; there are details given about the girls that don't always seem necessary, that are repeated or that seem to spring from nowhere. On a couple of occasions I thought I'd missed something earlier in the text, so I was left a bit confused about one of the girls' backstories, and introductions to new members of the project aren't always particularly clear. In some respects, it feels like the majority of effort was put into writing Irena's story. That's fine and understandable, but equally these students deserve just as much attention for 'rescuing the rescuer'. 

I'd be very interested to see a performance of Life in a Jar, and to read other material about Irena's life. Defining someone who deserves to be recognised more!