Levine, Ellen. (1999). Darkness Over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews. New York: Holiday House, 176 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: nonfiction

Summary and Critique

Levine examines the truths behind the Danish citizens'heroic defiance of the Nazi's anti-Semitic laws, beliefs, and practices. She creates gripping narratives out of the real life experiences of twenty-one Danes who were young and active in the growing resistance in 1940. The emphasis of the story is that a very small country managed to save nearly all of its Jewish citizens from German concentration camps by collectively refusing to comply. She begins with the Nazi invasion of Denmark on April

9, 1940, moves through the occupation from 1940-43, and honors those involved in the resistance movement with photos and biographical sketches.

Darkness… is fascinating with its presentation of historical facts and with its focus on real people. The photographs are effective and dramatic. This is also an excellent resource for teaching students that kind actions, compassion, and resisting peer pressure can have positive consequences.

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

War and Peace

The Individual vs. Society

The Holocaust

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

Author/Illustrator Information

Although Levine has written several works of fiction, she primarily writes nonfiction, focusing on heroic deeds performed by regular people. She currently resides in both Salem, New York and New York City.

For more information on Ellen Levine:

http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jhtml?authorID=54&collateralID=5215&displayName=Biography Brief biographical and bibliographical information on Levine.

http://www.ric.edu/astal/authors/ellenlevine.html Biographical information on Levine.

Media Connections

Movies

Rescue in Scandinavia (1994) Documents the rescue efforts of Norway's and Denmark's Jewish populations by Sweden.

The Power of Conscience: the Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews (1991) This documentary uses interviews to explore the Danes'refusal to comply with Hitler's wishes to destroy the Jewish population of Denmark.

The Only Way (1970) A fictional account of a Danish family attempting to flee Denmark during 1943.

Weapons of the Spirit (1989) Citizens of a small French town worked together to save over 5000 Jews.

Online Resources

http://www.ushmm.org The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.

http://www.wiesenthal.com The Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles, CA.

http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/ Museum of Tolerance Learning Center: Foreign Language Holocaust Information.

http://www.mjhnyc.org A Living Memorial to the Holocaust-The Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York, NY.

http://www.vhf.org Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, Brookline, MA.

http://www.socialstudies.com Website complements catalog: sample lessons from activity books, previews of video cassettes, printout web-based activities. Search by key word, author, publisher, media, grade level.

http://www.nikkeiheritage.org National Japanese American Historical Society. Offers resources on internment camps in the United States during World War II.

Related Texts

Levine, Ellen. (1993). Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories. New York: Putnam. Levine documents the courageous acts of youngsters performed during the Civil Rights Movement.

Deedy, Carmen A. (2000). The Yellow Star: the Legend of King Christian X of Denmark. Atlanta: Peachtree. Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. Deedy presents the legend of King Christian X's refusal to allow the Nazis to imprison or murder any Danish Jews.

Polacco, Patricia. (1994). Pink and Say. New York: Philomel Books. Pinkus Aylee, a young African-American soldier in the Union Army, discovers Sheldon Curtis, a young Caucasian Union soldier, as he lay dying in a field. A strong friendship forms as Pinkus and his mother nurse Sheldon back to health. Unfortunately, their attempt to rejoin the army results in tragedy.

Reiss, Johanna. (1972). The Upstairs Room. New York: Crowell. 196pp. True story of a survivor, who, like Anne Frank, had to hide during World War II.

Rochelle, Belinda. (1993). Witness to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights. New York: Lodestar Books. 97 pp. Addresses contributions made to the Civil Rights Movement by pre-adolescents and adolescents.

Muse, Daphne. (1995). Prejudice: Stories about Hate, Ignorance, Revelation, and Transformation. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. An anthology of stories about prejudice.

Teaching Activities

(1) "Art Activity" Using diary entries, journals, old photographs, poetry,

songs, and collected objects, ask students to focus on one primary source and draw or paint a picture of what they hear or see.

(2) "Art, Writing, or Story Telling Activity" Using a photograph from any of the Jewish ghettos during World War II, have students consider it as a section or close up of a much larger picture. Students should complete the picture by drawing or describing out loud or in writing what is not shown in the photograph.

(3) "Descriptive Writing Activity" Using photographs courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collections, 1) describe the subject of the photograph, 2)describe the setting of the photograph and, 3) write a caption.

(Review written by Ann E. Bender and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)