When Light Pierced the Darkness

Nechama Tec's incisive account of the rescue of Jews by Christians in Nazi-occupied Poland draws heavily on her own childhood experiences. Her in-depth study - the first of its kind - contrasts the attitudes and behaviour of altruistic helpers, and paid rescuers. She discovers a fascinating pattern, in which altruistic Christians applied their customary practise of helping the needy, without regard for their own safety, whereas paid rescuers acted with the motive of removing the Jews and the danger they represented to Poland. This is a deeply affecting book, which deals squarely with the ingrained anti-Semitism in Polish society, yet pays tribute to the extraordinary risks taken by Polish people on behalf of their Jewish compatriots.