The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a day to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.
Here are some recent books on the subject available to borrow with your library card, including inspirational survivor narratives and biographies to help commemorate the observance.
(Note: All Descriptions are taken from the publishers)
The first comprehensive volume to teach about America’s response to the Holocaust through visual media, America and the Holocaust: A Documentary History explores the complex subject through the lens of 100 important documents that help illuminate and amplify key episodes and issues.
A hauntingly true story of a man who made sure the world couldn’t turn a blind eye to the Holocaust– Wilhelm Brasse, the photographer, who immortalized the horrific atrocities we should, and must, never forget.
Using a new technology, recently discovered documents, and sophisticated investigative techniques, a retired FBI agent and a cold case team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest of Anne Frank and her family–and came to a shocking conclusion.
In this unique living testimony, illustrated with nearly 80 color illustrations, a Holocaust survivor shares his experiences to honor the millions, including his friends, whose voices were silenced during the dark days of World War II.
Investigating the death of Herberts Cukurs, a fugitive Nazi from Latvia who had served in her grandfather’s unit, and modern efforts to exonerate him for his past actions, the author explores both her family story and the legacy of the post-Holocaust era in Europe, and how that legacy extends into the present.
A powerful memoir by one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, Tova Friedman, following her childhood growing up during the Holocaust and surviving a string of near-death experiences in a Jewish ghetto, a Nazi labor camp, and Auschwitz.
Drawing on a vast array of sources, including interviews with the last surviving seamstress, this powerful book tells the story of the brave women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, exposing the greed, cruelty and hypocrisy of the Third Reich.
Freedland tells the incredible story of Rudolf Vrba–the first Jew to break out of Auschwitz, a man determined to warn the world and pass on a truth too few were willing to hear–elevating him to his rightful place in the annals of World War II alongside Anne Frank, Primo Levi, and Oskar Schindler and casting a new light on the Holocaust and its aftermath.
In early 1940 Chaim Herszman was locked into the Lódz Ghetto in Poland. Hungry, fearless, and determined, Chaim goes on scavenging missions outside the wire fence–where one day he is forced to kill a Nazi guard to protect his secret. That moment changes the course of his life and sets him on an unbelievable adventure across enemy lines.
In this uplifting memoir, a Holocaust survivor pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life.
During the first ghetto massacre, Miriam Rabinowitz rescued a young boy named Philip by pretending he was her son. Nearly a decade later, a chance encounter at a wedding in Brooklyn would lead Philip to find the woman who saved him. And to discover her daughter Ruth was the love of his life. From a little-known chapter of Holocaust history, one family’s inspiring true story.
A ninety-eight-year-old Holocaust survivor–and TikTok sensation thanks to her great-grandson–relays the details of her harrowing experiences at Auschwitz and how, after losing so much, she was able to build a new life for her family and herself.
The remarkable story of ninety-nine-year-old Stella Levi whose conversations with the writer Michael Frank over the course of six years bring to life the vibrant world of Jewish Rhodes, the deportation to Auschwitz that extinguished ninety percent of her community, and the resilience and wisdom of the woman who lived to tell the tale.
Featuring moving firsthand testimony from surviving pupils, and drawing from letters, diaries, and present-day interviews, The School that Escaped the Nazis is a dramatic human tale that offers a unique perspective on Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. It is also the story of one woman’s refusal to allow her belief in a better world to be overtaken by hatred and violence.
A memoir recounting the author’s trip with his survivor father to Eastern Europe to locate the bridge where his uncle was killed on the way to Auschwitz.
This year the Lunar New Year—one of the most popular holidays in the world for several East Asian cultures—started on Sunday, January 22nd, and celebrations will culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 5th.
This is The Year of the Rabbit (for people of Chinese and Korean heritage) and the Year of the Cat (for people of Vietnamese heritage) and festivities can last from a few days up to just past two weeks.
Though Lunar New Year traditions may vary among the different Asian American communities, food is always a main element of festivities.
Here are some Chinese and South East Asian themed cookbooks to help you prepare for festive feasts or even less elaborate dishes that can be whipped up for breakfast, lunch or dinner anytime during the rest of the year.
Note: All descriptions are taken from the publishers
Experienced Asian cookbook author Maki Watanabe provides all her secret recipes and tips for creating delicious Asian noodle dishes at home with minimal fuss and time. These 86 noodle recipes cover the Asian cuisines best known for their noodle dishes: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. They include all the classics that are already well-loved in the West–from Vietnamese Pho to Korean Japchae, and Pad Thai to Chinese Wonton Noodles (with gluten-free options available in the form of Japanese Soba and Udon noodles). However, this book also highlights many lesser-known classics that are popular in Asia but not yet widely found in Western restaurants.
There’s nothing quite like the taste of authentic Chinese food, but making it at home can feel intimidating. Enter the Instant Pot. This cookbook features the most comprehensive collection of Chinese recipes adapted to this magnificent multi-cooker so you can say goodbye to takeout and hello to delicious Chinese meals made at home with the push of a button.
Chinese-ish celebrates the confident blending of culture and identity through food–take what you love and reject what doesn’t work for you. You’ll find a bounty of inauthentic Chinese-influenced dishes from all over South-East Asia, including all the best rice and noodle dishes, wontons, and dumplings. There are also plenty of tips and shortcuts to demystify any tricky-sounding techniques, and a reassuring list of pantry staples and where to find them.
Like many of his predecessors, chef Chris Cheung was inspired by the place where he grew up, lived, worked, and ate. From take-out orders at tiny hole-in-the wall teahouses to the lush green vegetables piled high at the markets, celebration dinners at colossal banquet halls to authentic home-cooked meals, Chinatown’s culinary treasures and culture laid the groundwork for his career as a chef and serve as the creative force behind this book. In addition to learning the technique to make his widely revered dumplings, this cookbook includes fifty mouth-watering dishes that pay homage to the cooking traditions of Chinatown and celebrate this remarkable, resilient neighborhood.
In this stunning exploration of identity through food, the blogger behind Little Fat Boy presents 80 recipes that defined his childhood as a first-generation Taiwanese American growing up in the Midwest.
New York Times staff writer Eric Kim grew up in Atlanta, the son of two Korean immigrants. Food has always been central to his story, from Friday-night Korean barbecue with his family to hybridized Korean-ish meals for one–like Gochujang-Buttered Radish Toast and his Kimchi Fried Rice–that he makes in his tiny New York City apartment. In this book, Eric shares these recipes alongside insightful, touching stories and stunning images shot by photographer Jenny Huang. Playful, poignant, and informative, Korean American: A Cookbook also includes essays ranging from the life-changing act of leaving home and coming back, to what Thanksgiving means to a first-generation family both conceptually and culinarily–all the while teaching readers about the Korean pantry, the history of Korean immigration in America, and the importance of white rice in Korean cuisine.
A “wildly inventive” (Food & Wine) James Beard Award-winning chef interprets one of Asia’s greatest cuisines for the everyday eater. The best Korean food is Korean home cooking. The cornerstones of every meal are kimchi and white rice, and once you unlock that perfect marriage of flavor, the universe of wholesome, vegetable-centric cooking will inspire healthy eating, every day. In this insightful and endearing cookbook, new flavors, techniques, and ways to enjoy one of the world’s greatest cuisines are revealed by chef and father Peter Serpico. Born in Seoul and raised in Maryland, Serpico’s route to Korean food came long after making a name for himself in New York City restaurants. His first bites of marinated short ribs and black bean noodles tasted like home, and a love affair with the flavors and techniques of his birthplace began. His debut cookbook draws from his decades of professional cooking experience to elevate the greatest hits of at-home Korean dishes.
Food blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) introduces you to Chinese bakery cooking with fresh, simple interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker. Inside, you’ll find sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, whimsical cakes, juicy dumplings, Chinese breakfast dishes, and drinks. Recipes for steamed BBQ pork buns, pineapple buns with a thick slice of butter, silky smooth milk tea, and chocolate Swiss rolls all make an appearance–because a book about Chinese bakeries wouldn’t be complete without them.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Abigail Raines traveled extensively in Southeast Asia to bring its flavors right to your plate. Her travels taught her that noodles and rice are the perfect canvas for the sweet, salty and spicy flavors of Asian cuisine―inspiring her to create this delicious collection of recipes.
New to cooking? Don’t worry about it! You can cook Korean like a pro. If you’ve always wanted to make your favorite Korean dishes at home, Simply Korean is for you. With streamlined techniques, minimal ingredients, and clear instructions, you’ll learn the easiest methods to make fried rice, bulgogi, kimchi, and more without sacrificing taste. Master the art of banchan and impress your guests with an epic K-BBQ party. Can’t travel to Seoul? Recipes for tteokbokki and hotteok bring these street food favorites to your kitchen.
Shamsydar Ani’s taste buds have always been adventurous. Thanks to them, dishes from her modern South East Asian kitchen runs the gamut from local classics to global favourites — made halal, of course. From ayam goreng berempah (crispy fried chicken) and kway teow goreng (stir-fried rice noodles) to za’atar crusted salmon and New York cheesecake, this collection is loaded with a refreshing variety of flavours that will put some zest into your meals. It also includes an introduction to the halal diet and suggested replacements for common non-halal ingredients.
In The Vegan Chinese Kitchen, through gorgeous photography, stories, and recipes, Hannah Che shows us the magic of this highly developed and creative tradition in which nearly every dish in the Chinese repertoire can be replicated in a meatless way, such as Blistered Dry-Fried String Beans or Sweet and Sour Tofu. You’ll also find recipes that are naturally plant-based and as irresistible as they are nourishing, such as flaky scallion pancakes, corn stir-fried with peppers and pine nuts, or pea shoots braised in a velvety mushroom broth made with sesame-oil roux.
A vegetarian follow-up to the very popular Chinese Soul Food cookbook that includes 75 plant-based comfort food recipes you can make at home. Chinese Soul Food drew cooks into the kitchen with the assurance they could make this cuisine at home. Though a popular cuisine across North America, Chinese food can be a little intimidating. But author Hsiao-Ching Chou’s friendly and accessible recipes work for everyone, including average home cooks. In this new collection, you’ll find vegetarian recipes for stir-fries, rice and noodle dishes, soups, braises, and pickles. Of course, the book wouldn’t be complete without vegetarian versions of Chou’s famously delicious dumplings, including soup dumplings and shu mai, as well as other dim sum delights. Separate chapters feature egg and tofu recipes. From Cauliflower with Spiced Shallot Oil to Kung Pao Tofu Puffs, and from Hot and Sour Soup to Ma Po Tofu to Steamed Egg Custard, these recipes will satisfy your every craving for classic Chinese comfort food–and all without meat.
Drawing upon decades of experience, as well as the hacks her own mom used coming from Vietnam to America, award-winning author Andrea Nguyen shows you how to use everyday ingredients to create true Vietnamese flavors at home–fast. With Nguyen as your guide, there’s no need to take a trip to a specialty grocer for Vietnamese favorites such as banh mi, dumplings, lettuce cups, and pho, as well as recipes for Honey-Glazed Pork Riblets, Chile Garlic Chicken Wings, Turmeric Coconut Rice, and No-Churn Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream. Nguyen’s tips and tricks for getting Viet flavors from ingredients at national supermarkets are indispensable, liberating home cooks and making everyday cooking easier. Her approachable methods, as well as her hardworking tips, give you all the tools you need to make Vietnamese dishes a part of your regular meal rotation.
J. Kenji López-Alt’s debut cookbook, The Food Lab, revolutionized home cooking, selling more than half a million copies with its science-based approach to everyday foods. And for fast, fresh cooking for his family, there’s one pan López-Alt reaches for more than any other: the wok. Whether stir-frying, deep frying, steaming, simmering, or braising, the wok is the most versatile pan in the kitchen. Once you master the basics–the mechanics of a stir-fry, and how to get smoky wok hei at home–you’re ready to cook home-style and restaurant-style dishes from across Asia and the United States, including Kung Pao Chicken, Pad Thai, and San Francisco-Style Garlic Noodles. López-Alt also breaks down the science behind beloved Beef Chow Fun, fried rice, dumplings, tempura vegetables or seafood, and dashi-simmered dishes. Featuring more than 200 recipes–including simple no-cook sides–explanations of knife skills and how to stock a pantry, and more than 1,000 color photographs, The Wok provides endless ideas for brightening up dinner.
The funny and poignant family behind the hugely popular multigenerational blog, The Woks of Life, share 100 of their favorite home-cooked and restaurant-style Chinese recipes, along with game-changing Chinese cooking secrets, that will become a part of your family story, too
