A Polish aristocrat's anti-Nazi activities
Countess Karolina Lanckoronska's account makes for a riveting read. Though much of the book details her anti-Nazi activities which eventually lands her in Ravensbruck, the women's concentration camp, it also documents her time in the camp in chilling detail. We learn of female inmates being subjected to inhuman medical experiments, earning them the nicknames of 'rabbits' leaving most of the survivors scarred for life. The Countess' resilience comes across very vividly...she refuses special treatment, ever defiant till her liberation. She teaches art to the inmates [hence the title] and through it all, she maintains her sense of dignity and pride. Although this is not strictly Holocaust literature, it is an important piece of historical literature, being from a Gentile's point of view, and also helping us understand how this period in history affected not just Jews but people of other faiths and nationalities as well, and is an important book for those interested in the period.