Ruta's Closet tells the compelling Holocaust story of a Jewish family, imprisoned in the tiny Shavl ghetto in Lithuania. The Kron family survived the horror of the Nazi regime, thanks to the resourcefulness of Meyer and Gita Kron and the bravery of their rescuers. While Ruta's Closet is based on fact, it reads like fiction. The drama of the events described and the richness of the characters make it a compelling work of narrative nonfiction-as intriguing as it is inspirational. The Krons are the focus but horrific events in the ghetto are also revealed, including mass murders, a Nazi ban on births, the removal of all children to the Auschwitz gas chambers. All dreadful events; but accounts of brave rescues and daring acts offer hope for humanity. Ruta's Closet is also central to a Holocaust awareness podcast series, available from all popular platforms. High School teachers can also download a teacher's guide and classroom activities recommendations, authored by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. Adult readers can download Book Club Talking Points, also authored by VHEC. Both guides, along with additional informative audio and text material, are hosted at the book's interactive website, rutascloset.com.
