Hold On To Hope

The Last Bookshop In Prague by Helen Parusel is a powerful, heartbreaking historical novel that I read in just one sitting. The story is fictional but grounded in fact as it surrounds the Nazi occupation of Prague from 1942 to the end of the war. The historians will recognize this as the place of Reinhard Heydrich, the butcher of Prague, and of his fate and the fate of the people of Prague. Fast forward to the end of the war, and once more, the people of Prague will go down in history.

The Nazi occupation was horrendous. Fear and cruelty abounded. Everything was designed to wear down the citizens of Prague – but they were made of stern stuff, and far from being worn down, many brave souls rose up.

The Last Bookshop In Prague is an inspiring read as we hear of the extraordinary bravery of the ordinary people who refused to be silenced.

At the heart of the community is the last bookshop in Prague. Here, although outwardly adhering to the Nazi orders to only stock German books and approved authors, inwardly it was the hub of the resistance.

We see the bravery of the young proprietress as she refuses to stand by and do nothing when Jewish children are in need. She and her family, do what they can, when they can, in order to save lives.