Upon reading the last words of this book, I could only wipe my tears and sigh a very dejected f-word. It took me longer than I expected to finish The Book of Aron, mostly because it made my heart feel so heavy with sadness that I needed to take frequent breaks. Shepard's WWII novel from the perspective of a young Jewish boy in the Warsaw ghetto is nothing short of depressing, but it's also one of the most original and affecting WWII books I've read in a while. 
 Because it is written from the perspective of Aron, who is 8 when the book begins and 13 by the end, this story has a simple and straightforward style to it that makes some of the atrocities described seem more strikingly painful. As an expert smuggler, Aron sees and hears a lot of what happens as the Germans occupy Warsaw and enforce their laws. His luck safely stealing food and goods for his family begins to run out, putting Aron in dangerous situations that you really just can't believe a preteen boy would be in. I really found myself drawn to the story once Aron joins the ranks of Korczak's orphanage. Shepard includes two whole pages of resources he used in order to faithfully portray the Warsaw ghetto and the famous Korczak, who was a heroic man holding the weight of the lives of hundreds of children upon his shoulders. 
 The final 15ish pages hit home the pure evilness that Shepard highlights throughout the book. I was shocked, I was angry, I was embarrassed that this ever happened in the history of the human race. And that final paragraph? (Insert bawling emoji). I know I'll be reflecting on this one for a while. Definitely time for a lighter read next.