(Credit: Justine Apple Photography)

In Last Known Address: The Stumbling Stones of Europe, Kathy Kacer recounts the stories of numerous individuals who died in the Holocaust, earnestly and hauntingly humanizing the lives and experiences of the many who might otherwise be known only as names on lists. Each chapter tells of a person honoured by a stumbling stone plaque, the commemorative tributes made by artist Gunter Demnig. Demnig is the originator of the Stolpersteine Project, a series of plaques installed across more than 30 countries since 1995. Each Stolperstein (German for stumbling stone) bears an individual’s name, birthdate, date of capture, death date, and their fate. These details are inscribed on a brass square attached to a concrete block, then situated in front of the home  the individual last lived before being taken against their will to a concentration camp.

While this book can be a devastating read, it provides important historical context. Kacer begins the collection with the story of a teenage boy named Leone Sabatello from Rome. He survived, but most of his family perished – 21 of his family members were arrested on the same day – and he’s included to demonstrate how vast and widespread the losses were. Though each section is short, they pack a punch; in one, a young family leaves a coded postcard on a train telling of their fate in hopes it will find its way to their relatives. In another, a young woman named Ada is living and working in London when she learns that her family in Rotterdam fears arrest. She then disobeys their wishes and leaves the safety of the U.K. to join them; eventually, they are all arrested. 

Each story starts with historical background before presenting a fictionalized account, told from the perspective of the individual being remembered immediately before or after they were captured. The detailed stories transform each person from names on a page to people who once lived, loved, and experienced horrific circumstances. Kacer not only shares the stories of Jews, but also of other victims of the Nazis, including a gay man, a Roma couple, and a young man with disabilities. The people featured are from Hungary, Ireland, Serbia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the Czech Republic – to illustrate the widespread reach of Hitler’s regime. The inclusion of such a broad spectrum of victims is especially meaningful, as not everyone necessarily knows the full range of the persecution that occurred.

Kacer’s collection undoubtedly will leave many young readers deeply impacted, but also with a new understanding of the dangers of fascism, and a reminder that all who died were real people with rich histories.