Gratitude Fan Letter

Dear Mr. Kertes,
I am writing this to compliment you on “Gratitude,” a book that my entire school just finished or are currently reading. It was good to hear your thoughts on the book, as it was obviously a difficult topic to write about. Your descriptions of Lili and her family seemed to portray those of many Hungarian Jews during the end of the Holocaust.
Obviously a lot has been written about the Holocaust and World War 2, although I’ve never read a book like this one that tells the story of a family and what those who were forced to hide from the Nazi’s had to endure. I also liked how the book talked about what others did to help the Jews that were trying to hide from the German forces. Lili, being the only survivor the day that her family is suddenly taken away by the Nazi’s, is a good character because she probably had the same sad story as many other children during the Holocaust.
I am glad that the book was written by someone who was so close to the Holocaust, and that you were able to effectively portray the lives of those trying to escape the German forces. The book is long and very detailed, so those who read it have an easy time understanding the characters and the situations which I found very useful. You were able to write the book in a dramatic and powerful way, and obviously knew what you were talking about when it came to this topic which is something that not everyone can say.
I have been taught a lot about the Holocaust at school, and find it very interesting, which is why I’m thankful to read a book that details the horror that some of the victims had to deal with upon capture or in hiding. I think that you are doing the world a favour by publishing works about the Holocaust, because it’s important that people understand what happen and that it should never happen again.

Sincerely,
Charlie Deacon