PAUL DONOVAN is chilled by the contemporary resonance of Harper Lee’s coming of age tale amidst racism and white supremacy in this excellent production
Marie Jalowicz Simon was a “U-boat” — the name given to those enemies of the nazis, mainly Jews, who went underground rather than face the mechanised death of the concentration camps.
Her clear-eyed memoir, after a brief description of early childhood and family circumstances, moves on to her time as a forced labourer in the Spandau factory of the Siemens company.
Establishing a theme that runs throughout this extraordinary account, wonderfully translated by Anthea Bell, Simon recalls not only her own will to survive but the collective spirit of solidarity and resistance of those facing humiliation, exposure and death.
MARJ MAYO sees the contemporary relevance of this account of the consequences of a society’s accommodation with evil
JULIA TOPPIN recommends Patti Smith’s eloquent memoir that wrestles with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime
On May 16 1944, Romani families in Auschwitz-Birkenau armed themselves with stones, tools, and sheer collective will, forcing the SS to retreat – leaving a legacy of defiance that speaks directly to the fascisms of today, says VICTORIA HOLMES
Spanish dictator Francisco Franco died 50 years ago today November 20. JIM JUMP looks back at his blood-soaked rule and toxic legacy on Spain today


