I like to describe myself as a voracious reader, but since I am a college student, I do not get to cuddle up to a book as often as I would prefer. However, I will try to write about books I am reading (or rereading) as often as I can.

The book right now that is consuming me is Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally. A week and a half ago, I decided to watch the movie of the same title again. I wasn’t aware of its being a book originally until a sentence in the credits alerted me to its existence. I tried to resist getting it for about five minutes before ordering it used on Amazon. I’m a sucker for books.

To those who aren’t aware, Schindler’s List, details the true story of how Oskar Schindler saved more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II in Germany.  The author wrote the novel because one of the Jews that Schindler saved asked him to. The same man also was the main convincing force behind Steven Spielberg’s movie adaptation.

It is always a little strange and often frustrating to read the book after you’ve seen the movie, but by what I’ve read so far (I’m about half way in) the movie was extremely similar to the book. Which should be expected in a 3 hour long movie. But even in a 3 hour long movie, there were details that were left out. They were mostly relatively unimportant, but interesting, details like Herr Schindler’s upbringing, which the author devotes an entire chapter to.

A detail that was only hinted at in the movie, but is an important piece for understanding the historical figure of Oskar Schindler is the number of affairs that he managed at the same time with all of the women knowing.

After seeing the movie, one thing that I appreciated about the novel is the spattering of small insights into various people’s lives. For instance, the red girl in the movie has an actual name and personality. She isn’t just a symbol to Schindler.

I would definitely recommend reading the book and then seeing the movie. But be warned: do not attempt to read/watch if you are in a sensitive, feel-good mood. It is a book about history, therefore it contains both the pain and the unexpected humor of events of the past.