The Choice
What’s inside...
It’s 1944 and sixteen-year-old ballerina and gymnast Edith Eger is sent to Auschwitz. Separated from her parents on arrival, she endures unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. When the camp is finally liberated, she is pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. The horrors of the Holocaust didn’t break Edith. In fact, they helped her learn to live again with a life-affirming strength and a truly remarkable resilience. The Choice is her unforgettable story.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
0-1
Length
289 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
How do you think Dr. Eger’s experiences during the Holocaust shaped her views on freedom and choice?
What does 'The Choice' teach us about the power of hope and resilience in overcoming personal challenges?
Why is it important to forgive not only others but also ourselves?
What are some ways we can apply Dr. Eger's lessons of embracing the possible in our daily lives?
How can making choices, even small ones, impact our lives and the lives of others around us?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to express their feelings about the story and its characters, fostering emotional understanding and empathy.
Discuss personal experiences where making a choice made a significant difference, relating personal stories to the book’s themes to make them more tangible for your child.
Highlight Dr. Eger’s strength and resilience, asking your child how they might act similarly in difficult situations to cultivate problem-solving skills and resilience.
Ask your child to think about what choice means to them and how they feel about the choices they make daily to deepen their understanding of personal responsibility and freedom.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Resilience in the face of adversity
Explanation: Edith Eger's story 'The Choice' illustrates the power of human endurance through hardship, showing how she overcame immense challenges during the Holocaust.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to navigate their own challenges, understanding that they have inner strength to overcome difficulties, whether it's bullying, academic struggles, or personal losses.
Example Lesson: Freedom through forgiveness
Explanation: In 'The Choice', Edith emphasizes the significance of forgiveness as a pathway to mental freedom, narratively sharing how she forgave those who wronged her during the war.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to practice forgiveness, fostering a healthy mental environment by releasing anger and resentment in their interactions with peers and family members.
Example Lesson: Empathy towards others
Explanation: The book champions the importance of understanding and compassion, especially from Edith's perspective as a psychologist empathizing with her clients' trauma.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to empathize with others' feelings and situations, aiding in building strong, supportive relationships with friends and family.
Example Lesson: The importance of choices
Explanation: Edith Eger's memoir underscores that while we cannot control our circumstances, we can choose our responses to them.
Real-World Application: This lesson can teach children that their choices in response to events shape their experiences and can lead to positive outcomes even in adverse conditions.
Example Lesson: Pursuing personal growth
Explanation: Throughout 'The Choice', the continuing theme of personal development is evident as Edith seeks education and self-improvement despite the obstacles she faced.
Real-World Application: This can inspire children to value and pursue their own education and personal development, understanding that growth is possible regardless of the circumstances.