I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Library of Forbidden Books by Mario Escobar Published by Thomas Nelson Incorporated on September 4, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / General, Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II & Holocaust, Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / War & Military
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
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In a world of burning books, one woman will risk everything to keep stories alive.
Berlin, 1933. The vibrant cultural heart of Germany is darkening under the shadow of the Nazi regime. For Helene Nathan, one of the first female librarians at a prestigious German library, the books she cherishes are no longer just sources of knowledge--they are targets. As the government begins its systematic purge of literature, compiling lists of "forbidden" works and orchestrating public book burnings, Helene realizes she cannot stand by as her world turns to ash.
Determined to resist the encroaching tyranny, Helene and her colleagues embark on a perilous mission of secretly collecting and hiding the very books slated for destruction. It's a dangerous act of defiance in a city where every neighbor could be an informant and the Gestapo are a constant, looming threat. Her quiet rebellion is especially complicated by the fact that Helene is half-Jewish, and Rudolf Kummer, a ruthless Nazi official, seemingly has a personal vendetta against her.
As the stakes escalate and friends and neighbors begin to disappear, Helene must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice. Her fight is not just for the pages she saves, but for the very soul of her country and the freedom to think.
Based on the heroic true stories of librarians who fought back, Library of Forbidden Books is a gripping tale of courage, the profound power of literature as resistance, and one woman's struggle to preserve humanity in the face of absolute evil.
The first thing to know is that this book is translated from Spanish to English. We should all know by now that you do lose nuance in translation, as things don’t always translate the same. I strongly felt that the theme of this book would stand up to translation even if little bits were lost. I mean, if you are bookish at all, then the idea of saving books will stand the test of time. And in Nazi Germany, with a half-Jewish woman, it’s a unique take on this time period in world history. While I enjoyed the story there were important things missing for me and while some could be translation related I think it goes deeper than that.
Listen, I’m going to drop some spoilers here, so feel free to skip this paragraph if you don’t want them, but I think it’s necessary to tell my story with this book. I talked about translation, and I think that may play in. Written from a European perspective, I think there’s some things that don’t have a translation. I read a great story based on a real person, but that’s just it. It’s a great story, but I didn’t ever feel. This woman lost her family, did some time in a ‘work camp’, found out she was pregnant and gave birth (eerily fast in that work camp, and was targeted for who she was and what she did. And I felt nothing of it. The book felt nonsense. Every obstacle that would have brought deep emotion to Helene was instead met with solutions. And I get it, no matter if you are in Nazi Germany or navigating a job loss, solutions are needed. But there’s also deep feelings that go with that. Sadness, fear, panic- I could go on, but you get it. It felt like Helene, and her friends and family, didn’t really experience the emotions. They were sorta written in, but there was no actual feeling. There was a good story, but I really missed what could have been a great story that really set the stage for something deeply meaningful.
There’s a lot of good stuff in this book. Turning in those around you as dissidents because you don’t like them, their look, what they said one time, or they annoy you. Bonus points, as no proof is required to ruin someone’s life. We’ve all read about it in books, learned about it in school (hopefully); we have some reference to the travesty that was Germany. There’s a lot of historical fiction about WW2 and it’s getting difficult to find books that tell a different story. This is that book. Yes, I wish it had more depth and feeling. I wish that the transitions were less rough. But it’s that story. Something different than what is flooding the book market for this time period. And for that alone I enjoyed this book.
About Mario Escobar
Author Betseller with thousands of books sold worldwide. His works have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, English, Russian, Portuguese, Danish, French, Italian, Czech, Polish, Serbian, among other languages. Novelist, essayist and lecturer. A graduate in History and Diploma in Advanced Studies in the specialty of Modern History, he has written numerous articles and books on the Inquisition, the Protestant Reformation and the religious sects.
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