Before reading this book, I knew nothing about what happened in Poland during World War II — except that it couldn’t have been good.

On one side of Germany is France, which the Nazis wanted badly, and on the other side is Poland. Poland butts up right next to Germany. If Sarah Palin lived in Berlin, she’d tell you she could see Poland from her backyard. Due to an alliance between France and England, Poland was the safer bet for Hitler’s early excursions into tyrrany and genocide.

When Germany invaded Poland in September, 1939, England and France declared war on Germany, but no one came to the aid of Poland which fell in less than a month. And the Soviet Union, which would have been in a better position to help, did nothing. The Soviets had signed an agreement with the Nazis, dividing Poland between the two countries. Even at the war’s end in 1944/45, when Germany and the Soviet Union were no long allies, the Soviets merely watched as the German army scorched the earth and slew the last pockets of resistance as they retreated from Poland.

So what was life like for ordinary Poles during that six-year period of German occupation? All the things you would expect from the Nazis happened: the confinement and systematic killing of Jews, the starvation of the citizenry, the brainwashing of non-Jews through vile propaganda, and the formation of a desperate group of resisters. What surprised me, however, was the strategic destruction of the culture itself.

This is the aspect of the war that Madeline Martin explores in The Keeper of Hidden Books. The Germans went after libraries, bookstores, and music performances — anywhere that Poles could enjoy their own culture. Reading a book doesn’t seem like a radical activity until the government forbids. Martin’s young characters form a book club to read books specifically banned by Hitler, and by doing so, they risk their lives.

Of course, Martin does not ignore the other aspects of the occupation. One of the main characters is a Jewish young woman who finds herself trapped in the ghetto. To keep up the spirits of the inhabitants, she finds a way to provide books for them to read. These books provide a lifeline for the people, and the Nazis know it. Reading books and sharing books is subversive and dangerous. The destruction of books is how they plan to destroy the soul of Poland. Ordinary people, however, are willing to risk everything to save their culture.

As we face the ridiculous culture wars in this country with school boards, rogue governors, and legislators attacking teachers and banning books, this inspiring story is a timely reminder of the power of literature to not only offer us an escape, but also to infuse us with courage. Martin’s research is staggering, and her book is one you will not soon forget.