[.ca] Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story (ISBN 1584301570)

This is a wonderful book.:
It should be required reading for U.S. immigration and consular officials. Having lawful orders to obey (Sugihara's instructions from his government were lawful, and no different from instructions given to US officials) does not absolve one from responsibility for others. This is an important lesson for children and adults. The illustrations are haunting. It is a book that you and your children will not soon forget.

It's a great book:
I'm a 6th grade student who likes to read. I thought the book was interesting. It had good illustrations. If you don't know what a visa is in this story it's like a passport. I don't want to spoil the story for you so I won't tell you anymore of the story.

Each of us can make a difference:
This is such a powerful little book. I used it with my sixth grade class as part of a unit on Japanese internment camps with the books Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury. While these books are excellent at helping students to understand what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II, it wasn't until I read them Passage to Freedom that the students began to more fully understand that they could take a stand as individuals to stop prejudice. Each of us, if we are brave enough, has the power to make a difference. Chiune Sugihara was brave, and he was determined to do what he knew in his heart was right. Because of him, thousands of Jews escaped from certain death. This book is priceless.

A very important book for children and adults.:
A wonderful book, with an important story. Mr. Sugihara was one of those Japanese who do not follow sheepishly every instruction given to him by his government, and thank God! Using his conscience and humanitarian spirit, he helped saved the lives of many Jews, and he did this by disobeying instructions of his own government, which at that time in history was allied with the Nazis. Not only does this story deserve to be told, it needs to be told to an international audience. Mr. Mochizuki has written one of the most important children's books of the 20th century! Bravo!

A real hero:
Ken Mochizuki's excellent telling of the events during the early days of WWII when Chiune Sugihara saved thousand of Jews by giving them visas. In a dark period of Japanese history, one man, a Japanese diplomat, listened to his conscience, discussed the consequences with his wife and children, and chose to do the right thing. After the Russians took over Lithuania, Sugihara was forced to close the Japanese Embassy, but he continued writing visas until the last possible moment. Dom Lee's muted and detailed illustrations superbly enhance the story.