Second Story Press issues 20th anniversary edition of Hana's Suitcase
Karen Levine’s book about the impact of the Holocaust on one girl’s life has reached readers around the world
To commemorate its 20th anniversary, Second Story Press is reissuing the classic children's nonfiction book Hana's Suitcase, by author Karen Levine.
Adapted from Levine's 2001 CBC Radio documentary of the same name, the award-winning book has reached people in more than 40 countries and languages, bringing the history of the Holocaust to young readers and raising awareness about antisemitism that continues today.
LISTEN | CBC Radio Documentary: The Story of Hana's Suitcase
Hana's Suitcase traces how Fumiko Ishioka, the curator of a small Holocaust education centre for children in Tokyo, came across an empty suitcase in a shipment from the Auschwitz Museum for an exhibit she was planning in the spring of 2000. Writing on the outside of the suitcase identified its owner: "Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Waisenkind."
Levine's story follows Ishioka in her search through history — from present-day Japan, Europe and North America back to 1938 Czechoslovakia — to find out more about the life of young Hana Brady. Ishioka discovers how Hana, her parents and older brother George — who later ended up in Canada — had their lives upended by the invasion of the Nazis.
Since the book's initial publication in 2002, Hana's Suitcase has won dozens of awards in Canada and worldwide, including recognition from the United Nations and the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Over the years, the story has also been adapted for the stage and as a feature-length documentary film.
"While there is mystery, coincidence, connection and even a little joy in Hana's Suitcase, at the heart of the story is a tragedy and a warning about the deadly consequences of war and racism," said Levine, a former veteran producer and documentarian with the CBC, who has travelled around the world — including Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, the U.K. and the U.S. — to discuss the book.
"In a world where Nazi symbols abound, where antisemitism is on the rise and millions of people are fleeing for the lives from Ukraine, the story of one little girl and her suitcase is all too timely. I wish that weren't the case."
Hana's Suitcase is part of Second Story Press' Holocaust Remembrance Series for young readers aged 9-13 and remains one of the Toronto-based feminist publisher's bestselling titles.
LISTEN | A look back at Hana's Suitcase
"Originally, we wanted to re-release Hana's Suitcase primarily as a celebration of Canada's most-awarded children's book, beloved by a readership that spans dozens of countries worldwide," Second Story publisher Margie Wolfe told CBC Books.
"But with the rise of hate incidents in our own schools, including many which are antisemitic, the need for literature which reminds young readers of the horrific consequences of the Holocaust is even greater."
The 20th anniversary edition of Hana's Suitcase will be available in April.
