Union general William T. Sherman said that “War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it,” and more pointedly, “War is hell.” War affects noncombatants, such as families and children—as profoundly as it impacts soldiers. As a person enslaved by the Nazis, Lida endures mental, physical, and emotional cruelty. The Nazis’ callous inhumanity towards Eastern Workers, Jewish people, and other cultures is rooted in the Nazis’ systemic racism and discrimination. Even amidst the horrors Lida experiences, however, there are glimmers of compassion and kindness that help the prisoners survive. Skrypuch calls attention to the atrocities of war so that they will be remembered and never repeated, and she shines a light on acts of goodness that counter evil and reaffirm faith in humanity.

The Nazis reject Lida’s Ukrainian heritage and label her Russian, which the Nazis believe is the lowest, most expendable class of workers. Although Lida knows “[a]ll humans are equal” (39), she is treated with contempt and disdain. The Nazis emphasize Lida’s inferiority—and that of other races—to reinforce their own superiority and justify the war. The workers are treated with prejudicial suspicion: Juli voices the stereotype that “All Russians are thieves,” and