English teachers well appreciate the value of literature that fronts the experiences of school-age children in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. But what happens when that literature also addresses content of a violent or confronting nature? How can we use literature about the Holocaust in a manner that doesn’t unduly confront its audience and preclude their ability to empathise? In this session, Simon Holloway (MHM) will be in conversation with English teacher Patricia Di Donato and two authors of highly-acclaimed and award-winning books about the Holocaust: Anita Selzer and Suzy Zail. By looking at the use of Holocaust-themed literature in the classroom, we hope to provide teachers with greater insight into the importance of such texts and the means by which they might be used most effectively.
Suzy Zail is an internationally published author of young adult novels that shine a light on injustice.
Her books are studied in secondary schools and have been included in USSBY’s Outstanding International Books list. Her most recent YA novel, Inkflower, draws on her childhood and tells the story of a man who, in his last months with Motor Neurone Disease, reveals to his daughter a Holocaust story he has kept hidden.
The novel won Kid’s choice for Book of the Year, Older Readers at the 2024 CBCA awards and was shortlisted for the Booklinks Historical novel award, the YABBAs and the ASLA Danz awards.
Anita Selzer is an award winning author in non-fiction, with 15 books published. Her most recent book (The Female Gaze in Art and Photography) has won 4 international awards in New York, Los Angeles and the UK. Anita’s book based on her family story, I Am Sasha was one of three shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Prize in History, 2019. Anita holds a PhD in Education and a Graduate Diploma in Women’s Studies. She taught English and Politics at Swinburne College of Tafe and was Executive Officer for the Victorian Women’s Advisory unit to the Premier of Victoria.
Patricia (Trish) Di Donato grew up in Wangaratta and attended La Trobe University Bendigo to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and History. She began her teaching career in 2001 in St Arnaud before moving back to Bendigo to teach English and Humanities at Flora Hill Secondary College, now named Bendigo South East College. Trish participated in the MHM Teacher Professional Learning program in 2024 and has a passion for using Holocaust-themed literature in the classroom. Watching a student find a connection to literature, knowing it will stay with them forever, never ceases to amaze her.
