The book is not set in a real time or place. If others say they are sorry for their evil acts then he must also learn to forgive, because relentless unforgiving is another kind of cruelty. It is not good enough for David simply to hate evil when he finds it in others. And it works the other way round - other people may need things from him. He does need other people, Maria, whom he saves from the fire, and the dog, and perhaps a mother of his own. He talks to him only when he has to, and then he speaks politely and coldly and refuses to look at him.īut as David journeys across Europe he begins to comprehend that he cannot live life entirely alone. And should anyone fall below his own exacting standards he is an unforgiving opponent: Haven't you seen that David hates Carlo? Not like boys who fight and then forget about it because there is really nothing serious to fight over. For him, I think, to chose to observe high moral standards is a symbol of his new-found liberty. For instance, he refuses to accept payment for a small service that he renders voluntarily to a stranger. Consequently, of course, all the judgments he makes about other people and their actions, and his own actions, are governed entirely by his own moral standards. And so he shoulders the burden of the journey alone. Of all the people that he meets on his long journey, he doesn't feel able to trust anyone.

Out of the camp and on the run he believes, not unreasonably, that 'they' are after him. After the death of his friend and teacher, Johannes, he never permits himself to have any affection for anyone. He has survived in the camp by never allowing himself to think further than the next meal. Now, what kind of person would you be if you had spent all your life in a concentration camp? The first thing you may notice about David is his extraordinary isolation. He is told to head south for Salonica, stow away on a ship sailing to Italy, and then walk north until he comes to a country called Denmark. He is given bread and water and a compass. The electric current is switched off from the perimeter fence for half a minute, just long enough for David to climb over. One day, without any explanation, a guard arranges for him to escape. He does not know anything about his parents or where he comes from, or why he is in the camp. He has lived all his life in a concentration camp somewhere in eastern Europe.

This is a story about a young boy's epic journey across Europe, and his budding emotions and sense of the wonder of life.

I Am David by Anne Holm