This book is a companion to the HBO film of the same name. I use the film, and now the book, during my unit on the Holocaust in my High School World War II class. The students are always moved by the experiences of the Tennessee students and teachers as they develop their Holocaust project. It allows the students to relate to the events of the Holocaust in a more realistic way unlike any other assignment I give. I highly recommend both the film and the book!

This book is a companion to the HBO film of the same name. I use the film, and now the book, during my unit on the Holocaust in my High School World War II class. The students are always moved by the experiences of the Tennessee students and teachers as they develop their Holocaust project. It allows the students to relate to the events of the Holocaust in a more realistic way unlike any other assignment I give. I highly recommend both the film and the book!

I bought this book for my classroom library because we watched the DVD for our unit study on the Holocaust. My students have enjoyed reading the materials because of their prior knowledge from the DVD. The book is a paperback, but the quality of the pages and the pictures is superb!

One night on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, the director of a new documentary about a small town in Tennessee remembering the Holocause would both show the film and answer questions. As a native Tennessean I both anticipated and dreaded this, assured that again we would be protrayed as NPR so often does - racist, poor, ignorant, fundamentalist or a combination of the above.

Surprise, Surprise. I was blown away, absolutely stunned at the story and the depiction of a rural Southern town as it slowly encounters the outside world. What wonderful teachers are still around! The suggestion that these all-white, all-Protestant, rural students should undertake an endeavor to break out of their shell seemed to come out of the blue and appeared the most incongruous project possible. Yet, it succeeded and admirably so, The documentary traces the parth, from baby to giant steps as the idea evolves into something none of the participants foresaw. It is and always will be a reminder of Dark Days. I only wish the Soviet and Chinese social experiments that murdered over tens of millions were remembered and memorialized in this way!


As the children and the town learn about Jewish life in Europe and the story of the Holocaust, we learn about them, their lives and their lifestyle that seems strangely satisfying in its simplicity and slowlness. Others become involved - survivors, politicians, two Germans who manage to obtain an actual railroad car used for transporting Jews to concentration camps. Businesses pitch in, individuals donate and a living memorial is designed and stands today almost as a shrine. The paperclips (representing a victim) came from all over the world, from rich and famous, young and old, rich and poor.

Alas, some never learn. At the end, the director was bombarded with questions and suggestions that townsfolk were "really" against the project or secretly racist or did not understand. He said he wanted to make something very clear: He had been in the town over two years and never heard a racist remark nor a single ill word against the project. The people were as nice and down to Earth as they appeared on screen. I felt deep vindication and overwhelming relief. The director, being from the North, was shocked at the casual hospitality of total strangers offering advice and friendship. In this age of increasing anti-Semitism in Europe once again, it is important to ponder the consequences that such speech for whatever reason may bring.

An amazing and uplifting narrative that restores one's faith in humanity and ignites hope for the future. It should be told in every school in the nation and the teachers and children that participated in this project deserve medals. A MUST read.
I give it 5 stars

This is a well written account of the paper clip project at Whitwell Middle School that will touch the heart of people throughout the world. It shows the changes that people went through as the project evolved. Once this book is read, one cannot help but feel a part of a movement that is still attracting more and more people. This is a wonderful book that goes well with the movie, Paper Clips.

This is a well written account of the paper clip project at Whitwell Middle School that will touch the heart of people throughout the world. It shows the changes that people went through as the project evolved. Once this book is read, one cannot help but feel a part of a movement that is still attracting more and more people. This is a wonderful book that goes well with the movie, Paper Clips.

Excellant movie.It makes you think about the good side and bad side of people.Excellant job done. Nice film making.

A very good story of the Making of the Children's Holocaust Memorial. It trully tells the story one clip at a time. Good for all ages.

The book and the companion DVDs are some of the best done material I have ever seen. It is a touching and moving true story about a small Tennessee school and town that accomplishes some amazing things.

This book is an excellent reminder that the Holocaust happened, and that history lessons can make a difference in children's lives. The Paper Clip teachers, students, and community deserve thanks for preserving the memory, as hard as it is to face. My response is to tell others and pray: never again allow humans in and from any nation attempt to destroy a whole and Godly culture and community.

This is a companion book to the documentary about the Paper Clip project started at Whitwell Middle School outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the late 1990s. What began as a class to teach diversity to a mostly white southern group of schoolchildren evolved into a project of collecting 6 million paper clips (the clips are historically tied to the Holocaust) to represent the Jews who perished during that dark period. This book is a wonderful story that shows what can be accomplished when children are determined and how a relatively small idea can grow into something significant that can affect millions of people. This one is highly recommended for children of all ages.

I happened upon a review and ordered the book. When it arrived, I read it with a lump in my throat and my eyes tearing up. My 72 year old mother and I were driving to another town when I started telling her about it. I couldn't get that damn lump out of my throat and pretty soon my voice started quivering and I started crying. She just reached over and held my hand as I got my composure back. I was done, though, I told her she had to read it. She did. Afterward, she took it to one of her clubs and shared it. It's just a 10 minute read, but it sure provides plenty of emotion. I am so glad I happened upon it. A glorious story. Thank you.

Those of us who are horrified by the murderous actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust pray that such a terrible event will never happen again. It is heartening to know that there are a number of middle school children in Whitwell, Tennessee who did their share to raise the consciousness of people from all over the world. Whitwell, a small town of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants with a population of only 1,600, is now internationally famous for its "Paper Clip Project."

In 1998, Sandra Roberts, an eighth-grade teacher, began to teach a voluntary class on the Holocaust after school, and sixteen students enrolled. The students could not believe it when their teacher informed them that six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. One boy came up with the idea of collecting six million objects to put the number in perspective. Since the Norwegians (one of whom invented the paper clip) wore paper clips on their lapels to protest the anti-Jewish policies of the occupying German army, the children decided to collect paper clips, first locally, and later from all over the world.

This book, which clearly and eloquently describes the project from its genesis to its completion, was written by Dagmar and Peter Schroeder, two German newspaper correspondents. The Schroeders helped the campaign by writing articles in nine German newspapers, and they later decided to write a book about this phenomenal effort. Eventually, a documentary film was made to describe what the students in Whitwell accomplished.

This inspiring book will encourage children and adults alike to believe that ordinary individuals can make a difference. "Six Million Paper Clips" is filled with colorful photographs, including those of the participants and of an authentic German railcar that now stands outside Whitwell Middle School. This railcar houses the Children's Holocaust Memorial containing eleven million paper clips weighing eleven metric tons! The memorial was officially dedicated on November 9, 2001, on the sixty-third anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. Today, students from all over the country travel to Whitwell to see the memorial, and many other schools are starting Holocaust remembrance projects of their own.

"Six Million Paper Clips" was named "An Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Children's Book" and I recommend it highly for children, parents, and teachers. The story of the Paper Clip Project can help students understand the consequences of hatred and intolerance, and may also foster the idea that everyone can play a part in making the world a better place.

This book is wonderful. It truly is a must read for all.

My wife and I went to see the film. After we saw it, I ordered the book from Amazon. I have read and read it several times since. It is extremely well done and the photographs are excellent and used appropriately. This is a story that, had it not been released as a witnessed based documentary, would never have been believed. It is a wonderful story that restores faith in the good that humans have within them. I want to thank all those who took part in the project and look forward to the release of the DVD.

I recently bought "Six Million Paper Clips" during a business trip to the US and wish I had taken more copies home to give away. Because it is a very powerful book on the Holocaust. But reading it you'll realize that is covers this monstrous atrocity only on the surface. In reality it shows that seemingly innocent behaviour ("I don't like this or that") is only the first stepping-stone to xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism and what have you.
Normally my children have trouble reading English (except for the lyrics of rap songs) but this book they didn't put away. They read it in a single session one evening until deep in the night. And the next day they read it again.
Because this book has all the ingredients young readers look for: It tells (lovingly and never condescending) a compelling story, it has its cliff-hanger moments, even humour, and a happy ending that is asking for tears of joy. And guess what: The adults I gave the book to read loved it for the same reasons. And none of them were Jewish. This book is marketed as a children's book. But in reality it is much more, a book for all ages and for everyone. And we all can learn - and change.
My kids did. Reading the book it dawned on them that all their squabbles and sibling-infighting can go out of hand - as it did in Nazi-Germany and some other places and even right now. My kids ("I can't stand him and her") now want to sleep in the same room - to make up for times lost.
I have only one complaint: Is wish Six Million Paper Clips had been published when I was a kid. And this book deserves more than five stars.
Peer Herrmannsson