Primo Levi, was born on July 13, 1919, in Turin, Italy. He was part of a very liberal Jewish family in the northern part of Turin. Later on in his life, he enrolled into a secondary school, that was known for its very Anti-Fascist teachers, and well known authors. In 1937, Levi left the secondary school and went to the University of Turin to study Chemistry. And, as in stated in the book, around that time the government ruled that members of the Jewish community weren't allowed to attend school, and so Levi had to find a tutor who would tutor him, so he could finish his thesis, and graduate. After the long struggle, Levi found a tutor and wrote his thesis in Physics.

In 1944, Levi, along with thousands of other Jews were transported into Auschwitz, the biggest Holocaust camp. He was there for over 11 months, until they were liberated by the Russian Army, when Germany decided to invade Russia, and lost completely. After he was liberated, from the camp, Levi came down with Scarlet Fever, and was put into a Sanatorium. He recovered completely, and after he was better, he moved into a Soviet Camp for former Holocaust victims, and in late October of 1945 finally moved back to Turin, and resided there until his death. About a year after, Levi became an industrialist chemist at a local factor in Italy. As he was working, he began to write, some of the books he wrote were:

If This Is A Man

The Truce

Survival In Auschwitz

The Reawakening

Most of these books had to deal with his experiences in the Holocaust camps, and his views on Fascism and the government.

On April 11, 1987, Levi passed away, by falling from the balcony of his 3rd-story apartment. There was speculation that he killed himself, but it has never been proved.

In memory, Elie Wiesel quoted, "Primo Levi died at Auschwitz 40 years later."

Aaron Ray

Primo Levi uses his passion-chemistry- to write a semi-autobiographic book about his life. Using the elements on the periodic table as metaphors, Levi skillfully guides his readers through different events of his life in 21 short stories. He starts off with his family history in "Argon", a very dry and staid chapter. This is a great chapter for people with more analytical minds. However, if you are a fan of stories with more action and easier language, skip "Argon" and jump right into "Hydrogen", a far more interesting chapter. "Hydrogen" tells the tale of one of young Primo’s' chemistry experimentations. Other good chapters involving Lev's younger years include "Iron" which chronicles when he was being excluded in college because of his Jewish heritage.

Then the war begins and everything changes for Primo. In November 1944, Levi was captured and sent to a concentration camp- Auschwitz. The chapters "Gold" and "Cerium" deal with the horrific events he went through. Chemistry, his childhood love, is now the only savior from his harsh reality- the Holocaust. An important point to note is that Levi does not put as much detail into these chapters. Instead, the basic facts are dispensed, making "Gold" in particular the most powerful chapter in the book.

After Auschwitz Primo is a changed man. He tries to put his life back together, and gets a job in the chemistry field. He also begins to write as a way to escape his pain. When he finally seems to have his head above water, he has an encounter with a figure from his past in Auschwitz (Vanadium). This section of Primo's life is extremely uncomfortable to read, but impossible to put down.

Fictional tales are used with great effect in this book. There are only three chapter like this. The first two- " Lead" and "Mercury"- can be read as simple stories. But at second glance, it is obvious that these stories have a deeper meaning. Figuring them out is at turns infuriating and captivating.

The last chapter of The Periodic Table may be the most important. The third of the fictional chapters, "Carbon" chronicles the life of a carbon atom. It is a fitting conclusion of the Table because it successfully shares true message of the entire book. And when the reader understands the message, it becomes clear why Primo Levi's Periodic Table is one of the essential reading books of the world.

Jessica S. Batson

Eliach, Yaffa. Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust.Vintage Publishing, 1988.

Friedman, Philip. Roads to Extinction: Essays on the Holocaust. Jewish Publishing Society, 1980.

libagiza, Immaculee and Erwin, Steve. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. Hay House, 2006.

Koff, Clea. The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist's Search for Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Deng, Alephonsion and Deng, Benson with Bernstein, Judy and Ajak, Benjamin. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan. Public Affairs, 2006.

Fawaz A. Gerges.Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy. Harcourt Publishing, 2006.

Mathabane, Mark.Kaffir Boy:The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. The Free Press, 1984.

Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. Random House Publishing, 2003.

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl

Official site of concentration camp- Auschwitz- Birchanau.

http://library.thinkquest.org/12663/

A great site about the Holocaust, including a timeline of events.

http://www.inch.com/~ari/levi1.html

An interview with the author of "The Periodic Table", Primo Levi.

http://www.acaje.org/content/holocaust/articles/hcArticle1.shtml

Article about how to talk to children about the Holocaust

Jessica S. Batson

1. In the beginning of the novel, Levi and his friend Enrico enjoy experimenting in the chemistry lab. However, Levi states that Enrico wishes to become a chemist to earn a living; Levi wants to be a chemist so that he can decipher the world. When you chose your profession, which character did you resemble? Do you wish you had chosen the different path? Does Levi ever fulfill his goal to make sense of the world around him as a chemist, or does he continually struggle?

2. What is the significance of Levi’s two short stories, Lead and Mercury? Did he write them to portray a message about chemistry, or about something deeper, such as Levi’s own experiences with war and conflict?

3. In the final chapter of The Periodic Table, Levi states that his novel is “a micro-history, the history of a trade and its defeats, victories, and miseries, such as everyone wants to tell when he feels close to concluding toe arc of his career, and art ceases to be long.” He also states that his novel is neither a “chemical treatise” nor an “autobiography.” Do you agree with his statements? Did Levi accomplish his goals as a writer? Did he create the “micro-history” that he desired, or was his novel more of a chemical treatise or autobiography?

4. From the very beginning of the novel, one can see the effect the Fascists had on Levi’s life; limiting his schooling and degree options, forcing him to illegally obtain a job, and subjecting him to concentration camps and separating him from his family, the War changes Levi as a person and affects the outcome of his life and career. Is it, therefore, justifiable that Levi feels the way he does about the world after all that he has experienced?

Kristin Germinario

5. In the beginning of the novel, Levi and his friend Enrico enjoy experimenting in the chemistry lab. However, Levi states that Enrico wishes to become a chemist to earn a living; Levi wants to be a chemist so that he can decipher the world. When you chose your profession, which character did you resemble? Do you wish you had chosen the different path? Does Levi ever fulfill his goal to make sense of the world around him as a chemist, or does he continually struggle?

6. What is the significance of Levi’s two short stories, Lead and Mercury? Did he write them to portray a message about chemistry, or about something deeper, such as Levi’s own experiences with war and conflict?

7. In the final chapter of The Periodic Table, Levi states that his novel is “a micro-history, the history of a trade and its defeats, victories, and miseries, such as everyone wants to tell when he feels close to concluding toe arc of his career, and art ceases to be long.” He also states that his novel is neither a “chemical treatise” nor an “autobiography.” Do you agree with his statements? Did Levi accomplish his goals as a writer? Did he create the “micro-history” that he desired, or was his novel more of a chemical treatise or autobiography?

8. From the very beginning of the novel, one can see the effect the Fascists had on Levi’s life; limiting his schooling and degree options, forcing him to illegally obtain a job, and subjecting him to concentration camps and separating him from his family, the War changes Levi as a person and affects the outcome of his life and career. Is it, therefore, justifiable that Levi feels the way he does about the world after all that he has experienced?

9. One of the main themes in The Periodic Table is passion. Primo Levi is passionate throughout his whole life for chemistry. While at the university, his friend remarks that he is ojnly becoming a chemist for the money, but Levi does it for his love of the subject. Even when he is dirt poor and starving, he still never loses that passion. Do you feel there is anything in your life you are as passionate about? Would you continue that profession or hobby, even if it meant not having a stable living?

10. Levi was one of the few during the Second World War to survive the horrors of the concentration camps. He saw first hand what the Nazis did to try and extinguish the Jewish race, when today some people act as if the camps never existed. In his book Levi hardly mentions the camps at all, and barely talks about the war itself. As a survivor, is it more important that Levi talks about his time in the camps so that the world never forgets what happened?

11. After his time in the concentration camps, Levi became very distraught and never saw any hope in the world around him. The horrors he saw he will never forget, but do you feel there is a time when you eventually have to let go? Should Levi, at some point in his life, forgiven the world and started to look for the goodness in people once more? Do you feel other holocaust survivors might have felt the same way?

Erin Carroll

1) Does your child have a passion/obsession for a subject? Do you approve of it?

2) In what ways do you think your child would deal with an extremely harsh experience? Would he/she respond like Primo Levi?

3) Primo Levi believes that impurities are necessary in life. What unique characteristic does your child have that makes them special?

4) The importance of communication is one of the significant themes in The Periodic Table. Do you communicate well with your child? If not, how can you improve your interactions with your child?

Jessica S. Batson