Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Las modistas de Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

6 reviews

hazzardfreak02's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

Well worth the read, but obviously it's a heavy topic so approach with caution. It's important that we don't shy away from the horrible reality the victims experienced, and it's inspiring to hear the stories of those who survived. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Death of parent, War, and Deportation

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

vivelarevolution's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This is an incredibly heavy book and therefore took me quite some time to read. Not long after I finished reading it, the movie Zone of Interest came out, and it reminded me of this. I feel like, in many analyses or histories of the Holocaust, the participation and complicity of German and Nazi women is often underplayed or simply ignored. Even in feminist histories of the Holocaust, I have often noticed a focus on the bravery and resilience of the women who survived or helped others survived, specifically to the exclusion of taking the time to focus on the cruelty and apathy of the women benefiting from the atrocity. This book does mostly focus on the women who were enslaved in Auschwitz's fashion salon, but it also repeatedly notes the ways in which Nazi women, especially Hedwig Hoss, participated in the Nazi genocide.

In terms of style, the book flips back and forth between a narrative style and a simple informative style. I enjoyed it and felt that the alternation suited the type of information that was being shared with the audience at any given point. All in all, it is a very informative book that is not difficult for an average layperson to read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Antisemitism

mal_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

2.5

The book was very informative and the author clearly did plenty of research on this topic. She presented some interesting ideas, such as the connection between clothing/style and power. For instance, the Nazi women in the camps were always dressed sharply in contrast to the inmates who looked unkempt from the living conditions they experienced.

However, the book focused too much on specific fashion details and other facts not relevant to the women's stories. I wanted to read about the dressmakers, not a detailed description on the fabrics or fashion trends at the time. The book also kept jumping between stories. It was hard to keep track of who’s who and to connect with the women.

In short, the material and women’s  stories were interesting, but the book itself was tedious to read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide and Antisemitism

marenm's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Deportation

courteneykenyon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

A powerful story that deep dives into some of the most challenging parts of the Holocaust. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment

katrinaburch's review against another edition

informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

This was such a great book that it pains me to have to give it 4 stars. Why? Because the author uses endnotes!! And if she was only citing sources I wouldn't have a problem with it but once you start including extra information, having to flip back and forth is so freaking distracting and annoying. Extra information like the author includes here go as footnotes. 

Otherwise this book is really really good! I have read a lot of Shoah material and I mean a lot but yet I had never hear of these women. The author also talks about things I had never heard before either. 

If interested I also recommend Anne Sebba's book: Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Die... Which discusses clothing quite a bit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail