Scan barcode
skigirl1689's review against another edition
4.0
I have such a problem with Bruno Bettelheim's introduction to this very important eyewitness account 0f the purely evil acts that occurred at Auschwitz. I'm not sure how I can describe how angry I was when Bettelheim outright blames the Jewish people for not doing enough to stop their own extermination. He wrote: "The Jews of Europe could equally have marched as free men against the SS, rather than to first grovel, then wait to be rounded up for their own extermination, and finally walk themselves to the gas chambers." Seriously? He even went so far to blame Anne Frank's family's decision to go into hiding rather than try to escape the Netherlands on their eventual deaths. How dare he! I feel the introduction detracts from Dr. Nyizli's very personal and heartbreaking account of the things he endured and his survival. Shame on whoever approved this disgraceful introduction!
However, this account is a must-read to understand how evil the Nazi regime was, something I am not sure I will ever fully comprehend. There was no humanity in what they did; those Jewish people who cooperated, such as Nyiszli who did the autopsies on those murdered, did so in hopes of surviving and maintained their humanity. His position, knowing as much as he did, was an automatic death sentence, but he survived. In his writing of this account, he ensured the world knew the truth of Mengele's experiments and of the Nazi death and extermination camps.
However, this account is a must-read to understand how evil the Nazi regime was, something I am not sure I will ever fully comprehend. There was no humanity in what they did; those Jewish people who cooperated, such as Nyiszli who did the autopsies on those murdered, did so in hopes of surviving and maintained their humanity. His position, knowing as much as he did, was an automatic death sentence, but he survived. In his writing of this account, he ensured the world knew the truth of Mengele's experiments and of the Nazi death and extermination camps.
preetachag's review against another edition
5.0
It is difficult to put in words what I want to say. I have always been intrigued that how could the exterminations could be carried out by hitlers men. But what has really shocked me after reading this book is not how they could be carried but the level of cruelty and disregard for human life -really appalled me and shook me to the core.
This book has to be read by all- a lesson of life .... How one man perpetrated such mass murders wanting to destroy a race.
This book has to be read by all- a lesson of life .... How one man perpetrated such mass murders wanting to destroy a race.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This book was horrifying. Miklos Nyiszli was a Jewish doctor who was sent to Auschwitz. He was spared from the gas chamber for the gruesome task of performing autopsies on Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Most of those were experimental victims of Joseph Mengele. The things that he experienced were staggering. The things he saw, I cannot even imagine. This was an amazing and important book. I highly recommend.
lunarelle's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very gripping book. Painful. I read it after I saw the movie The Grey Zone, which is based on this. A chilling insight into the Auschwitz Sonderkommando, it details what happened in the gas chambers and in the crematoria. I recommend reading it, but make sure to give yourself emotional space while you do this.
renacuajo's review against another edition
5.0
This past January 27th was a day of two things: Holocaust Memorial Day and it also marked the first week of Donald Trump's fascist and hate-filled presidency in the United States. These were the reasons why I felt it necessary to pick up this book for a second time and remind myself of the atrocities that Dr. Nyiszli saw with his own eyes and was ordered to carry out (or otherwise be killed himself) in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
This book follows Dr. Miklós Nyiszli, who was chosen as one of the members of the Sonderkommando (the kommando of the living dead, the ones in charge of basically cleaning up after the murderous SS in the concentrations camps) in Auschwitz upon his arrival. Once there, the infamous Dr. Mengele took him on as his pathologist and tasked him with studying any "interesting cases" that arrived at the camps that would most certainly be used to further the Nazi idea that the Jews were an inferior race (i. e., dwarfs, giants, and people with other deformities and disabilities). He also had to perform autopsies on many sets of twins —whom the SS assured died at the same time and under the same circumstances (exactly how that was done is described in the book)—, all to try and determine how Aryan women could pop out twins basically on command in order to fill Europe with them.
No one can deny that Dr. Nyiszli's survival was a mix of luck and the privileges he had due to being Dr. Mengele's disciple, if so to speak. But what makes this story so great is that he recognized this, and all throughout the memoir took great care to describe the awful conditions that his fellow prisoners were subject to and the various ways that their lives were taken so we never forget.
This is a book that I believe will always remain relevant, because as that quote we always hear in history classes says, those who do not know of history are bound to repeat it.
Resist. We cannot let this part of history repeat iself.
This book follows Dr. Miklós Nyiszli, who was chosen as one of the members of the Sonderkommando (the kommando of the living dead, the ones in charge of basically cleaning up after the murderous SS in the concentrations camps) in Auschwitz upon his arrival. Once there, the infamous Dr. Mengele took him on as his pathologist and tasked him with studying any "interesting cases" that arrived at the camps that would most certainly be used to further the Nazi idea that the Jews were an inferior race (i. e., dwarfs, giants, and people with other deformities and disabilities). He also had to perform autopsies on many sets of twins —whom the SS assured died at the same time and under the same circumstances (exactly how that was done is described in the book)—, all to try and determine how Aryan women could pop out twins basically on command in order to fill Europe with them.
No one can deny that Dr. Nyiszli's survival was a mix of luck and the privileges he had due to being Dr. Mengele's disciple, if so to speak. But what makes this story so great is that he recognized this, and all throughout the memoir took great care to describe the awful conditions that his fellow prisoners were subject to and the various ways that their lives were taken so we never forget.
This is a book that I believe will always remain relevant, because as that quote we always hear in history classes says, those who do not know of history are bound to repeat it.
Resist. We cannot let this part of history repeat iself.
thegildedfantasy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
5.0
Very disturbing, but a must read.
mirel's review against another edition
5.0
Unique and chilling account
It is rare to find such a coherent account of life in Auschwitz, and more specifically, of those who worked in the camp's crematoria of Auschwitz. Although Dr Nyiszli, who worked under the infamous Mengele, reminds us that he is a doctor, not a writer, the writing is simple but eloquent.
It is rare to find such a coherent account of life in Auschwitz, and more specifically, of those who worked in the camp's crematoria of Auschwitz. Although Dr Nyiszli, who worked under the infamous Mengele, reminds us that he is a doctor, not a writer, the writing is simple but eloquent.