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travmanrn's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent story about the truth behind Auschwitz. So sad to read about what these families have been through.
simont24's review against another edition
5.0
A very sad and depressing book but one that, I think, everyone needs to read.
The author himself puts it best in the closing pages: "Soon the last survivor and perpetrator from Auschwitz will have joined those who were murdered at the camp. There will be no one on this earth left alive who has personal experience of the place. And when that happens there is a danger that this history will merge into the distant past and become just one terrible event amongst many...but that should not be allowed to happen. We must judge behaviour by the context of the times. And judged by the context of mid-twentieth century, sophisticated European culture, Auschwitz and the Nazi's 'Final Solution' represent the lowest act in all of history.
The author himself puts it best in the closing pages: "Soon the last survivor and perpetrator from Auschwitz will have joined those who were murdered at the camp. There will be no one on this earth left alive who has personal experience of the place. And when that happens there is a danger that this history will merge into the distant past and become just one terrible event amongst many...but that should not be allowed to happen. We must judge behaviour by the context of the times. And judged by the context of mid-twentieth century, sophisticated European culture, Auschwitz and the Nazi's 'Final Solution' represent the lowest act in all of history.
bethuhknee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide and War
rhia42's review against another edition
4.0
A harrowing book to read. There were times it was difficult to get through, but overall it was a fascinating book. So much information. So much I didn't know about WWII.
riddlemewhit's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing. Very well written and detailed. I felt like I was learning so much about the history of World War II and the Holocaust. The personal stories were fascinating and I walked away with a much more realistic understanding of what people went through and how this happened in history. Now watching the BBC docu-series on Netflix as well.
katie_lack's review against another edition
This book was a detailed, fascinating account of the history (political, social, and economic) of the infamous Auschwitz camp. The author wove the facts of history in a gripping narrative that did not read like a dry history text. The levels of detail and personal accounts help to make the unfathomable a bit more understandable.
mephistopheles's review against another edition
4.0
Sehr gut und kurzweilig geschriebenes Buch (auch wenn manche Formulierungen - und dabei handelt es sich wirklich nur um 2 oder 3 - etwas flapsig, wie die eines Kindes, wirken (könnte aber auch an Übersetzungsschwierigkeiten liegen)). Oft etwas subjektiver Unterton; im Rahmen dieser Thematik aber noch geringfügiger und leichter auszuhalten als in anderer einschlägiger Literatur. Auch ist das Buch nicht übertrieben (emotional) pathetisch geschrieben wie andere derartige Bücher. Sehr empfehlenswert.
danielle_dore's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazingly researched book on Auschwitz, to anyone interested in the Holocaust.