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Reviews
Hanns ja Rudolf : saksanjuutalainen Auschwitzin komendanttia metsästämässä by Thomas Harding
bryan8063's review against another edition
4.0
This is a hard topic, but worth the read. It traces the life of the Auschwitz commandant and the man who caught him in a dual narrative. Harding's writing is very good and it is an emotional, but brisk read. I think this will make a good primer for people who are first learning about the Holocaust and for folks who have quite knowledgeable. An excellent book.
I received this book free through the History Book Club on Goodreads.
I received this book free through the History Book Club on Goodreads.
teriboop's review against another edition
4.0
In Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz, Thomas Harding tells the story of his great-uncle Hanns Alexander, the man who investigated and captured Rudolf Höss, the SS Kommandant who was instrumental in building the crematoriums in Auschwitz. Harding alternates chapters that concentrate on each of these two very different men following the timeline from 1901 to 2006, from their childhoods to their deaths.
Thomas Harding never had the chance to talk with Hanns during his life time about this part of his life that forever changed him. Hanns began life in Germany as a Jew, narrowly escaping to England during WWII, joining the British Army. His time in the army led to his assignment tracking Nazi criminals post-war. It was during this assignment that Hanns found the man that was behind over 3 million deaths of Jews and political prisoners. After Hanns death in 2006, Harding researches both men and chronicles their separate lives that became intertwined at the close of the war.
The book was thoroughly engrossing, despite the tough and at times graphic nature of the subject. It is important to know this history, so that it is never repeated. This story helps the reader to understand the mindset of each man and to see how such an atrocity ever happened in the first place. Hanns spent his later years as a humble family man, not wanting to acknowledge the past or the hero that he was.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free through the History Book Club on Goodreads. Thank you, Simon and Schuster.
Thomas Harding never had the chance to talk with Hanns during his life time about this part of his life that forever changed him. Hanns began life in Germany as a Jew, narrowly escaping to England during WWII, joining the British Army. His time in the army led to his assignment tracking Nazi criminals post-war. It was during this assignment that Hanns found the man that was behind over 3 million deaths of Jews and political prisoners. After Hanns death in 2006, Harding researches both men and chronicles their separate lives that became intertwined at the close of the war.
The book was thoroughly engrossing, despite the tough and at times graphic nature of the subject. It is important to know this history, so that it is never repeated. This story helps the reader to understand the mindset of each man and to see how such an atrocity ever happened in the first place. Hanns spent his later years as a humble family man, not wanting to acknowledge the past or the hero that he was.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free through the History Book Club on Goodreads. Thank you, Simon and Schuster.
birdkeeperklink's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book through Goodreads' First Reads program. This is a great book, showing two opposing perspectives on the Holocaust. The structure of this book is easy to follow--one chapter from Rudolf's point of view, then one from Hanns', and then one from Rudolf's, and so on and so forth. The things you already know about will be familiar to you, but the more personal view of the two men is unique to this book.
What I particularly liked about it was how the author takes a very balanced, unbiased view of both men. Hanns was not painted as a saint, nor were his good qualities emphasized over his bad ones or vice versa. He was just a human being who did his best to help see justice done. Rudolf wasn't particularly vilified, either. Harding doesn't paint the child Rudolf, who hadn't yet done anything, as a monster or a sociopath, and he doesn't try to tell you that Rudolf was an abusive husband or father, either. At the same time, he doesn't apologize for any of the many evil things Rudolf did or try to cover them up. The result is a very realistic look at how very human evil is, which is more powerful than trying to paint him as dark and sinister even as a toddler.
The impression I was left with was of two human beings, one of whom chose to do the right thing and the other of whom chose to do many very wrong things, rather than caricatures in the mold of traditional heroes and villains. It's probably one of the most honest biographies or historical accounts I've ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended!
What I particularly liked about it was how the author takes a very balanced, unbiased view of both men. Hanns was not painted as a saint, nor were his good qualities emphasized over his bad ones or vice versa. He was just a human being who did his best to help see justice done. Rudolf wasn't particularly vilified, either. Harding doesn't paint the child Rudolf, who hadn't yet done anything, as a monster or a sociopath, and he doesn't try to tell you that Rudolf was an abusive husband or father, either. At the same time, he doesn't apologize for any of the many evil things Rudolf did or try to cover them up. The result is a very realistic look at how very human evil is, which is more powerful than trying to paint him as dark and sinister even as a toddler.
The impression I was left with was of two human beings, one of whom chose to do the right thing and the other of whom chose to do many very wrong things, rather than caricatures in the mold of traditional heroes and villains. It's probably one of the most honest biographies or historical accounts I've ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended!
mjminkowich's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
kaddictwithapen's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, War, and Violence
moirab's review against another edition
5.0
An amazingly frightening account of the Kommandant of Auschwitz and the German Jewish refugee who captured him. As with Hunting Eichmann, real life is scarier than fiction.
booktimewithelvis's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating dual biography
This dual biography of the commandant of Auschwitz and the man who captured him is an excellent read, disturbing and moving I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Second World War, the holocaust or human stories in general. I shall definitely check out some of the author's other works.
This dual biography of the commandant of Auschwitz and the man who captured him is an excellent read, disturbing and moving I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Second World War, the holocaust or human stories in general. I shall definitely check out some of the author's other works.
nonnie63's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It is the quintessential book covering the horrors of Auschwitz without the graphic depictions on how the jews were destroyed! I cried for all the unnessary death to humanity. It brings you into the actual innermost thoughts of an average man and how he could be corrupted for false promises of world domination and the power it brings.
On the other hand you are introduced to a German Jew who wanted to fight for his people and all that was lost! He was a true hero who wouldn't be deterred from capturing the monster!
Read the book, it's a great read.
On the other hand you are introduced to a German Jew who wanted to fight for his people and all that was lost! He was a true hero who wouldn't be deterred from capturing the monster!
Read the book, it's a great read.