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A review by vikingvisuals
Survival In Auschwitz: The Nazi Assault On Humanity by Primo Levi
5.0
Survival in Auschwitz is a book that, upon reading, one cannot quite put it into words once finished. Primo Levi's retelling of his time in Auschwitz is one unlike any other. Rather than focus on the terrifying things that went on in Auschwitz, he focuses on his perceptions of life in the camp as a Häftling with a strong emphasis on the notions of survival. Where does the will to survival in a concentration camp arise and how does one go about delaying their demise long enough to see their survival is ensured? The question is more simply put than it is answered, and the summation of the book can be seen as an attempt at answering some such question.
Of course, the book is also filled with haunting insights and reflections about the horrifying things that went on in the camp, but this is more of an undertone and makes the book have an almost surreal quality. You know what went on was terrible, yet the way Levi focuses on mostly just particular events of his experience with the atrocities more-so in the background allows the book to focus on something otherwise not usually spoken of. This also makes the book much more appealing to those who may want to know more about the lives of those in the camp without wanting to subject themselves to the more unbearable and terrifying realities. Often, while reading this book, I had to recollect myself and remind myself that I was reading about Auschwitz. The way Levi writes is reminiscent of reading about the happenings of a modern day prison that one can be sucked into the details without realizing exactly what type of "prison" he is talking about, and that these "prisoners" are not ones one would expect to find in any prison. Thus, the book also creates a very meaningful case in the ways that otherwise upstanding and well-to-do people become very much like any other prisoner when objected to such conditions and the fight for life.
The book despite being generally a matter-of-factual personal account of what went on does not fail to place a deeper meaning upon each anecdote. Often each chapter is introduced and concluded with such meditations, and as such one can gain something from each chapter that is more than just a personal account of one prisoners experiences. One can also, if they so choose, read any chapter individually or together in summation and still be able to glean some understanding and some profound, albeit harrowing, meaning from it. I often found myself rereading passages or skipping back to previous chapters to relate it to something I just read. Doing so was easy, as Levi manages to keep everything in distinct focus and with distinct reasoning, which is no small feat for someone talking about their personal experience at Auschwitz.
I really do not know what else to say about this book that it does not say itself. What I can say is that its perspective and its message is completely unique. The way that Levi delivers that message is profound and nothing short of amazing. I can very easily see why this has been considered one of the most important books written about the holocaust. I recommend this book to everyone; one of the few books that I can honestly say the whole world should read. Everyone would gain something from it, and not just in a sense of extra historical knowledge. What this book provides is much more ethereal than that.
Of course, the book is also filled with haunting insights and reflections about the horrifying things that went on in the camp, but this is more of an undertone and makes the book have an almost surreal quality. You know what went on was terrible, yet the way Levi focuses on mostly just particular events of his experience with the atrocities more-so in the background allows the book to focus on something otherwise not usually spoken of. This also makes the book much more appealing to those who may want to know more about the lives of those in the camp without wanting to subject themselves to the more unbearable and terrifying realities. Often, while reading this book, I had to recollect myself and remind myself that I was reading about Auschwitz. The way Levi writes is reminiscent of reading about the happenings of a modern day prison that one can be sucked into the details without realizing exactly what type of "prison" he is talking about, and that these "prisoners" are not ones one would expect to find in any prison. Thus, the book also creates a very meaningful case in the ways that otherwise upstanding and well-to-do people become very much like any other prisoner when objected to such conditions and the fight for life.
The book despite being generally a matter-of-factual personal account of what went on does not fail to place a deeper meaning upon each anecdote. Often each chapter is introduced and concluded with such meditations, and as such one can gain something from each chapter that is more than just a personal account of one prisoners experiences. One can also, if they so choose, read any chapter individually or together in summation and still be able to glean some understanding and some profound, albeit harrowing, meaning from it. I often found myself rereading passages or skipping back to previous chapters to relate it to something I just read. Doing so was easy, as Levi manages to keep everything in distinct focus and with distinct reasoning, which is no small feat for someone talking about their personal experience at Auschwitz.
I really do not know what else to say about this book that it does not say itself. What I can say is that its perspective and its message is completely unique. The way that Levi delivers that message is profound and nothing short of amazing. I can very easily see why this has been considered one of the most important books written about the holocaust. I recommend this book to everyone; one of the few books that I can honestly say the whole world should read. Everyone would gain something from it, and not just in a sense of extra historical knowledge. What this book provides is much more ethereal than that.