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A review by caitcoy
Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec
4.0
I ended up reading this book after really liking [bc:Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust|13504127|Beyond Courage The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust|Doreen Rappaport|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344619129s/13504127.jpg|19053705] which had a small chapter on the Bielski brothers. The book covers the story of these brothers, Tuvia, Zus and Asael Bielski who from 1942-1944 created a community of Jewish refugees in the forests of Belorussia who escaped from the Germans and created a haven for themselves and fellow Jews. Tuvia was commander of the group, which was linked to Soviet partisan groups and struggled for existence from both Soviet and Nazi threats. It was fascinating to see how much Tuvia focused on saving Jews by sending out scouts to find refugees, sending people into the ghettos to try to convince them to escape and accepting any who made it to his group (young men with guns as well as women, children and the elderly who were often rejected from other groups on the grounds that they would slow the group down) rather than on fighting the Germans for revenge as other rebellious Jews did. Tuvia and his followers managed to save 1200 people by the time the area was liberated by the Soviets in 1944 and the author does a fantastic job showing how the camp functioned, the struggles it faced from all sides just for existence and the conclusion. You really get a sense of these people's lives in the forest and I found it absolutely fascinating! It is written as a history book for a more academic audience and isn't necessarily for the general public but if WWII and the Holocaust interest you, I would highly recommend it!
Edit: I had to change my rating because there was no bibliography! I cannot express how incredibly frustrating it is to comb through the Notes at the back when I want to know what sources she used. I honestly have no idea how an academic history text can have Notes, a Biographical Appendix, a Glossary and an Index but no Bibliography!
Edit: I had to change my rating because there was no bibliography! I cannot express how incredibly frustrating it is to comb through the Notes at the back when I want to know what sources she used. I honestly have no idea how an academic history text can have Notes, a Biographical Appendix, a Glossary and an Index but no Bibliography!