Hello Readers,
L x
After reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz and When I Fall,I Shall Rise I ended up reading a lot of historical fact/fiction medleys. Just
a warning this book has some dark moments and was hard to read at some points
that being said these horrific events happened and skimming over the words
isn’t going to make that fact go away.
People who know me in real life have even asked me why I
read so many Holocaust survivor memoirs and I think it's because I believe
everyone has to know some of the stories in a less fluffy version of what’s
taught in school. Yes, books like this one are difficult to read but we need to
learn from people’s experiences so history does not repeat itself. This book
reminds us of the dangers of what can happen when you dehumanise a human group and
anything goes and that the words ‘we shall not forget’ should never become an
empty phrase.
One thing that does scare me when I read Holocaust
survivor memoirs and even historical documentaries is how easy mob mentality
turned against a type of people and what happened. How many people turned a
blind eye to the suffering because if they didn’t, they would have been killed
or taken to a camp. How anyone could have the mindset to think to treat fellow
human beings in such an atrocious way is right still blows my mind. Also, how
anyone could survive these camps is unbelievable when you peek behind the
curtain (Further education than school fluff). With that said now to the
review.
This book is an incredible true story of strength,
sacrifice and courage. This true story is about the Kleinmann family, mostly
focusing on what happened to the father Gustav and eldest son Fritz. Jeremy
takes us on their horrific journey, from the betrayal by their ‘good’
neighbours, to systematic demonisation, dispossession and
‘transportation’. Gustav and Fritz were
seized by the Nazis and thrown into various Concentration Camps before finally
ending up in Auschwitz with only the love and support of each other as comfort.
At times it seemed that the strength of one was the only thing that kept the
other going and it was beautifully written and portrayed.
This book was both heart-breaking and difficult to grasp.
Jeremy is doesn’t turn a blind eye to the selfish instinct for survival that,
is a part of the camp narratives which if you’ve read tattooist, you’re not
that surprised about it but it’s still a slap to the face. There will be times
when you want to be angry but this is history and it happened getting mad can’t
change anything and it is also basic human nature to survive in any way
possible hello Stockholm syndrome. Also, let's be honest you would do anything
to make you’re suffering a little less for a little extra food or cloth.
This book is both tear-jerking and inspiring I cannot
gauge the cruelty that can be brought out in humans and I cannot stop being
amazed at the bravery and persistence of those who survive. It isn’t all doom
and gloom there is comradeship, friendship in some surprising places and has
some good luck thrown in.
I spent the
majority of this book in absolute horror (despite other books I have read) of
the way that people were treated. However, the love between Father and Son with
their unconquerable spirit and refusal to give up despite horrific punishments
was awe-inspiring. Even the reunions are treated simply, without fuss and
without ever forgetting the appalling weight of suffering behind them. This
book is an unashamedly emotive and a deeply moving story. I will never forget
this courageous family and all of the other families all over the world that
suffered during the holocaust.
L x
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