Customer Reviews

Auschwitz: True Tales From a Grotesque Land

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot say that any of the eyewitness accounts from people that experienced the Holocaust are better than the other. They are all important and valuable. But some stand out due to their use of language or analytic insight.True tales is one of them that stands out. Sara paints pictures with her words for us to see.Sometimes it is very disturbing pictures we see like in the chapter "The living torch" where the SS throws living babies into the burning pits at Birkenau. But also pictures of hope emerge from the pages of this highly recomended book.

The images in this memoir are extremely powerful. You will not forget them. The language is clear and concise. The writing is so alive that it takes you right there, to the camp experiences, to Auschwitz. This memoir is particularly poignent for those interested in women's experiences in the camps. The author's retelling of the resistance movement in the women's camp, the children born there, the medical experiments and other similar events are unique to women. It stirred my emotions and made me think about the Holocaust and this period of history in ways I had not before. I found myself taking time between each chapter, just to "sit" with the experience, feel it and process. It is an intense read. It will change your perspective and enhance your knowledge. Read this memoir.

The way Nomberg-Przytyk captured the horror, sadness, courage, and extreme endourance which she and her fellow friends and prisioners displayed was extremely moving. The way she expressed her shock, horror, compassion, and sheer humanity is amazing. Showing how it was impossible to hide and focused on the importance of the ability to "organize" shows the will to live and the brutality of the nazis and thier camps.The book was simply amazing.

I found this book to be one of the best that I have ever read on this topic. It tells the brutal truth, in detail, of several illegal, inhumane, and hatefull acts commited by the Nazi's during the Holocaust. I find this book particularly interesting because of the viewpoint from which it comes. The story is told by a young Jewish girl in her teens and how all of the madness appears through her eyes. It is fascinating. Never could any of us who have not been through this horror imagine the extent of its total brutality and hate. Ihave witnessed a number of people who absolutly refuse to read about these incredible peoples survival stories, simply because they can not handle the grousome detaails of this shocking truth. I find these people to be ignorrent(did I spell that right?-hee-hee). I, for one am very interested in knowing the truth about these bastards and the crimes they commited against these helpless, innocent people. I see it as not only informative but also as a wake-up call. Sara Nomberg-Przuytyk is simply trying to make the world aware of what is possible if the power is put into the hands of the wrong individuals. I feel this book has helped my to realize how naive we as humans can be, by nature, and has prompted me to be more inqusitive when an unusual situation arises. Her book was passionate, moving and inspirational.

This book blew my breath away. I've read way too many holocaust memoirs, and this is most powerful one in existence (Maus a close second, but for very different reasons, dealing w/ before and after). I'm not sure if it is because of the female narrator and experience, but this pulls you in way too far, and it's a wrenching experience. And it's not necessarily a well-written book, she recycles the same three or four metaphors over and over again, but it doesn't undermine the narrative. No one should be allowed to be human until they've read this.

One of the criticisms I have of American presentations on the holocaust is that the people in the Lagers portrayed as flat, one dimensional "victims:" No character, no personality, no conflict. Primo Levi in "The Drowned and the Saved" first introduced the concept of "The Grey Zone"--prisoners who saved themselves, even growing fat and living in luxury, directly at the expense of the other prisoners. Ms. Nomberg-Przuytyk perfectly illustrates this point in her Tales. Each "tale" is a short vinnet, illustrating a concept. Eary on, she explains how the beatings & mistreatment at the hands of the SS were bad, but not unexpected. What really hurt, though, was the beatings & mistreatment at the hands of other inmates. That was shocking.

If you want a good picture of this Grotesque land, here are three books: Ms. Nomberg-Przuytyk's, Levi's "Drowned & the Saved," and "This Way for the Gas, Ladies & Gentlemen" by Tadeusz Borowski.

The most interesting aspect of this story, for me, was the author's illustration of prisoner functionaries within the concentration camps. Prior to reading this, I was unaware of the power of life and death held by some of the captives over their compatriots within the confies of the death camps. The author, who lived through this hell, describes not only the physical brutality of the place, but the mental anguish experienced by the prisoners, and the strange roles of those who worked as functionaries, commanding prisoners, staffing infirmaries, and running the horrible selections.

The book is short, simply-written, and a horrible delight to read. Few books convey the experience of the Nazi death camps better. I highly recommend this book for everyone, as it calls to question your OWN actions and motivations: what price does life hold? How would you REALLY respond in a similar position?

This book is an eye opener. It shows what human beings will do just to survive. I always heard about the horrors committed on the prisoners by soldiers but not about the prisoners turning on each other. I was able to see all sides in this book. There were evil SS men and yet there were ones that showed compassion. There were prisoners that would beat and starve other prisoners and ones who stuck together through all. A wonderful read but I would have liked to know more at the end though... more of her life after the war was over.

Incredibly frightening to know these things happened. I will never understand Holocaust deniers. Nobody could make up the details found in this book.

The story of an unfortunate Polish woman imprisoned for being Jewish, Sara Nomberg-Przytyk does an excellent job of recreating the events in her life. It's a chilling tale that reminds us what a terrible place the world can be. You always want to know what is coming next. Horror after horror is revealed in such frequency that it leave you wondering if it was exaggerated or untrue. "Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land" is an eye-opening tale of survival. Through it all, still, people survived, one way or another. If you have not read it already, read it. You will be riveted in your seat and left with an incredible sense of gratefulness.