Customer Reviews

Because of Romek: A Holocaust Survivor's Memoir

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Young David Faber survived the horrors of the Holocaust because of Romek and because of a vow he made. Romek was his older brother, a Resister whom David watched tortured and murdered by the Nazis. That was at the beginning of the persecution of the Jews. The vow David made to his mother was simply that he would live. The true experiences related in this memoir left this reader first breathless, then chilled, then nearly numb. To say more would lessen the impact for the next reader. Just order it and read it now! The story of David's survival in the Ghetto, in flight and in hiding, in the Partisan band, and in the concentration camp is simply-written but powerful. These days Mr. Faber is a sought-after speaker at San Diego middle-schools and high-schools. Students rarely fail to be moved by the courage and endurance of a 15-year-old child of the Holocaust. This book really should be required reading, alongside Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl" and Inna Konstantinova's journal in "Defending Leningrad".

My girlfriend and I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Faber at a recent book signing. Seconds after introducing himself, he is ready to pull up his shirt sleeve to show you a grim reminder of his past. His arm still bears the numbers, forcibly tattooed on him by the Nazi regime. He then pulls open his book, lovingly pointing to his mother and sisters. With a soft break in his voice, he then describes the moment he found them lifeless, piled on top of one another.

We bought several copies... and have come back to purchase more.

The book does not disappoint, written in a narrative format that is easy to follow and gripping to read. His work leads you down the path of brutal history, following his family as they are forced into slave labor, rounded up into Ghettos, and then ritualistically hunted by the Nazis. He makes a pact with his mother to survive the horrors, and through it all, he somehow does. Reading the book, you realize that he had a higher purpose in life, educating future generations about the atrocities that no man or woman should have to endure.

After meeting the man and understanding his past, one can only thank God Mr. Faber lived to tell his story. It will change you forever.

I couldn't put this book down, once I picked it up. This true story, is a well written account of a young boy's life in a German concnetration camp. This book was hard to read at times, because you can't believe that a human being would treat another human being this way. It made it especially hard for me to read this book, because David Faber is my next door neighbor, and the nicest man you could ever met. This book should be required reading in every school, so we all know what really went in the Geramn concentration camps, and to make sure this horror will never happen again.

I have read Mr. David Faber's book, "Because of Romek" several times, and each time I am moved to choking tears. He writes in a way that takes the reader there to his experiences during the Holocaust. When I finish the book I am always left with the same feeling: deep concern that the last of the survivors are now dying out with age, and as a result this horrific event called the Holocaust will fade into unrecognized history, ceasing to be a reminder of how cruel we humans can become indeed if not careful to check our values on a continuous basis. "Because of Romek" is the ultimate example of how easily it is to be led astray by others (Germans allowing themselves to swayed to honour Hitler's own insane beliefs without considering about what they were really doing). David Faber is a man I personally admire beyond words; he survived on determination alone, driven by a promise he made to his mother that kept him alive through the entire war. He witnesses events most of us only imagine or read about. He shares with us what really happened then. If I were a schoolteacher I would require every one of my students to read this book and discuss at length the importance of it and why it is important for us to remember the Holocaust. - Tony Flach

I have easily read over 60 Holocaust survivors stories, and while I feel a bit guilty saying one is a one-star rating, I have always tried to be objective. This book, is without a doubt, a five-star book. I wept openly, and throughout the entire book, I kept asking myself if this really happened. How could it happen? How did humanity allow it to happen.

Different than most survivor books, Because of Romek has some very graphic detail. Mr. Faber recollects his horrendous childhood with chilling detail, even describing his witnessing the murder of his brother at the hand of the SS. Although he did survive the Holocaust, one gets the sense that the trauma from his life remains in all aspects of his adulthood, as well.

While this is an emotionally written and touching book, it is not appropriate for sensitive readers or children. It will make you cry, it will make you question humanity, and it will make you wonder how an individual like Mr. Faber had the strength to get through the most hellish experiences in one's lifetime. No one should have ever had to endure such attrocities, and no one should ever have to face them in the future!

My girlfriend and I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Faber at a recent book signing. Seconds after introducing himself, he is ready to pull up his shirt sleeve to show you a grim reminder of his past. His arm still bears the numbers, forcibly tattooed on him by the Nazi regime. He then pulls open his book, lovingly pointing to his mother and sisters. With a soft break in his voice, he then describes the moment he found them lifeless, piled on top of one another. We bought several copies... and have come back to purchase more.

The book does not disappoint, written in a narrative format that is easy to follow and gripping to read. His work leads you down the path of brutal history, following his family as they are forced into slave labor, rounded up into Ghettos, and then ritualistically hunted by the Nazis. He makes a pact with his mother to survive the horrors, and through it all, he somehow does. Reading the book, you realize that he had a higher purpose in life, educating future generations about the atrocities that no man or woman should have to endure.

After meeting the man and understanding his past, one can only thank God Mr. Faber lived to tell his story. It will change you forever.

I have a had the privilege of not only reading Mr. Faber's book, "Because of Romek", I also had the great privilege of meeting him in person and discussing his heart wrenching experiences. Once you start reading his book you won't want to put in down! On several occasions, I had to stop and remind myself THIS IS A TRUE story! To read what it was like first hand from Mr. Faber, a Holocaust survivor, was to say at the very least, enlightning! It is so very hard to believe that another human being could treat another human in such a horrible way.

As a police officer, I have experienced some terrible things in my 20+ years, but I don't believe any of them could come close to comparison with Mr. Faber's experiences. My deepest respect and admiration go to you, Mr. Faber!

I thank you for sharing these very personal thoughts and experiences with us! You have definately given me a new perspective on life and how fragile life can be!

"David Faber was there; he lived it, and he described it. My division opened the gates of Dachau. I was there in 1945. I saw all the horror. I was just a 19 year old kid from Ohio, a private in a rifle company, an Italian Roman Catholic. Then I knew what I'd been fighting for." (Mr. Platamone's review belongs to the public domain and is not the exclusive property of amazon.com.)

Before Mr. Faber came to Eagleview Middle School to explain his horrible past, I used to think differently of the Holocaust. My Social Studies teacher Mr. Perfors taught us about the Holocaust, although I couldn't get a clear picture. That was until Mr. Faber came to talk to us. The details from his story made me feel as if I was there, although no one could have gone through as much pain as Mr. Faber. It was an honor to hear of his experience after what he went through. It takes a strong willed person to go through what he went through and to continue to live with the pain and to tell others of his past. I had a very different outlook on life after reading Mr. Faber's book. I am grateful to live in a country where there is freedom of religion and one's opinions and not being tortured. Mr. Faber's book (Because of romek) is higher than a 5!

David Faber book was the most outstanding story I had ever read. By reading this book made me realize that I live one of the greatest years in history. David has been my encouragement to live without hated to someone who has done wrong. One of the parts in this reading that touched the inside of my heart was when he described the killing of his parents, brother and sisters. The way that I found this book was through my cousin, she said that she will never forget the suffering and hatred that Germans had towards the Jewish people. I recommend all teens to read Because of Romek this book would make them realize that now we have the greatest opportunities in life. I encourage my comrades at school to read this book; they would see the world differently as we see it now. I would like to meet Mr. Faber someday. I give this book five stars.