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The Boys: The Story of 732 Young Concentration Camp Survivors

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Martin Gilbert is probably one of the most prodigious historians alive. This book required interviews with the 732 survivors it profiles ("Boys" includes both men and women) and those who knew them after the war. Some were as young as eight or nine when the war started. Many themes Gilbert covers are like those one can read in other personal Holocaust histories. But the experiences in each case are unique.

Martin provides two statistics I find particularly haunting. While 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust--including victims of pre-war pogroms, ghettos, concentration and death camps and death marches--only 100,000 survived the camps. And while Britain agreed to take in 1,000 Jewish "children" under the age of 16 after the war, only 732 could be found alive.

But for me, the most fascinating part of the book is the repeated confirmation that those who returned to their homes after the war found the same kind of murderous hatred among their former neighbors as Jan Tomasz Gross describes in Neighbors.

In other words, Jedwabne was not unique. Gross has himself said as much and plans to write more on the subject. But Gilbert also confirms that murders of Jews by locals happened during the war all over Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, and to a lesser extent, in Hungary. It also happened after the war all over Europe--especially in the East. Returning Jews found neighbors who wished them dead, and in thousands of cases killed them. The "boys", obviously, survived. But many lost brothers, parents, friends, after the war, in Poland, Hungary, and elsewhere. Sir Martin Gilbert gives us the living proof. Alyssa A. Lappen

In reading this book's 480 pages I must have said "Unbelieveable" at least 480 times. What a remarkable story. It's sad that the passing of time and the passing of the individuals who experienced and survived such an ordeal tends to soften the images of those terrible times. I am grateful to "The Boys" who contributed to Martin Gilbert's requst to write their stories down. I promise them that in the same way that they commited their lives to keeping their families spiits alive, I will do the same for them. I will ensure that my children know of the past and learn from it. This book, along with other Holocaust memorials and projects, will be read years from now and make future generations proud of their Jewish heritage. "The Boys" lives have not been in vain, they have lit a path of hope and fulfillment for all that follow

There were times I almost could not continue to read the book. I pictured myself as the mother watching in horror, the child, the sister, the brother, and it all seemed real and unbelievable.

But as with all Holocaust stories, if these fortunate, brave and lucky souls, could have survived and lived to tell the horrors that still invade their minds, the least I owe them and especially those that perished, is that I should read the account.

Inspiring, very well written, and everlasting impact.

I can't add much to the excellent published reviews. This is one of the most outstanding books I have read. Read it to learn what Jewish life was like before 1939 and to learn of the horrors of the camps and forced marches. Yet the book shows that there is hope as the "boys" remember the words of their fathers "In a place where there are no men, be a man". If you could get an older teen-ager to get through the beginning of this book (which is a little slow), they would get a tremendous amount from this book.

An amazing book. Gilbert did not so much write a book as he did weave together masterfully the story of 732 young people whose only connection was the terrible tragedy that befell them. Gilbert, or rather his "Boys", paints a vivd picture of pre-Holocaust Jewish life in eastern Europe and makes one realize that Hitler destroyed more than six million lives. The story is terribly depressing and yet uplifting when one realizes what "the Boys" have done with their lives since 1945

Reading the boys' descriptions of the inhumanity that they had been through, it is a wonder that they could focus on their future without revenge in their hearts. After liberation and their welcome to Windermere, it is so remarkable that they are motivated to learn and get on with their lives. I now think that the Jews as a whole have gotten a bad press. Who else, could one say, would not be obsessed with violence and getting even? I am proud of the link I have with them.

Let me first preface this by saying I have not yet read this book. I just recently found out that my Grandfather (luckily still living) was/is one of The Boys. Through serendipity he found out about the reunions and gatherings that The Boys have every year and these friends which he once had, then lost, then foud again, are now a major part of his life. Because of the pain it evokes, I have never made it a point to prod my Grandfather to tell more of his personal atrocities than he freely wishes. I hope only to learn more about his history, and implicity a bit about mine by reading this book.

This remarkable book consists of the comprehensive results interviews with and letters by 732 concentration camp survivors from the holocaust.
These young people-both boys and girls-where settled in Britain after World War II , some stayed and made lives in Britain , while others immigrated to the USA , Australia , Canada and Israel.
Some of the boys made their mark in the Israel War of Independence defending the fledgling Jewish State after it was attacked by five Arab armies , aiming to anihilate all Jews in Israel (as the Arabs and anti-Zionists of the world aim for today i.e a second holocaust.)
Part of the book consists of harrowing eyewitness accounts of the survivors , hence an important testament to holocaust remembrance. The accounts are often graphic and bring the grim reality of what happened to the Jewish people during world War II to bear on us.
It is important to remember the holocaust again , at times when some , like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others , deny it's existance.

It is important to remember the holocaust , at a time when the Islamic world and their far-left allies wish to destroy Israel , the phoenix that arose from the ashes of the Jewish people , and subject the Jews of Israel to a second holocaust.
It is interesting to see how for most of the survivors Israel and Zionism where an important part of their consciousness.
Anti-Zionist propaganda aims to prepare for genocide of Jews , in the same way as Nazi propaganda did , and therefore all Anti-Zionist and anti-Israel propaganda should be treated the same as Nazism-with no tolerance.
Most holocaust survivors and their descendants today live in Israel.
The future of the descendants of the survivors needs to be preserved , and therefore Israel must prevail.
That is what we must fight for when we say 'Never Again!'

An outstanding piece of writing, one that conveys not only facts, but also emotions of a time when compassion and human decency were rare or absent from the world of these boys. Martin Gilbert has the ability to place one at the scene of the event, with a quiet passion that is not matched by many other writers of this period. His book, "The Holocaust" is written in much the same manner, as he personalizes the horrific events depicted and he does not permit you to count the 6 million Jewish dead as a number. They are and remain people like you and me. "The Boys" is a similar tour de force of writing, compelling reading which carries one along, not permitting you to put the book down until you are done. It is a disquieting book regarding human behavior, and yet the success of the children described is uplifting. Read the book and ensure that such events do not take place again

I have read many books on the holocaust and the misery it caused. This book looks at the holocaust from the point of view of children as opposed to adults or in 3rd person.

It was a pleasure to see that even through adversity the human spirit can rebuild itself.