Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz [Paperback]

Lucette Matalon Lagnado (Author), Sheila Cohn Dekel (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 1992

During World War II, Nazi doctor Josef Mengele subjected some 3,000 twins to medical experiments of unspeakable horror; only 160 survived. In this remarkable narrative, the life of Auschwitz's Angel of Death is told in counterpoint to the lives of the survivors, who until now have kept silent about their heinous death-camp ordeals.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only 160 of 3000 twins subjected to genetic experimentation by Mengele survived until 1945. The reprint of this important addition to Holocaust literature is scheduled to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 30. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A horrifying yet spellbinding account. Although Mengele was a mediocre doctor, he was encouraged in his pursuit of "genetic research" to create a "master Aryan race" with the concentration camp at Auschwitz providing an ample supply of specimens for his unscientific, poorly documented experiments. Twins were his fixation, and this book interviews some of the estimated 100 survivors from an initial sample of 3000 young people. The fascination of this book is that it follows the lives of both Mengele and the twins in their readjustment to life away from the camps. This gripping tale is extremely readable and well documented, offering another facet to the human tragedy of the Holocaust.
- Pam Spencer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140169318
• ISBN-13: 978-0140169317
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > History > Europe > Poland

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 103 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better one on the subject... February 7, 2001

By Matt Jachyra

Format:Paperback

Well-written book, easy to read. Actually one of the better ones about subject of Mengele and Auschwitz. No lengthy boring descriptions or statistical speculations. Just good writing mixed with moving quotes of survived victims. I've read many books about Mengele and all of them were dry and filled with assumptions. This book states simple facts supported by eyewitness accounts. A lot of times I had to put this book away to digest all the evil that was done to those poor children. Reading "Children of the Flames" is like being on the emotional roller coaster. This book will grab you by your heart and deeply move you. There are not enough words to describe the pain and suffering that happened. Very accurate account. If I could read only one book about Mengele this would be the one.

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A SAD ACCOUNT BUT, NONETHELESS, A TRUE ACCOUNT June 18, 2001

By Sandra D. Peters

Format:Paperback

Both my parents served in the armed forces overseas during World War II, and it was through them, as a young adult, I heard of the "children of the flames" and the horrors of the concentration camps. When the book was first published, it caught my attention for that very reason. "Children of the Flames" is not an easy book to read simply because of the subject matter. However, the authors have managed to relate the story in a way that tells of the evil acts committed but in as diplomatic a manner as possible. The attrocities are almost too bloodcurdling to conceive. For me, it was impossible to read "Children of the Flames" in one sitting, especially the interviews which actually describe life and the experiments at Auschwitz.

This is the story of Josef Mengele and his "children of Auschwitz". Selecting primarily twins (or others who caught his eye) from the multitudes of Jews headed for the gas chambers, Mengele used these innocent children to satisfy his own perverse needs, all in the name of research, as human guinea pigs for his own horrendous experiments. The book is based upon interviews with survivors of Mengele's twins, and the reader will quickly discover, there are few survivors. The interviews tell the life of survivors before capture, during their time at Auschwitz and after their release. Almost all victims have had a lifetime of horrific, unending nightmares except those who cannot remember. Those who cannot remember, and there are few, are perhaps blessed with the body's unique defence system to block out that which is too unbearable and too painful to remember.

It has been over fifty years since the Holocaust, but it will forever remain a part of our history. Perhaps we owe it to the survivors of the Holocaust, and the families of those who did not survive, to honour their memory by a book such as this. For those of us who were born after World Ward II, the book will give the reader a deeper appreciation of the freedom we have today in North America.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner August 23, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Interweaving quotes from twin-survivors about their stories both during and after Auschwitz with Dr. Mengele's own biography, the authors have created a truly compelling narrative. Their central thesis -- that Mengele's obsession with twins derived from the fact that in personality he was a "twin" with angelic and sadistic sides -- is a fascinating one. Moreover, the authors are skillful in presenting anecdotes about the twin's lives that contrast with or even mirror times in Dr. Mengele's own life: i.e., the twins are desperate to leave Europe for Israel after the war; Mengele is desperate to leave Europe for South America; the twins live in broken health; Mengele becomes a hypochondriac. Thus, there is always a rich subtext to simple "stories" about the twins' lives.

Moreover, there is nothing gruesome about the book; it avoids detailed accounts of the substance of the experiments, but simply makes the point that the countless procedures performed had no medical value, and were not understood by the twins themselves.

Truly excellent and original.