Customer Reviews

Fighting Back: A Memoir of Jewish Resistance in World War II

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Thanks to Harold Werner for retelling these events from his deathbed. I read the book in an evening and could not put it down. I am very proud to know that people such as Mr. Werner fought back no matter what the odds. Not only does he write about battles and suffering, but he also writes of the community he grew up with, the people he loved, how people made their living, and how they related to their neighbors.

This true story takes place in Poland during the late 1930s thru 1946.The main character is a young man named Harold.The trials he experiences prior to WW2 are nothing compaired to the radical changes his life undergoes during the Nazi occupation.There were several things that I enjoyed most about this book.It is scary to realise how treacherous people can be to each other but it is encouraging to see how the human spirit rises to such adverse circumstances.You will follow his life from living in the city to hiding in the forests of Poland while being hunted by villagers and Nazis.Fear and hunger were common among this group of partsians.I found this story easy to read and relate to. This story can parallel any group of people who are oppressed.

Fighting Back, by Harold Werner, is the well told story of a group of Jewish partisans, who instead of quietly submitting to the will of their Nazi oppressors, and those anti-semitic villagers, and there seemed to be many, who collaborated with the Nazis in their quest to destroy the Jews of Poland, decided to fight back. The author was one of those partisans. These people had all lost family members and friends to both the Nazis and to many of their neighbors who had once been their friends, and all they wanted was a chance to fight back, an opportunity for revenge. After reading many holocaust books about the camps, or about Jews in hiding, it was a pleasure to finally read one where the Jews actually defended themselves, and if they had to die, they died "Fighting Back." This is a must read.

This book is a must read. The author shares his gripping story of fighting both the Nazis and the anti-semitic Polish as a Jewish resistance fighter during the Holocaust. It is an inspiration how during the darkest hours of human misery, man's will to survive, protect the unprotected, and fight back against an enemy committed to their destruction propels them forward despite the odds. Harold Werner and the men and women who fought (and sometimes died) beside him should be remembered as heroes for generations to come.

This book is well worth the time. It is different from the usual story of the fate of Jews in eastern Europe. While we have available many memoirs from these times, there are few that are as well written, edited, and detailed. The initial part is devoted to the author's life in prewar Poland and makes for a very useful background for understanding peoples' reactions to subsequent events. The complex relationships between the author and the Polish farmers and villagers illustrate the moral ambiguities inherent in actions of some, as well as the heroism of others. Names are named and places documented. The book was difficult to put down. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject and especially to those that teach it.