The Importance Of Series - Simon Wiesenthal [Hardcover]

Linda Jacobs-Altman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Importance Of Series

Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal turned his personal pain into a tireless quest for justice. As the world's most famous Nazi hunter, Wiesenthal tracked the war criminals who planned and carried out the systematic murder of six million European Jews.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-This biography of the famed Nazi hunter is both a factual account of his life and a tribute to his importance in history. Altman also provides a succinct history of the Holocaust as she interweaves information about Wiesenthal's early life against the backdrop of Nazism and World War II. The author clearly admires her subject's accomplishments, but remains objective throughout the book. She includes Wiesenthal's antagonistic personality and occasional clashes with other noted Holocaust scholars such as Elie Wiesel. Many of the numerous quotations are from primary sources like diaries, tapes, Wiesenthal's books, interviews, and letters. All quotations are footnoted and a notes section appears just before the comprehensive index. Inset boxes add information on topics like Holocaust vocabulary, anti-Semitism, Hitler's orders for the invasion of Poland, and Raoul Wallenberg. Well-placed, black-and-white photographs enhance the text. Wiesenthal is a fascinating figure unknown to many students and this book is a viable choice for biography assignments or classroom study. However, it is similar to Laura S. Jeffrey's Simon Wiesenthal (Enslow, 1997) and libraries that own it will not need this one.
Leah J. Sparks, Bowie Public Library, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Holocaust survivor Wiesenthal became a passionate Nazi hunter, determined to bring justice to the criminals and remembrance to the victims. The accounts of how he doggedly helped track Nazis such as Adolf Eichmann are compelling detective stories. The reasons why he tracked the war criminals and the facts of who they were and what they did present an unsparing view of the genocide. This is no hagiography. Altman makes clear that Wiesenthal's obsession and egotism have earned him many enemies (even among Holocaust survivors and scholars, including Elie Wiesel). But she also shows the relentless drive and fierce independence that have made him great at his work. Part of The Importance Of biography series, this well-designed volume includes small black-and-white documentary photographs throughout, as well as excerpts from court testimonies, biographies, etc., that extend the discussion of Wiesenthal and Holocaust history. There are also full chapter source notes, an annotated bibliography, and a list of Web sites. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Lucent Books; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560064900
• ISBN-13: 978-1560064909
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,291,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "Please don't forget us!", August 31, 2000

By 

Pam Carlson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Importance Of Series - Simon Wiesenthal (Hardcover)

"And don't forget our murderers!" These words from a Jewish woman about to be killed by Nazi soldiers were a battle cry to Simon Wiesenthal. After his miraculous survival of the death camps, he dedicated his life to tracking down war criminals. At times his ego and love of publicity undermined him; other times it was these traits plus his singleminded determination that resulted in successful findings and prosecutions. Altman does not use a dry textbook style but writes almost in novel form with chapters subdivided by catchy headings. There are boxed features on some of the more notorious, along with victims and others, black and white photographs, notes, bibliography, and index.