Oskar Schindler: Righteous Gentile (Holocaust Biographies) [Library Binding]

Jeremy Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001 | Series: Holocaust Biographies

Oskar Schindler was many things: playboy, womanizer, bon vivant, scoundrel, slime. Such words all accurately describe a man who drank far too much and regularly cheated on his wife. They all describe Oskar Schindler. He was no saint. Yet, the same man would prove to have depths of courage and humanity rare at any time- and even rarer in the times during which he lived.

--This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-These books focus on important figures while giving historical accounts of the period. Bayer tells of Wiesel's horrific experiences in the concentration camps, his struggle to save his father's life as well as his own, and his continuing efforts "to bear witness" to persecution and injustice throughout the world. He writes and speaks to prevent the world from forgetting and possibly repeating this kind of genocide. Bayer's absorbing style gives a distinct picture to her subject. It's an unfortunate oversight that names such as Hitler and Stalin are introduced without identification, but overall this informative account is accessible to its target audience. Schindler risked his life in order to help persecuted Jews. Essentially a businessman interested in money and having a good time, he was an enigmatic figure whose heroism could not have been foreseen. A member of the Nazi party, he is credited with saving over 1000 Jews from Nazi atrocities. Unfortunately, Roberts's style is unclear and lacks focus. At times new facts are introduced without background information to make them understandable. Jack L. Roberts's Oskar Schindler (Lucent, 1996) is better organized and more clearly written.
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group; 1st edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823933105
• ISBN-13: 978-0823933105
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars --Didn't tell enough about Schindler--, April 16, 2003

By 

Judith Miller (Bluemont, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oskar Schindler: Righteous Gentile (Holocaust Biographies) (Library Binding)

This was not a concise biography of Oskar Schindler. Aside from a few pieces of information, the film SCHINDLER'S LIST gave me a better understanding of the man. Like the film, this was mostly about Schindler's heroic saving of Jews during World War II. This book skimmed over his early life and the years after the war which is really what I wanted to be informed about.

I did learn one very interesting fact that I had never read before and that had to do with the beginning of World War II and Germany's invasion of Poland. The author, Jeremy Roberts reports that at one point, Schindler had served as a spy for Germany before the war. Schindler's wife, Emilie said that her husband helped obtain Polish uniforms, which were used by German agents in Poland. In writing about the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the author says:

" They came without warning, leading the way for long columns of tanks and men. SS soldiers dressed in Polish uniforms--perhaps based on designs Oskar Schindler had helped to steal--pretended to attack a German radio station. This was used as an excuse for the invasion. Other German soldiers parachuted behind Polish lines, where they helped trick many Poles to their deaths." I found this information amazing and I was disappointed to hear of Schindler's possible involvement. Perhaps saving Jewish lives was part of his atonement for earlier wrongs.