Customer Reviews

Speak You Also: A Holocaust Memoir

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I just finished reading this great first-hand account of living through the Holocaust in Nazi death camps, by Paul Steinberg. What separates this text is that it seems less caught up with providing the reader with every single detail of daily life and more focused with the author's personal struggle, the friendships gained and forgotten, the death camp's social hieracrchies, and of course, his incredible task of survival. Paul Steinberg admits that he was an atypical Jew, uninvolved with Jewish ways and traditions, and he wonders why he survived and others perished; Jews that were more religious, possessed more wisdom, strength, etc. Truly, Steinberg's ordeal is almost unbelievable. He was able to do what he had to in order to survive. This book is great if you want to gain a good understanding of these historical events, a different time period in life, and the human struggle, all through the eyes of this remarkable man. He is honest and sincere, and holds nothing back.

I haven't heard of Paul Steinberg before I read this book. The book is a gem and recollects the life of a camp inmate trying to survive the war. Steinberg was one of those people who helped
the inmate leadership run the killing camps. He was a chemist in one of the IB Farben complexes. His short but powerful story shows how stronger people were consumed, while a flexible youngster survived the camps by doing what he had to do to stay alive.
This should be required reading for those people who deny that the Holocaust happened. It is also a reminder that the general population should always remember these events. Steinberg found this book hard to write, but it was easy to read and conveyed a powerful perspective.

Speak You Also tells an empowering story of struggle and determination without showing the slightest trace of self-pity. Steinberg's novel was so moving, because he did not feel bad for everything he endured, but instead focused on the theme of what made him survive in contrast to the concept of death. From the point of view of someone who never witnessed the Holocaust, the memoir perfectly illustrates the life lessons that have come from those who endured it. One example would be the constant question of morality, which Steinberg comments "You do good when you can and when you happen to feel like it. In all other cases, you do evil, if you have even the slightest scrap of power". The author captures the emotions of himself and those around him. He is able to bring back all these horrifying memories to share with the reader so his story is never forgotten. This novel is by far a must read for people of all ages and backgrounds. Speak You Also is Steinberg's time to speak out about the horrors he witnessed during his days in Auschwitz as well as to reflect back on many unanswered questions in this extremely heart-filled and brutally honest account of the Holocaust.

extraordinary recounting of months in a concentration camp; this book can easily rival Elie Wiesel's 'Night' for its look into this era, and the author's extraordinary gift with a pen is impressive...

Product was needed early in the shipping date period and arrived on the first day available; also in good condition