The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews [Paperback]

Peter Duffy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 15, 2004

In 1941, three brothers witnessed their parents and two other siblingsbeing led away to their eventual murders. It was a grim scene that would,of course, be repeated endlessly throughout the war. Instead of running orgiving in to despair, these brothers -- Tuvia, Zus, and Asael Bielski -- foughtback, waging a guerrilla war of wits against the Nazis.

By using their intimate knowledge of the dense forests surrounding theBelarusan towns of Novogrudek and Lida, the Bielskis evaded the Nazis andestablished a hidden base camp, then set about convincing other Jews to jointheir ranks. As more and more Jews arrived each day, a robust communitybegan to emerge, a "Jerusalem in the woods."

After two and a half years in the woods, in July 1944, the Bielskis learnedthat the Germans, overrun by the Red Army, were retreating back towardBerlin. More than one thousand Bielski Jews emerged -- alive -- on that final,triumphant exit from the woods.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Captivating...a welcome story of bold, determined, and successful resistance....[An] unjustly neglected story.” (San Francisco Chronicle )

“As amazing as Schindler’s List.” (People )

“This remarkable story would make a terrific movie…. A story about heroes, and Duffy does a masterful job.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“Fast-paced and deeply moving...inspiring in its representation of the heroism of ordinary people.” (Washington Post )

“An engrossing, inspiring narrative ... of an incredible victory amid an immeasurable tragedy.” (Dallas Morning News )

“A haunting book...with the grip of good fiction and the punch of hard truth.” (Chicago Tribune )

“An extraordinary story of resistance.” (The Spectator )

“Powerful! The strength of the human spirt shines on in [this] beautifully written book.” (Paula Zahn, CNN Live from the Headlines )

“Remarkable [and] surprising ... Duffy’s book is a gripping and overdue tribute to the brothers’ resourcefulness and courage.” (London Times )

“A fascinating story!” (The Economist )

“[A] dramatic and heartfelt story of unbelievable courage in the face of unspeakable adversity.” (PW Daily )

“Uplifting....A powerful recounting of a little-known story.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“A wildly daring, untold tale of resistance .... inspiring and harrowing.” (Jewish Bulletin )

“An exciting, well-paced story about honor, courage and duty. An inspiration.” (Howard Blum, author of THE BRIGADE )

About the Author

Peter Duffy is the author of The Bielski Brothers. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (June 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060935537
• ISBN-13: 978-0060935535
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > History > Europe > Belarus

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 80 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "Hardly a plaque bears their names." April 1, 2005

By Mary Whipple HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

When the Germans finally retreated from Belarus in the summer of 1944, almost twelve hundred Jewish survivors of the Holocaust shocked the world by materializing from the forest where they had lived in hiding during the German occupation. Tuvia, Asael, and Zus Bielski, three brothers, had managed to establish a well-organized community in the forest which lasted for almost three years, protecting hundreds of Jewish citizens while wreaking havoc on their German occupiers. Author Peter Duffy places this extraordinary story of survival in context by describing the Bielskis' lives and achievements, quoting from Tuvia Bielski's previously unknown journal, and revealing the sociopolitical history, including the anti-Semitism, of Belarus, a region south of Lithuania.

In establishing their forest community, open to all Jews, the Bielskis had to fight "wars" on four fronts: the immediate threat from the Germans and the local police; the danger from local peasants and collaborators; the suspicions of Soviet partisans who questioned whether the Bielskis were sufficiently dedicated to their cause; and most of all, internal dissension. This was no "utopian community of enlightened democratic and egalitarian governance," and many readers may cringe at the extremes to which the leadership occasionally resorted in order to eliminate dissension.

At its height, the forest village consisted of long, camouflaged dugouts for sleeping, a large kitchen, mill, bakery, bathhouse, tannery, school, jail, theater, and two medical facilities. Tailors, seamstresses, shoemakers, watchmakers, carpenters, mechanics, and experts in demolition provided the 1200-member community with necessary skills, and about sixty cows and thirty horses provided food and transportation. Many of the men served as part of the armed contingent which secured food and engaged in sabotage and the murder of German officials.

By concentrating on one family and its life during the war, Duffy creates a powerful documentary about Jewish life. Breaking the narrative into six-month installments, he details the progress of the war throughout the region, relentlessly revealing cold statistics--the thousands of people killed in a single ghetto in a single day. As the numbers mount, the reader's horror at the immense scale of the genocide grows, the victims' utter helplessness becomes obvious, and the reader's amazement at the Bielskis' achievement in creating their village increases. Mary Whipple

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You MUST read this book! April 21, 2007

By S. Miller

Format:Paperback

If you have any interest in the Partisan movement, the Jewish resistance, the Warsaw uprising, the White rose, Edelweiss Pirates, Oskar Schindler or anyone else that defied the nazi regime, you have to read this book. First off, this is not a bang bang shoot em up account of the Bielski brothers. This is more about the massive effort it took to move over 800 people-quietly- thru a forest crawling with thousands of Nazis whose only purpose was to find them. Truly, an amazing feat of logistics that can be marvelled at, but then to think that they did it more than once?!?! Unbelievable!

If you didnt know any better, you'd swear it was a work of fiction, moreover, after reading it, you are going to wonder why on earth are our children not taught about such brave souls! truly one of the more memorable and gripping books I have read in quite a while. get it, you will not be sorry.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars "Hardly a plaque bears their names." July 5, 2003

By Mary Whipple HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

When the Germans finally retreated from Belarus in the summer of 1944, almost twelve hundred Jewish survivors of the Holocaust shocked the world by materializing from the forest where they had lived in hiding during the German occupation. Tuvia, Asael, and Zus Bielski, three brothers, had managed to establish a well-organized community in the forest which lasted for almost three years, protecting hundreds of Jewish citizens while wreaking havoc on their German occupiers. Author Peter Duffy places this extraordinary story of survival in context by describing the Bielskis? lives and achievements, quoting from Tuvia Bielski?s previously unknown journal, and revealing the sociopolitical history, including the anti-Semitism, of Belarus, a region south of Lithuania.

In establishing their forest community, open to all Jews, the Bielskis had to fight "wars" on four fronts: the immediate threat from the Germans and the local police; the danger from local peasants and collaborators; the suspicions of Soviet partisans who questioned whether the Bielskis were sufficiently dedicated to their cause; and most of all, internal dissension. This was no "utopian community of enlightened democratic and egalitarian governance," and many readers may cringe at the extremes to which the leadership occasionally resorted in order to eliminate dissension.

At its height, the forest village consisted of long, camouflaged dugouts for sleeping, a large kitchen, mill, bakery, bathhouse, tannery, school, jail, theater, and two medical facilities. Tailors, seamstresses, shoemakers, watchmakers, carpenters, mechanics, and experts in demolition provided the 1200-member community with necessary skills, and about sixty cows and thirty horses provided food and transportation. Many of the men served as part of the armed contingent which secured food and engaged in sabotage and the murder of Germans officials.

By concentrating on one family and its life during the war, Duffy creates a powerful documentary about Jewish life. Breaking the narrative into six-month installments, he details the progress of the war throughout the region, relentlessly revealing cold statistics--the thousands of people killed in a single ghetto in a single day. As the numbers mount, the reader?s horror at the immense scale of the genocide grows, the victims? utter helplessness becomes obvious, and the reader?s amazement at the Bielskis? achievement increases. None of the Bielski brothers ever received public recognition for these heroic efforts, and Duffy?s attempts to rectify this historical omission by telling their story will resonate with readers. Mary Whipple