Customer Reviews

We Remember the Holocaust

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although short, and written for a younger audience, grades 9-12, this is an urgently needed book for anyone of any age wanting to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust. How do you rate a book that alternately made you cry in sorrow, boil in anger and righteous indignation, ashamed to be part of any group that either participated in or ignored the cries for help, but also sometimes made you shout for joy at the tenacity and elegance of human spirit of those who were persecuted that enabled them to survive? The only answer to the question comes by gritting your teeth, and recognizing the urgency of letting everyone know what really happened, mainly in Germany and surrounding countries, but also, unbelievably, all over the world.

"We Remember..." is filled with pictures of survivors and Holocaust atrocities. Thankfully, they are all black and white pictures. Color would have rendered them even more obscene than the events they pictured were. (I use the word `obscene' here not to indicate vulgarity, but rather the intensely evil nature of the events themselves, as in "abhorrent to morality or virtue".)

David A. Adler does a masterful job of gathering the first hand eye-witness testimonies of those who actually were there, most either as children, or young adults. The story is appalling: the indifference of world leaders to the events themselves, and to the plight of those onboard a ship trying to escape for their lives. One ship with 769 Romanian survivors was turned away at every port, and finally sunk by a Soviet submarine (p.45).

He tells of Hitler's attempted takeover of the government in 1920 and his meteoric rise to power; of Neville Chamberlain's attempt at a policy of appeasement of Germany, and its failures; how many of the German people welcomed him with open arms; how a few non-Jews, but only a few at first, had the courage to resist the government mandated persecution; and, he does so in a manner that is both riveting and engaging. As I read, I jotted down words that came to mind: shocking, distressing, outrageous, inhuman, ungodly and unchristian were some of them.

The one thing that impressed me as Adler told his story is that not only did the world refuse to believe that the Nazis were doing this terrible thing, but that the events were so horrible, and so indescribably unbelievable that many of the Jews themselves didn't believe the warnings and stories at first. As they went to the death chambers, they did so thinking the best of the situation, and hoping for the best outcome.

One young reader reviewed this book in 2000 using the word "fun" to describe his experience. I attribute that description simply to his age and lack of understanding of the use of the word "fun". Let me assure anyone who reads this, they will NOT have fun reading it. If they are human, they will find themselves cursing (not literally) anyone that could even imagine doing such things to another human being. They will weep. And, their righteous indignation will well up inside themselves with a determination to either tell others about this unbelievable but true story, or be sure others know. And that is why David A. Adler took the time to make us all sick at our stomachs.

Read it. Please. Pray that it never happens again. Five monstrous stars for a cautionary story told very, very well.

Although short, and written for a younger audience, grades 9-12, this is an urgently needed book for anyone of any age wanting to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust. How do you rate a book that alternately made you cry in sorrow, boil in anger and righteous indignation, ashamed to be part of any group that either participated in or ignored the cries for help, but also sometimes made you shout for joy at the tenacity and elegance of human spirit of those who were persecuted that enabled them to survive? The only answer to the question comes by gritting your teeth, and recognizing the urgency of letting everyone know what really happened, mainly in Germany and surrounding countries, but also, unbelievably, all over the world.

"We Remember..." is filled with pictures of survivors and Holocaust atrocities. Thankfully, they are all black and white pictures. Color would have rendered them even more obscene than the events they pictured were. (I use the word `obscene' here not to indicate vulgarity, but rather the intensely evil nature of the events themselves, as in "abhorrent to morality or virtue".)

David A. Adler does a masterful job of gathering the first hand eye-witness testimonies of those who actually were there, most either as children, or young adults. The story is appalling: the indifference of world leaders to the events themselves, and to the plight of those onboard a ship trying to escape for their lives. One ship with 769 Romanian survivors was turned away at every port, and finally sunk by a Soviet submarine (p.45).

He tells of Hitler's attempted takeover of the government in 1920 and his meteoric rise to power; of Neville Chamberlain's attempt at a policy of appeasement of Germany, and its failures; how many of the German people welcomed him with open arms; how a few non-Jews, but only a few at first, had the courage to resist the government mandated persecution; and, he does so in a manner that is both riveting and engaging. As I read, I jotted down words that came to mind: shocking, distressing, outrageous, inhuman, ungodly and unchristian were some of them.

The one thing that impressed me as Adler told his story is that not only did the world refuse to believe that the Nazis were doing this terrible thing, but that the events were so horrible, and so indescribably unbelievable that many of the Jews themselves didn't believe the warnings and stories at first. As they went to the death chambers, they did so thinking the best of the situation, and hoping for the best outcome.

One young reader reviewed this book in 2000 using the word "fun" to describe his experience. I attribute that description simply to his age and lack of understanding of the use of the word "fun". Let me assure anyone who reads this, they will NOT have fun reading it. If they are human, they will find themselves cursing (not literally) anyone that could even imagine doing such things to another human being. They will weep. And, their righteous indignation will well up inside themselves with a determination to either tell others about this unbelievable but true story, or be sure others know. And that is why David A. Adler took the time to make us all sick at our stomachs.

Read it. Please. Pray that it never happens again. Five monstrous stars for a cautionary story told very, very well.

This book is very informative and gives young readers a headstart in the holocaust. The terrible things that happened during the holocaust comes to live in this book.

WE REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST IS A GOOD BOOK BECAUSE IT FIRST HAND HISTORY. FIRST OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK LIVED THROUGH HELL. I FELT LIKE I WAS THERE. THIS IS THE BEST BOOK BECAUSE THE PEOPLE TELLING IT LIVED THROUG IT.

This was another gift I purchased on amazon. So fast to receive the book and I hear my nephew LOVED it!! I can't give a review of the actual book but if he loved it..... IT has to be great... thank you!

This book, We remember the holocaust, is a very good book. It is very discriptive and gives some very nice pictures. It has some nice opinions and sayings of what some people said after the holocaust. It also interviewed some people who have actually survived the holocaust. This book is a very imformative book and is pretty fun to read.