Customer Reviews

The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust as Told in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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I was pleasantly surprised - while beeing shocked and horrified - that this book was NOT just a "coffee table book" of pictures from the US Holocaust Museum and Memorial - not that one would want a coffee-table book on that topic anyway. That it was published by/with the museum may give the impression it's "just" a bunch of pictures - a printed tour through the museum. That is definitely not the case.

The book tells more through the well-written text than it does through the pictures. The book would be excellent with no pictures at all - it's that well-written & edited. The pictures alone would give an "eh, so what?" reaction. Together, they are a riveting and frightening story of this terrible period in our history.

I thought I knew something about the Holocaust - and I suppose I did know as much as some people know - possibly more than most. This book opened my eyes even further.

Though I know antisemitism is unfortunately, still alive and well today - even in the United States - I had no idea how powerful it was in the years leading to World War II. This played a terrible role in the systematic destruction of the Jewish people - not only by the Nazis - but also through the cold-hearted or apathetic at best response by the rest of the world. Though most of us can show clean hands when it comes to the hands-on role of actual killing, an awful lot of us still tolerate - or even worse, practice the very kind of antisemitism that fueled the premeditated killing of so many.

This book could easily be an entire course on the Holocaust - from the earliest beginnings and history of anti-jewish action in the world, through the actual event, and up until today.

If I could afford it, I'd buy copies of this book for a couple of holocaust rejectors. If the evidence it presents does not cause them to renounce their denial of this event, then perhaps a coupl of well-placed whacks to the head will do. Either way, this book is weighty enough to accomplish the task.

Kidding aside, this is a great book - on a terrible subject.

I did not learn much about the Holocaust in high school, so I took it upon myself to learn. At 20 years of age, I read this book cover to cover. I cried, I had nightmares, and yet I did NEED to know. This book has EVERYTHING! I recommend it, not only as a teaching tool, but as a vivid and evoking journey into the past and its disgusting and unforgettable truths. THE WORLD MUST KNOW...the title says it all.

Why the need for a second edition of a classic Jewish studies survey of images from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC? Because with each decade that passes it becomes more important to preserve the images and realities of World War II events for future generations - and because THE WORLD MUST KNOW is an outstandingly well organized gathering of hard-hitting images from the German Holocaust. The Museum is a living memorial to the events and those who died - and THE WORLD MUST KNOW: THE HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST AS TOLD IN THE U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM is an outstanding memorial propelling its images beyond museum walls.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This book, published by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, is the museum in book form. Filled with hundreds of photos and illustrations, some of them quite graphic, along with short but descriptive and informative written pieces on everything one would need to know about the holocaust from beginning to end, the book does a quality job of introducing the subject to the reader.

This is not a scholarly text that those looking for historical detail would find useful. It is rather, a "coffee table" type book, and a very moving overview of the holocaust.

Riveting, moving, emotional, and gripping are all apt descriptives of the book. Well recommended for anyone needing the necessary information and knowledge of one of the ugliest times in history. At the quoted price, a great deal!

I was fortunate to be able to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum last summer - I was deeply impressed by the exhibits and the meticulous documentation of the Holocaust. The exterior is suitably stark in appearance, and the interior compellingly brings the Holocaust "alive" for visitors. This is not a museum for really young children (I'd recommend it for ages 10 and up, with great caution). Except for the ground level exhibit, the others truly convey the horrors and realities of the Holocaust. When I saw this book at the museum bookstore, I purchased it immediately, even though I have dozens of scholarly works on the subject (having taught Holocaust history for many years whilst overseas). It was to serve as a memento of my visit to the museum (the other book I purchased was I Never Saw Another Butterfly, a beautiful, lyrical, and heartbreaking work based on the writings and artwork of Jewish children incarcerated in Terezin during WW II, many of whom later perished in the Holocaust).

"The World Must Know" aligns with the institution's mission to memorialize the Holocaust and its millions of victims. It compellingly and vividly narrates the story of how the Holocaust occurred and the horrific consequences of this period, not only then, but the lasting impact till the present day. The book is divided into three main sections, i.e.:

The Nazi Assault - there's a brief overview of the vital and thriving Jewish culture which existed in many parts of Europe before the Nazis came to power and put an end to it. The rise of the Nazis, the anti-Jewish policies, racial science, Nazi medicine, and many more are covered to some extent, made all the more compelling by the archival B&W photographs which are abundantly peppered throughout the book. This section not only documents the atrocities perpetrated against the Jews but also the oppression suffered by the handicapped, and Gentiles who dared to oppose the regime.

The Holocaust - this section documents the Holocaust as it occurred in Europe and Greece; the formation of the ghettoes (Warsaw, Lodz, Kovno); the Wannsee Conference which discussed the Final Solution to the Jewish problem and which led to the mass extermination of European Jewry; dozens of photographs of the mass killings and extermination of Jews through firing squads, mobile gas vans, and of course the infamous gassings in death camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dachau, Majdanek, etc. The photographs here clearly document the meticulous methods employed by the Nazis in their zeal to rid Europe of Jews - the deportations (how heartbreaking to see pictures of young, innocent children being taken away, almost surely to their deaths!), and the chemicals and rooms used for gassing these innocent victims. This section also includes photographs of the exhibits found in the Holocaust Memorial Museum such as the thousands of shoes confiscated from prisoners in Majdanek, and scale models of the crematoriums complete with plaster figures of victims going through the entire process from arrival-selection-undressing-gassing-cremation.

The Last Chapter - covers the heroic efforts of some communities to save the Jews such as the miraculous rescue of the Jews in Denmark; Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon, a village in the south of France which provided refuge to 5,000 Jews during WW II; individual heroes who risked everything to save Jews such as Raoul Wallenberg; and many more. It also covers the uprisings, the death marches, and finally, liberation and its aftermath (the war crimes trials at Nuremberg, displaced persons, and exodus to Palestine).

There's an extensive index at the end of the book for easy cross-referencing. What else is there to be said but that this is an excellent work which portrays the history of the Holocaust as has been archived, documented, and narrated by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Recommended!

A book not to be missed, whether in its original publication of the newer 2007 version. The picturews are inforgettable and the writing superb.

This is an excellent comprehensive study of the Holocaust. For the beginning student of the Holocaust, it provides a great overview. And for the seasoned student, it a tremendous resource. It is a "must-have" for any level of Holocaust studies. Very well done.

With the ranks of survivors getting smaller for each year that passes, this book, shows us that we must never forget the atrocities that were commited towards humanity (Jews, Gypsies, Russian POW's and many others). The pictures that portray the holocaust are difficult to watch and the pictures of the shoes is a horrific reminder that these were once worn by people that hopes,dreams and aspirations for the future. The picture of the gypsy children is horrendous and it shows that the world must never ever forget the horrific acts that happened.

Everything anyone would have to know about the Holocaust is in this book. It just doesn't give numbers, it puts faces on those who where lost, and gives credit to those who tried to make a diffrence.

This book is great, easy to read and extremely interesting. I love the layout of it, it makes it interesting. The explanations are great too. Thank you very much for the fast shipping!