Auschwitz: The Story of a Nazi Death Camp

by Clive A. Lawton

Through startling first-person narratives, a rare collection of photographs, and expert storytelling, a renowned authority traces the history of Auschwitz from World War II to the present day.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, History, War

48 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2002

Reviews

[Annette mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The Diary of Anne Frank I wanted to learn more about the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. This book by Clive A. Lawton is about the Auschwitz concentration camp where over 1 million Jews were killed.
Although it is short, the book contains a lot of information about the events that lead to the creation of the camp, the horrors that took place inside as well as the liberation of the prisoners and the conversion of the camp to a memorial and museum.
This is a hard book to read because it spares no details but it is an important reminder of what can happen when innocent people are turned into scapegoats that are blamed for all of societies problems because they are a certain race or religion.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good nonfiction look at the Holocaust, especially Auschwitz, aimed at tweens and teens (think 10/11 year olds and up - upper mid-grades?). If you're dealing with particularly sensitive children, be warned. There are lots of pictures in here documenting what is going on. While not the worst of the worst photos, these are still photos of Auschwitz. They are unsettling at whatever age you are. It makes a good reference, though, with information presented in a nice order, supported with lots of photos and stories and quotes from both historical sources and from survivors. I liked that when he talked about the repercussions of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, he even included a note on Holocaust deniers. As horrible as it is, they are a part of the story now, and need to be addressed.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture Book/Nonfiction
Ages: 14-18

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably deserves 5 stars actually.... A good concise account of the Auschwitz Death Camp......maybe geared towards younger people, but adults can benefit from reading this too. May the world never forget!

[Alexandra Escamilla]

The name of Auschwitz has become synonymous with the Holocaust and so it is fitting that an entire volume be devoted to describing what happened there. Scrupulously documented, this is short, but packs a lot of information. For this subject, a picture really is worth a thousand words and Lawton carefully lays out the evidence as if with an eye towards the deniers, about which a chapter is included. He uses only the most conservative estimates for the number of people killed at Auschwitz and explains how it is that estimates can be made when the bodies of the victims were burned to smoke and ash and the Germans took such pains to destroy the evidence. Each two-page spread has its own chapter heading, among them “The Transports,” “The Gas Chambers,” and “Burning the Bodies.” A well laid-out combination of text, archival photographs, maps, diagrams of the camp, and survivor testimony provides a many-faceted perspective. Lawton succeeds in conveying the single-minded, machine-like efficiency with which the Germans approached the “final solution” for the “Jewish problem.” Disturbing photographs are included—as they must be if the truth is to be told—of piles of dead bodies, a skeletal girl who was a victim of medical experimentation, naked, emaciated men whose private parts are hidden by text, and an inmate who threw himself against the electric fence, a suicide. The jacket-cover text notes that ordinary people helped carry out the evil perpetrated at Auschwitz and asks: “How did it happen?” While Auschwitz doesn’t answer the question of how this could happen, it certainly captures the horror of what did happen. Gut-wrenching, this will be invaluable to anyone seeking to educate children and young adults (Smith, 2010).
Awards: No awards found
4th-7th grade

[Sarah Hannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Reaction- I loved this book because it is over my favorite subject to study and discuss. This book provides a unique opportunity to read quotes from first hand experiencers of the camp as well as learn about the camp and what happened there during the time it was there as well as to about 13 years ago when the book was written.

Purpose/Use in the classroom:

Read aloud:
-Historical based non-fiction book
-To discuss the history of WWII, Nazi Germany, or concentration camps.

Independent Reading:
-For students who enjoy reading and learning about WWII, Nazi Germany, and concentration camps.
-For students who are interested in informational books.

Nonfiction:
-Accurate and authentic information about Auschwitz and Nazi Germany
--even has quotes from people on the subject
-Illustrations are from the time period and are very important to expressing the story and the emotion behind the times in Auschwitz.
-Organized by subject/event that occurred within the camp to teach what happened with each matter.

[Alexis Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard read for me. I thought I was going to be able to honest truths about the Holocaust, but when I was visually seeing all the pictures that coincided with the stories in this book, I was moved by the reality of what had actually occurred in Auschwitz. I was unaware that almost all children were immediate put into the line of the gas chambers due to their weak strength. As for women, I would have thought they could have been used for other things, but rather they were put into the gas chamber as well.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a excellent resource for anyone interested in the Holocaust and the camps people were kept in. Filled with pictures I've never seen before, the book captures the humanity and evilness that the entire ordeal encompassed. Not gory, but filled with enough details so you know just how tragic the entire terror was, the reader will be moved. Every library should have this book in their collection!

[Ashley Wampler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kid friendly, mostly pictorial account of the most notorious death camp, Auschwitz, during the Holocaust and WWII. It explains a lot about the concentration camps, but in words that children would understand. It talks about the living conditions, disease, lack of food, gas chambers, and much more. Based on my experience with my PTLS unit, children have a lot of questions about the Holocaust and this book does a good job answering a lot of them.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is under the Juvenile section of the library because the book is not difficult to read nor understand but the material discussed in the book is not juvenile in nature. I personally would only discuss the book with children over the age of 10 with a responsible adult since the subject matter, the details discussed in the book, are not juvenile in nature.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candid, yet carefully written so I believe this could be for student use in the upper middle grades. Information is presented sequentially, there are many photographs I have never seen, and the story of how these photographs were able to be taken and now presented is included. An excellent resource.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational and heartbreaking. The horrors of what happened in Auschwitz are practically incomprehensible. I feel that every act of cruelty that occurred in the death camp cannot truly be felt and expressed by those who did not experience it. To know, and to remember what happened here is key to fighting future acts resembling what all happened in Nazi Death Camps.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in the children's section in the library, but this is too graphic for children. Photographs of piles of dead bodies, a man grasping an electrified fence, etc. Although my older children and I talk a lot about the horrors of WW2, I will not let them read this book (ages 11 and 12).

[Sheldan]

its good

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-Fiction

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 stars

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great factual book for teens to see and learn about auschwitz. Picture not too horribly graphic. I got a few copies for my classroom.

[Kate Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad book but one of my favorite non-fiction books I've ever read.

[Richard Tremblay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un ouvrage d'introduction qui ratisse très large et qui en perd un peu de sa pertinence.