The Last Album: Eyes from the Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau

by Ann Weiss

In October of 1986, Ann Weiss entered a locked room at Auschwitz and came across an archive of over 2,400 photographs brought to the death camp by Jewish deportees from across Europe during the Holocaust. The photos, both candid snapshots and studied portraits, had been confiscated, but instead of being destroyed they were hidden at great risk and saved. In many cases these pictures are the only remnants left of entire families. In this revised edition of The Last Album there are over 400 of these remarkable photographs. The collection traces the story of how they arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau and how the author came to see them through what was essentially a fortuitous accident. In the years that followed, Weiss identified as many people and places in the photos as possible, traveling around the world to track down remaining family members and friends, and listening to stories of the inmates' lives before they were removed to the camp. Many of these accounts are transcribed here. Although the photographs in this book were found at a death camp, they are bursting with life. We see babies; parents with their children; groups of teenagers; people at work, at school, at home, on vacation—normal people leading normal lives. The photographs and reminiscences gathered here offer a rare and intensely personal view of who these individuals were and, most importantly, how they chose to remember themselves.

Genres: History, Holocaust, Nonfiction, Photography

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

While on a tour of the infamous Dachau concentration camp, the author slipped away from her tour group and walked through an open door in one of the administration buildings. Inside, she found albums of photos confiscated from Jews brought to the camp. At that point she decided to follow up on the fates of some of the people whose photos she found. A fascinating, haunting and heartbreaking story!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

"These photographs were brought to Auschwitz because they represented what he martyrs wished to remember. And that is precisely how martyrs must be remembered: for what they remembered. In this respect, martyrdom is a special kind of murder." - excerpt from the book

Most of us have an image in our minds when we hear the words "people in a concentration camp." This book is a collection of photos miraculously saved from destruction after being taken from victims of the Holocaust. They are photographs of Jewish people very much alive, babies and families, vacation shots, school friends. Dressed up in finery, or playing in the snow or relaxing at the beach. People not unlike you or me - before hatred destroyed them. Sometimes we think about the Holocaust and death and we forget the wonderful lives that came first. A good read, great photos, sad and uplifting at the same time.

[Anne Roshon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad....

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally moving testament to the memory of so many lives and loves.