Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust: young readers edition

by Hédi Fried

A young readers edition of the bestselling book from Auschwitz survivor Hédi Fried that answers questions about the Holocaust with sensitivity and candor.

"Something like what Anne Frank might have written had she survived ... Timeless lessons taught with simple eloquence." Kirkus Reviews

Hédi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis arrested her family and transported them to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered and she and her sister were forced into hard labor. Now ninety-nine, she has devoted her life to educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions. This new edition of her bestselling book is perfect for readers aged 10-17. This is a deeply human book for people of all ages that urges us never to forget and never to repeat.


The perfect conversation starter for educators to teach young people about the reality of the Holocaust from lived experience. Wonderful companion piece to Art Speigelman's Maus. In the wake of recent reports that a shocking proportion of young people in the US know little to nothing about the Holocaust, alongside a concerning new wave of antisemitism in the US and Europe, this deeply personal first-hand account is especially timely.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir

Hardcover

Published April 13, 2023

About the author

Hédi Fried (née Szmuk; 15 June 1924 – 20 November 2022) was a Swedish-Romanian author and psychologist. A Holocaust survivor, she passed through Auschwitz as well as Bergen-Belsen, coming to Sweden in July 1945.

She has been awarded the Illis Quorum medal, and was named European of the Year in 1997. She received the Natur & Kulturs Kulturpris, a cultural award for her literary work, in 1998.

Reviews

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I’m reading is called “ Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust" by Hédi Fried. The book is quick, interesting, enlightening and moving read about one of the darkest chapters in human history, and the language is simple and appropriate. She teach us about love/hate, forgiveness/remembrance. Heidi is a holocaust survivor from Sighet, a small town in Romania, in the northern part of Transylvania, an area that Hungarians and Romanians have been fighting over for many centuries. That town she and her family lived was about 30,000 people there, and 3,007 were put on a cattle to Auschwitz on May 15th 1944, only 486 out of 3,007 survived the Holocaust. As a result, did her whole family from Sighet survive or not. You can decide.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is vital in classrooms, especially right now while people are attempting to erase history that makes them “uncomfortable”. Hedi’s experience is a time capsule and is worded in such a way that makes sense to a wide variety of young people. I especially hope young refugees who read this book see themselves, but see that their life can be so much better than what she experienced. I really liked how open she was, and how the questions she answered could lead to further discussion.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fried presents her experiences and thoughts and the facts of the Holocaust so clearly and matter-of-fact-ly, but she still manages to get across the emotion and importance of learning and internalizing what she's relating in order to prevent it repeating. I really appreciate how this comes across as if it's being led by the students who've attended Fried's talks in the past, with the questions leading the narrative and seeming to give readers agency in engaging with the contents. I read it cover to cover and found it nearly overwhelming at times, but again I appreciate how direct she is, and the format lends itself well as a reference for specific information people might be seeking. The illustrations could have been better placed within the book, in my opinion, but it's a minor complaint.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what this was, it was excellent. Aimed at 'young readers,' it was likely meant for tweens, since it covered menstruation in the camps (with details I hadn't known). The author was amazing, being able to discuss topics related to her family's murders, life in the camps, etc., somewhat dispassionately. Unwilling to forgive, but very willing to stop hating and enable interaction (cooperation and friendship) with descendants of perpetrators.

[Shira · Rating 5 out of 5]

She began giving lectures at schools about her experiences and this book is a compilation of the most common questions she was asked. We are getting close to a time when we will no longer have living survivors of the Holocaust and with the rising wave of anti-Semitism, it's very important to make these resources assessable as possible.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and harrowing, Hedi Fried's personal account of the Holocaust and her life afterwards is interesting and touching. The question & answer format is a great way of presenting her life and perspective.

[Enna Wainer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot

[Dimity Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty. Raw. Honest. But not brutally horrific, therefore a good source of fact-fuelled, real life history for young readers.

[Rapoport · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with all the reviewers, but I want to add a special mention to the illustrations which I loved. Laila Ekboir's work is beatiful and complement the prose wondefully!

[Jillian]

An important and necessary read.

[Great Books]

Auschwitz survivor Hédi Fried answers common questions she received as a Holocaust speaker and educator. She addresses what life was like before, during, and after her internment, as well as important social justice topics, such as "Could it happen again?"

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