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Echoes from Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele's Twins: The story of Eva and Miriam Mozes
Signed by author.
189 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1995
6 people are currently reading
1324 people want to read
About the author
Eva Mozes Kor
11 books133 followersEva Mozes Kor was a Romanian survivor of the Holocaust. Along with her twin sister Miriam, Kor was subjected to human experimentation at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. She lost both of her parents and two older sisters to the Holocaust; only she and Miriam survived. Kor founded the organization CANDLES (an acronym for "Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors") in 1984 and through this program located 122 other survivors. In 1984 Kor founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center to educate the public about eugenics, the Holocaust, and the power of forgiveness.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 13, 2009
The best part about reading this book was not only that my little sister and I read it together but also that the author Eva Mozes Kor signed it. It was an autographed copy from this amazing woman whose childhood was during the Holocaust!
February 16, 2013
For those who have read Mozes Kor's memoir aimed at the YA audience, there is not much that is new or different here. For me, the lack of effective editing interfered somewhat with my connection to this book. It reads like a transcription, which doesn't necessarily translate well into prose. I frequently found myself frustrated with the repetition. Despite that, I'm glad I read it, and it references some other books which I look forward to reading as well.
August 8, 2009
I would recommend this book to everyone that doesn't know much about Hitler and the Jewish camps. It will keep you wanting to read it all in one sitting.
July 21, 2011
The editing isn't great - but the story is riveting, terrifying, inspiring!!
March 20, 2021
This account in Eva's words of her life in Rumania with her twin sister Miriam, tow older sisters, Aliz and Edit along with her parents.
Her family thought they were safe from the Nazis living in the country. They were the only Jews in the area. People in their neighborhood turned them in.
At Auschwitz, they were separated form their parent s and older sisters. Eva and Miriam never say them again. Eva and Miriam became guinea pigs for Dr. Mengele ( Angel of Death). they were nine years old at the time. they survived all the medical experiments. Miriam was never the same again; with damage to her kidneys.
When they were released at the end of the war, they stayed with an Aunt, who had also survived. to get visa's to Israel her Aunt said her son was in Israel. It was a lie, but it got them their visas.
It was 1950 when they all arrived in Israel. Two years later Eva joined the Israelis army and was
promoted to sergeant major. In 1950 she married an American, they moved to Terre Haute ,Indiana.
In 1984 she started an organization to find medical records of the twin children at Auschwitz.
Her family thought they were safe from the Nazis living in the country. They were the only Jews in the area. People in their neighborhood turned them in.
At Auschwitz, they were separated form their parent s and older sisters. Eva and Miriam never say them again. Eva and Miriam became guinea pigs for Dr. Mengele ( Angel of Death). they were nine years old at the time. they survived all the medical experiments. Miriam was never the same again; with damage to her kidneys.
When they were released at the end of the war, they stayed with an Aunt, who had also survived. to get visa's to Israel her Aunt said her son was in Israel. It was a lie, but it got them their visas.
It was 1950 when they all arrived in Israel. Two years later Eva joined the Israelis army and was
promoted to sergeant major. In 1950 she married an American, they moved to Terre Haute ,Indiana.
In 1984 she started an organization to find medical records of the twin children at Auschwitz.
January 1, 2013
Echoes from Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele's Twins: The story of Eva and Miriam Mozes" is the story of Eva Mozes Kor and her sister, Miriam. Eva and Miriam were twins who ended up in Auschwitz, studied by the infamous Dr. Mengele. The story is written very simply and does help you see the horror the Mozes family must have experienced as they were first sent from their home to a Jewish ghetto, then loaded onto cattle cars and brought to Auschwitz. Eva recounts her wonder that the rest of the town just stood by as they, the sole Jewish family, were sent away. How could neighbors and friends allow this to happen? It's a valid question even today.
Once at Auschwitz, Eva's father and 2 other sisters were sent immediately to the gas chambers (although she didn't realize this until later). Eva, her twin Miriam and their mom were allowed to live, although as soon as the twins were "claimed" for their experimental value, their mother was killed as well.
This isn't a pleasant read, but I found it very interesting to hear a first-hand account from someone who experienced these horrors.
Once at Auschwitz, Eva's father and 2 other sisters were sent immediately to the gas chambers (although she didn't realize this until later). Eva, her twin Miriam and their mom were allowed to live, although as soon as the twins were "claimed" for their experimental value, their mother was killed as well.
This isn't a pleasant read, but I found it very interesting to hear a first-hand account from someone who experienced these horrors.
June 5, 2014
I met Ms. Mozes Kor at an ACRP (Association of Clinical Research Professionals) chapter meeting. The atrocities down to her by Dr. Mengele is the reason the Nuremberg Code was developed and shaped the course of medical research, my profession.
Ms. Mozes was a twin and a subject of Dr. Mengele's research experiments at Auschwitz during WWII. This memoir tells the story of being a medical research subject through the eyes of a child, not quite understanding or comprehending what is being done to her. The story is told subjectively, not objectively, although the book does attempt notes to other pieces of work that confirm her experiences.
It's hard to say I "enjoy" a story like this, but it had an interesting perspective into rural Romania and Russia during WWII. I wish the book had gone through further editing to make readability a little easier, as English is not Ms. Mozes Kor's first, second, or even third language.
Ms. Mozes was a twin and a subject of Dr. Mengele's research experiments at Auschwitz during WWII. This memoir tells the story of being a medical research subject through the eyes of a child, not quite understanding or comprehending what is being done to her. The story is told subjectively, not objectively, although the book does attempt notes to other pieces of work that confirm her experiences.
It's hard to say I "enjoy" a story like this, but it had an interesting perspective into rural Romania and Russia during WWII. I wish the book had gone through further editing to make readability a little easier, as English is not Ms. Mozes Kor's first, second, or even third language.
February 26, 2017
This is an absolutely amazing read! It makes you think and takes you to a very troubled time in history. I had the pleasure of listening to the author speak which left me in awe. I recommend this book for everyone.
April 4, 2008
very tuoching story about the survivors of the holocaust
June 7, 2013
The author of this book, Evan Kor, started a holocaust museum in Terre Haute Indiana called CANDLES. Interesting woman.
September 10, 2016
Great book by a survivor of the Holocaust.
January 4, 2019
I really liked this book, but then I met the author and it was more personal for me. Unbelievable story of a set of twins that Dr. Mengele experimented on.
January 14, 2025
Prior to my trip to Poland last year, I spent a lot of time researching Auschwitz and the atrocities committed there before I saw it for myself. I came across a YouTube style documentary of the most remarkable woman, Eva Mozes Kor, speaking about her experience of the Holocaust and in particular being one of the twins experimented on by the Nazis. Her story and her recounting her experiences had a profound affect on me.
I chose to read her book as I was hoping to hear more details of her time in Auschwitz; there are so many Holocaust deniers that I wanted to hear from someone who was there. Although as it turns out there is little more to be gained from the book than from the YouTube videos.
The style of writing is very much as if Eva is speaking directly to her readers; in fact I read it hearing her voice from the documentaries which I enjoyed. Eva spent much of her life speaking publically about her experiences, raising awareness and fighting for justice. There is a rehearsed feel to the way her story is written, almost as though it is the same 'presentation' she gives each time she is asked to speak.
Throughout this book I was struck by the amount of Magical Thinking Eva described. This is a normal part of childhood development between 2-7 years of age where children strongly believe that their personal thoughts have a direct effect on the rest of the world. Eva often stated that she kept her and her twin alive through sheer force of will, that she personally spoiled a particular Nazi experiment or caused them problems. I found myself wondering whether she became stuck in that stage of her development due to the horrors she lived through, and this was a psychological defence she developed as a result.
The book itself is published independently and it shows; there are printing errors and the footnote numbers and references are out of sync, but this does not detract from the reading experience. The inclusion of photos and images of the experimentation notes and records was a valuable, albeit chilling, addition.
After all she lived through, Eva does not owe anyone anything, and so for her to share her experiences is a gift. She was such an incredible force of nature and I hope she found peace before she died.
I chose to read her book as I was hoping to hear more details of her time in Auschwitz; there are so many Holocaust deniers that I wanted to hear from someone who was there. Although as it turns out there is little more to be gained from the book than from the YouTube videos.
The style of writing is very much as if Eva is speaking directly to her readers; in fact I read it hearing her voice from the documentaries which I enjoyed. Eva spent much of her life speaking publically about her experiences, raising awareness and fighting for justice. There is a rehearsed feel to the way her story is written, almost as though it is the same 'presentation' she gives each time she is asked to speak.
Throughout this book I was struck by the amount of Magical Thinking Eva described. This is a normal part of childhood development between 2-7 years of age where children strongly believe that their personal thoughts have a direct effect on the rest of the world. Eva often stated that she kept her and her twin alive through sheer force of will, that she personally spoiled a particular Nazi experiment or caused them problems. I found myself wondering whether she became stuck in that stage of her development due to the horrors she lived through, and this was a psychological defence she developed as a result.
The book itself is published independently and it shows; there are printing errors and the footnote numbers and references are out of sync, but this does not detract from the reading experience. The inclusion of photos and images of the experimentation notes and records was a valuable, albeit chilling, addition.
After all she lived through, Eva does not owe anyone anything, and so for her to share her experiences is a gift. She was such an incredible force of nature and I hope she found peace before she died.
January 4, 2024
The only critique that I would have about this book is that it's title implies that it will share stories from being experimented on by Dr Mengele. I have read a TON of Holocaust book and was intrigued to have this angle since I have never read anything from a survivor on the subject. Unfortunately, the chapter that talked the most about it kept everything very surface and not very detailed. So in that way, there was nothing different about this book from other Auschwitz books. Still worth reading.
February 24, 2023
A better understanding of what occurred in Auschwitz is told through the eyes of a young Jewish girl, Eva Mozes Kor. The lived on a farm in the small villiage of Portz in Hungary. They were sent to Auschwitz in May, 1944. She and her twin 9 year old sister were part of Josef Mengele's "Twins". They survived many experiments. Her parents and two older sisters did not survive Auschwitz.
This is Eva's story up to the point when she enlisted in the Israeli army in 1952 at age 17.
This is Eva's story up to the point when she enlisted in the Israeli army in 1952 at age 17.
December 19, 2025
Ten years ago, I met the most remarkable lady, Eva Mozes Kor. Her story is one that I will never forget... she and her twin sister were experimented on by the angel of death, Dr. Mengele in Auschwitz when they were just 10 years old. This book tells the horrific torture she went through, and how she learns to forgive those that killed her family. I could not put it down and still think of her often and her inspiring story.
September 27, 2019
This was a difficult book to read because of the horrors of Auschwitz. I admire Eva Kor so much! She was strong when she needed to be. And later she was able to forgive the Nazis. Amazing!!!
August 16, 2021
More of a documentary type of book, very informational. I liked it a lot!
April 3, 2022
Not an easy book to read. But an important one. I didn't find Eva's voice within its pages and maybe that's ok. RIP
August 11, 2022
Such a powerful story! If you don’t know who Eva Kor is you need to read on of her books!
October 24, 2024
Quick book to read; terrible but in the end, Eva shows this great way of dealing with the life she had.
May 3, 2025
very good book
January 15, 2026
although several times things were repeated they seemed to remember details very well. bless them.
December 2, 2019
I feel bad wanting to give it less than three stars because the things the author had to relive to write it are horrendous. However, I had a really tough time wanting to finish this once I had started because of the writing style and lack of editing.
This first part is about her life before the war and the second part reads like a police report. She doesn’t have much information about what was actually happening during the experiments that she was a part of, it’s really just a retelling of what she picked up on as a small child. The details she does share lacked emotion. She does have a few references in the back though so I might check a few of those books out.
This first part is about her life before the war and the second part reads like a police report. She doesn’t have much information about what was actually happening during the experiments that she was a part of, it’s really just a retelling of what she picked up on as a small child. The details she does share lacked emotion. She does have a few references in the back though so I might check a few of those books out.
October 27, 2015
After coming across an article written by Kor I was compelled to read her memoir. Although the editing in this book wasn't perfect (why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5), her story, like all survivors, is powerful. I was unaware of "Dr" Josef Mengele's horrific experiments in the camps. It amazes me that any children survived at all. Kor's perspective is unique, as she was eight years-old at the time. I appreciated also learning about her life before the Holocaust and that she went on to account what happened to her after the liberation. I hope to hear Eva speak when she comes to Indy and meet her in person. She is an amazing woman and her advocacy for forgiveness is inspiring.
January 7, 2016
A re-telling of what life was like in Auschwitz from a survivor of the concentration camp and lab experiments of Dr. Mengele. This is a depressing read as it is about one of history's darkest events. Eva Mozes Kor is very inspiring, and her story of survival is simply amazing. I brought this book after hearing her lecture about her experiences.
April 2, 2014
Was inspired to read this book after I found out Eva was coming to Ball State. I really enjoyed reading about her experiences from a 10-year-olds perspective. She covers her life before Auschwitz, during and after. Would recommend to anyone interested in the Holocaust.
March 12, 2012
A superb read.
May 13, 2023
A little different view as the twins were experimented on. Eva Mozes Kor opened a Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she lived after coming to America.
November 23, 2009
Haunting. Everyone needs to read this and never let history repeat itself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews