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The Cap: The Price Of A Life
A Polish survivor’s “brutal and beautifully written” Holocaust memoir. “The power of his portrayal of one man’s instinct for survival . . . cannot be denied” ( The Boston Globe ).
The Cap is an unconventional Holocaust memoir that defies all moral judgment and ventures into a soul blackened by the unforgiving cruelty of its surroundings. Roman Frister’s memoir of his life before, during, and after his imprisonment in the Nazi concentration camps sparked enormous controversy and became an international bestseller. With bone-chilling candor, Frister illustrates how the impulse to live unhinges our comfortable notions of morality, blurring the boundary between victim and oppressor and leaving absolutely no room for martyrdom.
By the time Roman Frister was sixteen, he had watched his mother murdered by an SS officer and he had waited for his father to expire, eager to retrieve a hidden half loaf of bread from beneath the dying man’s cot. When confronted with certain death, he placed another inmate in harm’s way to save himself. Frister’s resilience and instinct for self-preservation—developed in the camps—become the source of his life’s successes and failures. Chilling and unsentimental, The Cap is a rare and unadorned self-portrait of a man willing to show all of his scars. Reflected in stark relief are the indelible wounds of all twentieth-century European Jews. An exceptional and groundbreaking testimony, Roman Frister’s “gut-wrenching memoir is a must-read” ( Kirkus Reviews ).
“Staggering in its honesty . . . Frister’s courage to plumb the ambiguity of his actions . . . leaves the reader awestruck.” — Publishers Weekly , starred review
The Cap is an unconventional Holocaust memoir that defies all moral judgment and ventures into a soul blackened by the unforgiving cruelty of its surroundings. Roman Frister’s memoir of his life before, during, and after his imprisonment in the Nazi concentration camps sparked enormous controversy and became an international bestseller. With bone-chilling candor, Frister illustrates how the impulse to live unhinges our comfortable notions of morality, blurring the boundary between victim and oppressor and leaving absolutely no room for martyrdom.
By the time Roman Frister was sixteen, he had watched his mother murdered by an SS officer and he had waited for his father to expire, eager to retrieve a hidden half loaf of bread from beneath the dying man’s cot. When confronted with certain death, he placed another inmate in harm’s way to save himself. Frister’s resilience and instinct for self-preservation—developed in the camps—become the source of his life’s successes and failures. Chilling and unsentimental, The Cap is a rare and unadorned self-portrait of a man willing to show all of his scars. Reflected in stark relief are the indelible wounds of all twentieth-century European Jews. An exceptional and groundbreaking testimony, Roman Frister’s “gut-wrenching memoir is a must-read” ( Kirkus Reviews ).
“Staggering in its honesty . . . Frister’s courage to plumb the ambiguity of his actions . . . leaves the reader awestruck.” — Publishers Weekly , starred review
380 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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731 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 21, 2010
This has got to be one of the most peculiar memoirs I've ever read, Holocaust or otherwise. I have never seen a person so baldly portray themselves in such an unflattering light. The author admits to being selfish, narcissistic, corrupt, chronically dishonest, a womanizer, a deadbeat father and husband, and even a cold-blooded murderer (after a fashion). Yet I could not dislike him. I too much admired his uncluttered honesty.
This book is not necessarily any more graphic than other Holocaust memoirs, but the author's admissions are shocking, even to me. It also jumps around in time quite a bit, sometimes advancing or retreating decades between one paragraph and another. I wasn't annoyed by this, but I admit sometimes it was hard to keep track of things.
I would recommend this book but only with reservations. The New York Times reviewer apparently shares my sentiments, though he expresses them much better than I.
This book is not necessarily any more graphic than other Holocaust memoirs, but the author's admissions are shocking, even to me. It also jumps around in time quite a bit, sometimes advancing or retreating decades between one paragraph and another. I wasn't annoyed by this, but I admit sometimes it was hard to keep track of things.
I would recommend this book but only with reservations. The New York Times reviewer apparently shares my sentiments, though he expresses them much better than I.
October 7, 2010
This is certainly different than any other Holocaust memoir I've ever come across. In a way it's a breath of fresh air because while I'm sure the genre is one of the most honest non-fiction groups, this just can't be anything but.
It struck me that most of the harrowing situations Frister found himself in were outside of the camps. Being in any of the camps was no picnic but the picture I got from this book is that, for the most part, he knew what to expect and it usually stayed along the same lines in each camp. It was his "free" life that was more shocking.
I don't know if the reason there are no pictures included is because Frister has none or if this was a decision of his. I wish some were available. In the beginning and maybe even the middle I really wanted a face to put to his parents and grandparents. Even some of the other players in his life but his family especially.
Roman Frister is definitely the sort of man I don't think many people meet. He totally encompasses both sides of the coin I think and he shows this well in his memoir.
The alternating chapters (some chapters had alternating times/situations within themselves) was annoying to me at first, it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I got used to it. I still can't decide though if I would have wanted it any other way.
It struck me that most of the harrowing situations Frister found himself in were outside of the camps. Being in any of the camps was no picnic but the picture I got from this book is that, for the most part, he knew what to expect and it usually stayed along the same lines in each camp. It was his "free" life that was more shocking.
I don't know if the reason there are no pictures included is because Frister has none or if this was a decision of his. I wish some were available. In the beginning and maybe even the middle I really wanted a face to put to his parents and grandparents. Even some of the other players in his life but his family especially.
Roman Frister is definitely the sort of man I don't think many people meet. He totally encompasses both sides of the coin I think and he shows this well in his memoir.
The alternating chapters (some chapters had alternating times/situations within themselves) was annoying to me at first, it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I got used to it. I still can't decide though if I would have wanted it any other way.
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July 26, 2011Initially frustrating by the time breaks in the narrative, it slowly dawns on the reader how it all connects. Moral dilemmas pose the heart and question of the memoir. He provides examples of others who followed a more socially approved set of standards yet offers his own survival at all cost ethics and his post WWII hedonism and complicity with no regrets. A refreshing and honest look at the Holocaust and the breakdown of common day to day morality.
April 6, 2013
Some books need to come with warning labels, "Do not read if you want your life to remain the same", or "Beware this book will scar you just as much as the author."
After reading "The Cap" I think one feels as though they have lost the right to ever complain again, it would be pretty tough to top this story of hardship and survival. He's by no means a loveable character but there is an element of honesty that comes through so strongly that his character is understandable.
Just as a starting point try to imagine escaping from a concentration camp but then having to sneak back in as no one outside would provide any aid? Or how about being so hungry that you are willing to tolerate the unthinkable for a scrap of bread?
We have a natural desire to think that hardship makes us stronger or better, "Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." Not quite true as sometimes you are just left horribly maimed and damaged beyond repair, death might be kinder.
Here's the sad thing about this book, it's unknown and yet is a masterpiece. Check out the rating curve, this is a genius of a book and someday probably long after Roman Frister has passed on it will be rediscovered.
The hard cold honesty of reality is just not something the masses are ready to face just yet.
After reading "The Cap" I think one feels as though they have lost the right to ever complain again, it would be pretty tough to top this story of hardship and survival. He's by no means a loveable character but there is an element of honesty that comes through so strongly that his character is understandable.
Just as a starting point try to imagine escaping from a concentration camp but then having to sneak back in as no one outside would provide any aid? Or how about being so hungry that you are willing to tolerate the unthinkable for a scrap of bread?
We have a natural desire to think that hardship makes us stronger or better, "Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." Not quite true as sometimes you are just left horribly maimed and damaged beyond repair, death might be kinder.
Here's the sad thing about this book, it's unknown and yet is a masterpiece. Check out the rating curve, this is a genius of a book and someday probably long after Roman Frister has passed on it will be rediscovered.
The hard cold honesty of reality is just not something the masses are ready to face just yet.
April 3, 2012
This has got to be the most honest, peculiar, and interesting memoir and account of the Holocaust, and I do LOVE an honest memoir.
A must read for all those interested in history and memoirs, and if only ONE book can be chosen to represent the Holocaust category, this book would be IT. It is not any more graphic than other accounts I've read about the Holocaust, but I hugely admire how honest the author was about his survival during his times in labour and concentration camps, and the accounts are incredibly shocking. It is a book not only about the Holocaust and the history that surrounds it, but about the total destruction of a soul and life afterwards through the event. I highly recommend this book, but with reservations. It's not everyone or the light hearted, it's a heavy and intense read, but an extremely well-written book and definitely one of my favourite memoirs. I don't think I slept well the night I finished this book.
A must read for all those interested in history and memoirs, and if only ONE book can be chosen to represent the Holocaust category, this book would be IT. It is not any more graphic than other accounts I've read about the Holocaust, but I hugely admire how honest the author was about his survival during his times in labour and concentration camps, and the accounts are incredibly shocking. It is a book not only about the Holocaust and the history that surrounds it, but about the total destruction of a soul and life afterwards through the event. I highly recommend this book, but with reservations. It's not everyone or the light hearted, it's a heavy and intense read, but an extremely well-written book and definitely one of my favourite memoirs. I don't think I slept well the night I finished this book.
February 4, 2010
Very different book about the Holocaust. There were definitely sad, sad commentaries about man's inhumanity to man, but the author was no saint either. It is an amazing story of survival for sure but the central character, the author, was not particularly likeable at least in my opinion. Not of course that he deserved anything that happened to him, I don't meant that at all. He didn't sugarcoat himself or try to justify his own actions or the actions of others. It was very matter of fact. I guess it really is a story of a man who never had anything to believe in other than himself, but then that is probably what enabled him to live through all he lived through.
September 9, 2008
Difficult topic. A little hard to follow since it is not told in chronological order.
July 7, 2017
see oleks suurepärane raamat, kui see oleks ilukirjandus. autobiograafiana on see endiselt suurepärane, ent samas väga hirmus ja valusalt aus lugu holokaustist ja ühest juudi noormehest selles ja tema elust edaspidi, kirja pandud kiretult ja toimunut detailselt kirjeldades. peaks olema kohustuslik kirjandus. 6 punkti viiest!
January 19, 2018
I can’t endorse “The Cap.” The portions about the author Roman Frister’s life as a Polish Jew during WWII – working under a false identity in Cracow, hiding on a farm, the fate of his parents, multiple concentration camps – are as intense and searing as anything else written about the Holocaust. In addition, Frister explores one theme in depth that hasn’t received much play in other Holocaust literature. The victim becomes the victimizer. Typically we think of the Jews and other groups persecuted by the Nazi’s as the good guys. However, “The Cap” contains examples of victims who were horrible human beings and others that in order to survive did horrible things. Frister himself fits into the latter category and indeed the title of the book comes from one such incident. “The Cap”, however, isn’t just about the Holocaust. It also recounts Frister’s childhood before the war and his adult life after. It was difficult to keep track of how many wives and affairs he had, who he was cheating on with whom. He writes unapologetically and comes across as a narcissist who blames everyone else for what he does including the people he manipulates and abandons. Frister doesn’t overtly make this argument himself but one book jacket reviewer writes, “The Cap is an unconventional Holocaust memoir that defies all moral judgment and ventures into a soul blackened by the unforgiving cruelty of its surroundings.” In other words we can’t judge him – at least not by normal standards – because of what he suffered. I agree that those who physically survives the Holocaust never return to “normal” and are instead permanently damaged by it. However, I do not agree that it follows that such people are no longer morally responsible for what they do. Frister is not confessing. He doesn’t seek redemption or understanding. It is almost as if he is boasting.
January 14, 2009
Not your "typical" Holocaust book, if those exist. In other words, he doesn't tell a story of a victim who risked his life to save others. Frister's experience in the concentration camps was one led by the instinct to survive which trumped all else, including family. His story intrigued me because it was very honest about survival. This is one of the more controversial Holocaust memoirs, and definitely one of my favorites.
May 8, 2018
A heart wrenching memoir like no other that i've read about the Holocaust. Frister very clearly suffered the consequences of the concentration camps into his adulthood and yet still made no excuses for himself and felt no need for revenge when his opportunity for it came. Like the Holocaust, this book was graphic and painful.
December 11, 2007
the english title for this book is: "the cap: or the price of a life." over the years i've read many memoirs from holocaust survivors. although they are all erie tales of human strength and spirit, this one stood out the most.
August 12, 2011
As others have said, this is no "typical" memoir, Holocaust or otherwise. The narrator does depict himself as a deadbeat father and womanizer, among other things, but his story, like so many others, is important. I was glad to read it.
July 27, 2009
Suspenseful.
July 7, 2011
Ok, so I read this almost 10 years ago, but it still haunts me. Maybe I gave it 5 stars just for that reason. I was so impressed with his ability give the character a dark side in dark times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2011
This one was one of the most amazing biographies I have ever read... Totally unmissable
August 5, 2016
Details some of the horrors that people lived through in Europe during WWII but brings a gratitude that they lived - even when you might not be so happy with their actions afterwards.
February 13, 2011
Surprising.
September 26, 2021
Na wzmiankę o książce natrafiłem w "Oni. Homoseksualiści w czasie II wojny światowej" Joanny Ostrowskiej, gdzie została zacytowana, pomyślałem że idealnie mi się trafiła, bo chętnie przeczytam książkę, która będzie poruszała temat pobytu w obozach, a jednak nie będzie tylko o tym - i to jest właśnie taka książka, opowiada o człowieku, którego jednym z doświadczeń życiowych był pobyt w kilku obozach ale nie tylko to i całe jego życie bogate było w o wiele więcej doświadczeń. Książka wciąga od pierwszych zdań i całą czytało/słuchało mi się bardzo dobrze. Narracja nie jest chronologiczna, autor trochę skacze po różnych okresach swojego życia i o ile zwykle mnie takie coś drażni, tak tutaj był to świetny zabieg - myślę, że w dużej mierze dzięki temu cała książka jest tak ciekawa. Ale jak ktoś w innej opinii napisał: Frister to geniusz narracyjny - tak, chyba się z tym zgadzam. Zaczęła mnie lekko nużyć tylko w okresie pracy autora dla Roberta Maxwella i nie trwało to długo (tzn. moje znużenie nie trwało długo ;) ).
Nie znałem wcześniej Romana Fristera, po przeczytaniu książki stwierdzam, że był kimś kto potrafił czerpać z życia całymi garściami (pogubiłem się w rachunkach ile miał kobiet ;) ), nie zawsze zachowywał się "w porządku" ale za to żył pełnią życia. A sposób w jaki wszystko opisał, a zwłaszcza jego szczerość bardzo mnie ujęły. Mam takie poczucie, że był po prostu człowiekiem z wszystkim niedoskonałościami i słabościami ludzkimi (ale także siłą). Ani się nie wybielał ani nie usprawiedliwiał w tej książce ale też nie samobiczował i to jest takie ujmujące, że na pewno zapadnie mi w pamięć.
Oprócz tego ciekawie było poczytać o jego życiu przed wojną, o jego rodzicach - o takiej trochę innej rodzinie żydowskiej, nowoczesnej jak na tamte czasy, z jednym tylko dzieckiem i niezbyt wierzącej.
Chciałbym jeszcze coś powiedzieć, jakoś zaakcentować, że naprawdę mi się podobało i autor mnie zafascynował ale no... no właśnie powiedziałem ;)
(słuchana: 22-25.09.2021)
5/5
Nie znałem wcześniej Romana Fristera, po przeczytaniu książki stwierdzam, że był kimś kto potrafił czerpać z życia całymi garściami (pogubiłem się w rachunkach ile miał kobiet ;) ), nie zawsze zachowywał się "w porządku" ale za to żył pełnią życia. A sposób w jaki wszystko opisał, a zwłaszcza jego szczerość bardzo mnie ujęły. Mam takie poczucie, że był po prostu człowiekiem z wszystkim niedoskonałościami i słabościami ludzkimi (ale także siłą). Ani się nie wybielał ani nie usprawiedliwiał w tej książce ale też nie samobiczował i to jest takie ujmujące, że na pewno zapadnie mi w pamięć.
Oprócz tego ciekawie było poczytać o jego życiu przed wojną, o jego rodzicach - o takiej trochę innej rodzinie żydowskiej, nowoczesnej jak na tamte czasy, z jednym tylko dzieckiem i niezbyt wierzącej.
Chciałbym jeszcze coś powiedzieć, jakoś zaakcentować, że naprawdę mi się podobało i autor mnie zafascynował ale no... no właśnie powiedziałem ;)
(słuchana: 22-25.09.2021)
5/5
February 24, 2020
Lots of layers to this story--well done.
This was a life story that grabbed me and wouldn't let go..until it's abrupt ending. Switching between his happy childhood to horrific scenes during WWII to later scenes in his life, the author, cleverly and honestly with much self reflection, interwove the various experiences in his life. Incredibly lucky at so many junctures, he chose to survive even when it meant doing some morally reprehensible things. How would any of the rest of us have behaved is a great question ask oneself. His emotional and spiritual wounds are there to see in all his subsequent actions...one of the successful few survivors from hell. Those reviewers who complained that they wanted more concentration camp focus and less on the author's later life miss the point. Its all related and there is a lesson in how one might need to shut down all feeling and just focus on self to be able to cope and pull through. And this doesn't just go away afterwards. I lost count of the relationships with women, marriages and children. A fascinating autobiography!
This was a life story that grabbed me and wouldn't let go..until it's abrupt ending. Switching between his happy childhood to horrific scenes during WWII to later scenes in his life, the author, cleverly and honestly with much self reflection, interwove the various experiences in his life. Incredibly lucky at so many junctures, he chose to survive even when it meant doing some morally reprehensible things. How would any of the rest of us have behaved is a great question ask oneself. His emotional and spiritual wounds are there to see in all his subsequent actions...one of the successful few survivors from hell. Those reviewers who complained that they wanted more concentration camp focus and less on the author's later life miss the point. Its all related and there is a lesson in how one might need to shut down all feeling and just focus on self to be able to cope and pull through. And this doesn't just go away afterwards. I lost count of the relationships with women, marriages and children. A fascinating autobiography!
February 27, 2021
Un'altra testimonianza storica del periodo più controverso del secolo scorso.
A noi uomini del secondo millennio, che viviamo nelle nostre confortevoli vite, i fatti raccontati suonano così inconcepibili, che in certi momenti viene da pensare che, nella realtà, la crudeltà umana non potrebbe arrivare a tanto. E invece è così.... È tutto successo per davvero.
Sottolineo il grande coraggio di Frister per aver raccontato la sua vicenda senza nascondersi dietro al ruolo della vittima, ma condividendo con il lettore anche le vicende meno edificanti della sua personale lotta per la sopravvivenza.
A noi uomini del secondo millennio, che viviamo nelle nostre confortevoli vite, i fatti raccontati suonano così inconcepibili, che in certi momenti viene da pensare che, nella realtà, la crudeltà umana non potrebbe arrivare a tanto. E invece è così.... È tutto successo per davvero.
Sottolineo il grande coraggio di Frister per aver raccontato la sua vicenda senza nascondersi dietro al ruolo della vittima, ma condividendo con il lettore anche le vicende meno edificanti della sua personale lotta per la sopravvivenza.
December 22, 2018
This is a book that at the same time is crazy, chilling and humane. It has soo many emotions packed into it that it's hard to explain. Roman Frister is explaining the experiences of the holocaust and the laws of the jungle in a way I have never read. This is a one-of-a-kind book written by a jew and I didn't understand until the end. Did he had remorse for his bad actions or not? Thoroughly recommend.
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May 6, 2020This is a memoir of a young Polish man from youth,through much of WWII prior to being sent to a concentration camp, life in the camps and post war and the rediscovery of his Jewish roots.
There are many horrifying incidences that he writes about dispassionately. There are many questions about morality and ethics.
This is a different type of Holocaust memoir.
There are many horrifying incidences that he writes about dispassionately. There are many questions about morality and ethics.
This is a different type of Holocaust memoir.
October 12, 2022
As I read the before, during, and after his time in Auschwitz, I found I disliked the man. Even before his capture, he was a bully. As seen through a woman's eyes in 2022, his treatment of women made it difficult to like the author. I will continue to be extremely saddened by his treatment, but it is difficult to feel the same empathy when the man himself lacks principles.
April 30, 2024
Una biografía cargada de la dura realidad del holocausto. Un personaje, real, al que la muerte siempre le acompaña, pero ya sea por la fortuna o por la inteligencia de Roman siempre consigue que gane la VIDA.
Una infancia feliz y un niño tremendamente bien educado que se convierte en un ser completamente diferente que tiene que reinventar su vida desde 0.
Impresionante este relato.
Una infancia feliz y un niño tremendamente bien educado que se convierte en un ser completamente diferente que tiene que reinventar su vida desde 0.
Impresionante este relato.
December 13, 2021
What a story, and therefore, what a life. Surviving the camps barely he made most of life a guess. He strikes me as a very opportunistic person. Maybe that is why he survived, or maybe that is what he took from his experiences. I don't know, but I am grateful that he wrote it down.
July 2, 2018
2.5/5 or 5/10
January 13, 2019
This is a book that I still think about often 9 years after reading it. As heartbreaking as can be written.
December 12, 2020
I've read a lot of books by Holocaust survivors but none as brutally honest and brutally brutal as this one.
April 5, 2020
Parts, when the writer talked about the war times, were much interesting than his quite boring post-war times. The writer uses non-chronological order to tell his story and I understand why - the second half of the book would be otherwise too boring. This makes the following of the book rather hectic. Some facts were strange, especially the one when he escaped from the camp but later decided to return and break back in? It does not make any sense. He described the horror in the camps on large scale but he found freedom outside to be worse than the camps itself? He did not explain it even with one line. I lost his credibility from there and found the book in the end to be a little dispassionate. Like the writer as well who was not a Saint either.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews