What do you think?
Rate this book
Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust
'My parents were in despair because they heard that children were being taken. They tried for a while to hide me by pushing me into one of those handcarts and piling luggage on top of me.
When they started searching the handcarts my father took me out. My mother took me with her into the rank where she was kneeling and wrapped me up in the coat she had been carrying and laid me in front of her as though I was a parcel.
The Germans would walk up to a rank and inspect it. And everyone they thought was too feeble to be worth keeping would be yanked out, usually being struck first across the face with these heavy batons that they carried. But it didn't happen to my mother. I don't know why.
Finally they ordered everyone to stand up and said we were going back to the ghetto. Of course I could not be a parcel now I was standing up. My mother put a coat over my head and other people had coats and piled them on top of that, and they pushed me on. I was a kind of walking parcel. They closed ranks behind me on the march back to the ghetto. We went back to our bare flat. And I remember my father sat on the stripped bed and wept. This is the only time I ever saw him cry and to cry...well to cry like that with ghastly dry sobbing, I'll never forget that.'
When they started searching the handcarts my father took me out. My mother took me with her into the rank where she was kneeling and wrapped me up in the coat she had been carrying and laid me in front of her as though I was a parcel.
The Germans would walk up to a rank and inspect it. And everyone they thought was too feeble to be worth keeping would be yanked out, usually being struck first across the face with these heavy batons that they carried. But it didn't happen to my mother. I don't know why.
Finally they ordered everyone to stand up and said we were going back to the ghetto. Of course I could not be a parcel now I was standing up. My mother put a coat over my head and other people had coats and piled them on top of that, and they pushed me on. I was a kind of walking parcel. They closed ranks behind me on the march back to the ghetto. We went back to our bare flat. And I remember my father sat on the stripped bed and wept. This is the only time I ever saw him cry and to cry...well to cry like that with ghastly dry sobbing, I'll never forget that.'
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2005
57 people are currently reading
2049 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
July 27, 2018
This excellent introduction to the holocaust is comprised almost entirely of first hand accounts. Organised thematically, each section has only a very short introduction from the author, so there is little to distract you from the horror and sadness these people experienced.
May 25, 2012
I have NOT yet read this book. I've only just 'dipped' into it.
So, this is a sort of PREview rather than a true review.
I knew one of the contributors or 'voices', the late Kurt Klappholz.
He was a friend of our family and one of my father's colleagues. In summer when his shirt sleeves were rolled up or when we were on holiday with him, I remember, as a child, seeing the number tattooed in blue (the 7s were the European form with horizontal lines through the diagonals , as in7), on his forearm. It was put there by the Nazis when he first entered the concentration camp system.It was an attempt to rob him of his identity, and it was in contravention of the rules laid down in the Book of Leviticus (19:28), forbidding tattooing. My late mother told me that Kurt had survived a terrible experience, but was reluctant to go into detail. I never felt that I could ask Kurt about it, and his late widow never revealed much to me even though she knew that I was fascinated by the history of the Holocaust ('Shoah').
So, when I discovered a copy of Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust in a second hand bookshop, I immediately looked up Kurt in the index, and discovered that there were several references to him. His words, as recorded in this book, have, at last, revealed to me some of what Kurt had to experience.
Skimming through the rest of the book, this looks to be a rewarding and original description of the terrible years of the Nazi perscution of the Jews and many other people including the gypsies.
So, this is a sort of PREview rather than a true review.
I knew one of the contributors or 'voices', the late Kurt Klappholz.
He was a friend of our family and one of my father's colleagues. In summer when his shirt sleeves were rolled up or when we were on holiday with him, I remember, as a child, seeing the number tattooed in blue (the 7s were the European form with horizontal lines through the diagonals , as in
So, when I discovered a copy of Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust in a second hand bookshop, I immediately looked up Kurt in the index, and discovered that there were several references to him. His words, as recorded in this book, have, at last, revealed to me some of what Kurt had to experience.
Skimming through the rest of the book, this looks to be a rewarding and original description of the terrible years of the Nazi perscution of the Jews and many other people including the gypsies.
January 1, 2017
The title of this work might put some people off. Don't let it. Read it.
Lyn Smith has done a wonderful job of editing over 100 contributors (one could call them 'survivors') of the Holocaust over the period 1933–1945. These very personal stories are simply told, each person trying to come to grips with what happened to them during this terrible period. The stories are split and presented in chronological order, with very fine introductions to provide a general background to each section. Ultimately what one gets is an overall picture of the terrible events as they unfolded; and what may surprise some is the wide range of experiences elicited. There seems to be a simple honesty in the telling of these stories that can both mover and horrify at the same time, yet the overall effect is one of increased understanding of how these events came to be.
It wasn't all sudden. It started simply, because a government was voted in which allowed prejudices and biases to flourish; a government which turned a blind eye to those who 'acted' on those prejudices, and which did not condemn their actions. It just gradually got worse and worse, and nobody seemed to care...
Nor are the stories seeking sympathy. There seems to be a genuine attempt to come to terms with the events. Narrators tell of their own naivete, their own prejudices, their own biases. They tell of horrors, yes, some so sharp and brutal and final that even they could not really comprehend what had happened. And there are tales of kindness and great courage as well: not everybody was against them.
It also makes you realise that all the Jews transported from various countries were effectively strangers to each other: they were coming from other cultures, did not speak the same languages, and each group acted as if their group was 'different'. There were even classifications made within the overall groups of Jews where such-and-such a type was considered of a lower status than others... All of these ideas are expressed calmly and even dispassionately.
The book gives voice to these 100-odd stories, indirectly urging the reader to remember, and to become aware of just how easily our prejudices can turn into something unbelievably ferocious apparently without causing too much of a moral problem... The voices that are not heard are the millions whose lives were simply and literally obliterated, right from the beginning, and right throughout this terrible period, by erstwhile 'friends', neighbours, acquaintances... people who were simply 'removed' and never heard of again. The Holocaust was not just Auschwitz, horrible as that was; it was a mindset wherein prejudice, from whatever source, simply 'allowed' people to be murdered without compunction, and without redress. It 'starts' with the elimination of 'riff-raff', the mentally disabled, the physically disabled, the hobos, then proceeds very quickly to the morally suspect, the politically suspect, etc. etc. usually 'justified' to 'improve the quality of life' in a particular location. Get them off the streets. They disappear. Much better... By then, it has become too late.
The one thing that shines in this collection of stories, however, is the humanity of the people involved. We need to read books like this to remind us of that humanity, and to help us remember the vast humanity of those who did not survive (not that they had any choice, in the circumstances). We need to be vigilant. The vigilance that alerts us to any government anywhere which justifies prejudice of any kind against any person anywhere, but particularly one's own government. More importantly, perhaps, is to understand just how shallow our veneer of respectability and civilisation is; how so very easily our prejudices and our dislikes can be transferred into 'justified' murder.
Lyn Smith has done a wonderful job of editing over 100 contributors (one could call them 'survivors') of the Holocaust over the period 1933–1945. These very personal stories are simply told, each person trying to come to grips with what happened to them during this terrible period. The stories are split and presented in chronological order, with very fine introductions to provide a general background to each section. Ultimately what one gets is an overall picture of the terrible events as they unfolded; and what may surprise some is the wide range of experiences elicited. There seems to be a simple honesty in the telling of these stories that can both mover and horrify at the same time, yet the overall effect is one of increased understanding of how these events came to be.
It wasn't all sudden. It started simply, because a government was voted in which allowed prejudices and biases to flourish; a government which turned a blind eye to those who 'acted' on those prejudices, and which did not condemn their actions. It just gradually got worse and worse, and nobody seemed to care...
Nor are the stories seeking sympathy. There seems to be a genuine attempt to come to terms with the events. Narrators tell of their own naivete, their own prejudices, their own biases. They tell of horrors, yes, some so sharp and brutal and final that even they could not really comprehend what had happened. And there are tales of kindness and great courage as well: not everybody was against them.
It also makes you realise that all the Jews transported from various countries were effectively strangers to each other: they were coming from other cultures, did not speak the same languages, and each group acted as if their group was 'different'. There were even classifications made within the overall groups of Jews where such-and-such a type was considered of a lower status than others... All of these ideas are expressed calmly and even dispassionately.
The book gives voice to these 100-odd stories, indirectly urging the reader to remember, and to become aware of just how easily our prejudices can turn into something unbelievably ferocious apparently without causing too much of a moral problem... The voices that are not heard are the millions whose lives were simply and literally obliterated, right from the beginning, and right throughout this terrible period, by erstwhile 'friends', neighbours, acquaintances... people who were simply 'removed' and never heard of again. The Holocaust was not just Auschwitz, horrible as that was; it was a mindset wherein prejudice, from whatever source, simply 'allowed' people to be murdered without compunction, and without redress. It 'starts' with the elimination of 'riff-raff', the mentally disabled, the physically disabled, the hobos, then proceeds very quickly to the morally suspect, the politically suspect, etc. etc. usually 'justified' to 'improve the quality of life' in a particular location. Get them off the streets. They disappear. Much better... By then, it has become too late.
The one thing that shines in this collection of stories, however, is the humanity of the people involved. We need to read books like this to remind us of that humanity, and to help us remember the vast humanity of those who did not survive (not that they had any choice, in the circumstances). We need to be vigilant. The vigilance that alerts us to any government anywhere which justifies prejudice of any kind against any person anywhere, but particularly one's own government. More importantly, perhaps, is to understand just how shallow our veneer of respectability and civilisation is; how so very easily our prejudices and our dislikes can be transferred into 'justified' murder.
March 18, 2014
This is one of a series of books instigated by the Imperial War Museum. Made up from recordings of people who took part in the events. Some are to do with those in action, others who experienced the war from other locations such as London in the Blitz.
If I find a book particularly engrossing I will often read large sections at a time, sometimes the entire book at a sitting.
This one is different.
Many books of this genre are written by an author who has researched the history, visited locations, interviewed those involved, etc.
This one is different. These are real people, talking about their own experiences and those around them.
I found I was only able to read small amounts at a time. When you read someone telling of the almost unbelievable events that occurred in ' matter of fact ' terms, it is harrowing.
As an example, a person witnessed a Jewish lady with toddler in her arms being moved out of a ghetto by the German army. An officer stopped her and asked if the child would like a sweet. When she agreed he told the child to open its mouth, and when it did so he put a gun in its mouth and shot it.
This is one of the occasions I had to stop reading.
This the best/worst book I've read on the subject. We are constantly told by many involved in dealings with the ' Jewish problem ' and events in concentration camps, that they were ' following orders ' . Such stories as the above, amongst others, show that this was a convenient excuse. The officer did what he did simply because he could.
Read it and weep.
If I find a book particularly engrossing I will often read large sections at a time, sometimes the entire book at a sitting.
This one is different.
Many books of this genre are written by an author who has researched the history, visited locations, interviewed those involved, etc.
This one is different. These are real people, talking about their own experiences and those around them.
I found I was only able to read small amounts at a time. When you read someone telling of the almost unbelievable events that occurred in ' matter of fact ' terms, it is harrowing.
As an example, a person witnessed a Jewish lady with toddler in her arms being moved out of a ghetto by the German army. An officer stopped her and asked if the child would like a sweet. When she agreed he told the child to open its mouth, and when it did so he put a gun in its mouth and shot it.
This is one of the occasions I had to stop reading.
This the best/worst book I've read on the subject. We are constantly told by many involved in dealings with the ' Jewish problem ' and events in concentration camps, that they were ' following orders ' . Such stories as the above, amongst others, show that this was a convenient excuse. The officer did what he did simply because he could.
Read it and weep.
December 3, 2007
This is one of the more daunting books that I have read. It is filled with unbelievable heartbreak and unimaginable human kindness all at the same time. The courage of the people who survived this dark time in our history are the real heroes of thier generation, we should celebrate their courage, bravery and sheer determination to survive.
![Profile Image for Ieva Strazdiņa [mrs.lasitaja].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1659017528i%2F124023459._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Read
December 29, 2022Mani joprojām nebeidz pārsteigt, ka katrā grāmatā par holokaustu uzzinu ko jaunu un šokējošu - šoreiz visšokējošāk bija lasīt par ieslodzītajiem, kurus piespieda strādāt krematorijās - kur ieslodzītie nereti dedzināja savus tuviniekus, tika izstrādāta īpaša tehnika, lai līķi labāk degtu - kalsnos krāva apakšā un tuklos virsū, lai tauki palīdzētu degt miesai, briesmīgā degošas miesas smaka un pēc aptuveni trim mēnešiem teju visi šie cietumnieki tika sadedzināti paši, jo darbs noveda viņus pie prāta sajukuma. Un visam pa virsu - vai zināji, ka Nacistiskajā Vācijā tika ražotas ziepes ar nosaukumu RIF (angliski RIP - rest in peace)? Jā, tieši tik prātam neaptverami - vācieši mājaimniecībā izmantoja ziepes, kas ražotas no nāves nometnēs sadedzināto žīdu taukiem.
Grāmatā apkopoti vairāku holokausta izdzīvojušo stāsti par laika posmu 1933 - 1945 gadam. Grāmata ir labs izzinošs materiāls, ja nav lasīts par holokaustu - no tā pirmajām izpausmēm līdz ieslodzīto atbrīvošanai un pat par sekām uz turpmāko dzīvi. Taču tā kā es par holokaustu esmu lasījusi gana daudz - es mocījos ar šo grāmatu un galvenais iemesls ir grāmatas formāts - cilvēkstāsti tajā ir sadrumstaloti un ir grūti izsekot katra cilvēka dzīves stāstam (taisnības labad jāsaka, ka grāmatas beigās ir norādītas visas lapas, kur rakstīts par katru konkrēto cilvēku, bet tas nav tas). Man patīk izzināt cilvēka stāstu no sākuma līdz beigām un tāda sadrumstalotība man traucēja.
Es šo grāmatu nevaru vērtēt ar zvaigznēm - jo kā gan es varu novērtēt šo cilvēku pārdzīvoto?
Grāmatā apkopoti vairāku holokausta izdzīvojušo stāsti par laika posmu 1933 - 1945 gadam. Grāmata ir labs izzinošs materiāls, ja nav lasīts par holokaustu - no tā pirmajām izpausmēm līdz ieslodzīto atbrīvošanai un pat par sekām uz turpmāko dzīvi. Taču tā kā es par holokaustu esmu lasījusi gana daudz - es mocījos ar šo grāmatu un galvenais iemesls ir grāmatas formāts - cilvēkstāsti tajā ir sadrumstaloti un ir grūti izsekot katra cilvēka dzīves stāstam (taisnības labad jāsaka, ka grāmatas beigās ir norādītas visas lapas, kur rakstīts par katru konkrēto cilvēku, bet tas nav tas). Man patīk izzināt cilvēka stāstu no sākuma līdz beigām un tāda sadrumstalotība man traucēja.
Es šo grāmatu nevaru vērtēt ar zvaigznēm - jo kā gan es varu novērtēt šo cilvēku pārdzīvoto?
August 16, 2011
I personally believe everyone should be made to read a book like this so they can read first hand of the atrocities the Nazis inflicted on those during the Holocaust. Very powerful and moving stories from the people that were there and thankfully survived, as we all know that millions and millions didn't.
May 20, 2021
Such a good compilation of stories. A wide angle on the war and holocaust info.
April 11, 2023
This book is not a novel, unlike those ones narrating experiences such as The Boy in Striped Pyjamas; this is compilation of testimonies from Jews - and other sympathising people - who survived the war and those horrible experiences. I'm not going to include details included in the book because I feel I wouldn't be expressing the seriousness of the situation, as I didn't experience it, and, also, out of respect for those ones who suffered it. As I said, this is not fiction, it's the horrible reality.
I really liked this book because of three main reasons.
- The first one is that the testimonies included do not beat around the bush, they are aimed to make people know of the experiences, which are horrible but not the worst they lived, because some Jews are left with the inability to speak about some experiences they lived.
- Second one is that the main aim of it is to raise awareness of what was going on to not be forgotten. As one of the survivors said, 'We are the last survivors, we are no longer young, who after us will tell? This is why we make testimony'. No one knew what was happening to the Jews during the war. They just knew they had disappeared. After the war, some people didn't even want to talk about those experiences, so it became a taboo topic (hopefully, it's not anymore).
- Third one is that the book not only includes the experiences of people in the concentration camps, but also how great was life before Hitler came to power, how the hatred towards Jewry started, the life in the ghettos and the experiences of those ones hidden from the Germans the death march when Nazis lost power, and the experiences of the survivors after the war - how they found themselves after liberation, how they kept on with their lives.
To be honest, it took me longer to read the book because it was rather hard to read those experiences; some of them left me so mentally shocked and exhausted that I needed to put down the book and stop reading for a while (or even a day). That is the reason of my 4 stars instead of 5, it did not contribute to improving my mental health at all. However, I consider reading it is something one must undergo in order to honor the Jews' suffering and not let it fall into oblivion.
I really liked this book because of three main reasons.
- The first one is that the testimonies included do not beat around the bush, they are aimed to make people know of the experiences, which are horrible but not the worst they lived, because some Jews are left with the inability to speak about some experiences they lived.
- Second one is that the main aim of it is to raise awareness of what was going on to not be forgotten. As one of the survivors said, 'We are the last survivors, we are no longer young, who after us will tell? This is why we make testimony'. No one knew what was happening to the Jews during the war. They just knew they had disappeared. After the war, some people didn't even want to talk about those experiences, so it became a taboo topic (hopefully, it's not anymore).
- Third one is that the book not only includes the experiences of people in the concentration camps, but also how great was life before Hitler came to power, how the hatred towards Jewry started, the life in the ghettos and the experiences of those ones hidden from the Germans the death march when Nazis lost power, and the experiences of the survivors after the war - how they found themselves after liberation, how they kept on with their lives.
To be honest, it took me longer to read the book because it was rather hard to read those experiences; some of them left me so mentally shocked and exhausted that I needed to put down the book and stop reading for a while (or even a day). That is the reason of my 4 stars instead of 5, it did not contribute to improving my mental health at all. However, I consider reading it is something one must undergo in order to honor the Jews' suffering and not let it fall into oblivion.
May 18, 2018
I have actually 'read' this twice now. Once as a paperback, and now once as an audiobook. I remember from the paperback, wondering at the way people described their lives before the Nazis came and took it all away. It seemed such a brutal shame that their fine lives, their hopes and dreams for themselves, their future and their children, was taken away. I think that since first reading this book, I've been trying to re-capture that moment in time.
I listened to this, recently then, as an audiobook. And it's different! I had no idea, but the narration is by the incomparable Andrew Sachs, and what are in the book, paragraphs transcribed, maybe edited, of the witnesses recollections, testimony, call it what you will, is actually them speaking. Obviously the author(s) have recorded or used recordings of the people giving their thoughts, their feelings, their eye-witness accounts, and for the book, transcribed them, but for this version, used them as they were given. Think a documentary, without pictures. It captured me all over again.
I won't hear a word against how powerful and concise and important and affecting this book is.
Blog : Speesh Reads
Facebook Page: Speesh Reads
I listened to this, recently then, as an audiobook. And it's different! I had no idea, but the narration is by the incomparable Andrew Sachs, and what are in the book, paragraphs transcribed, maybe edited, of the witnesses recollections, testimony, call it what you will, is actually them speaking. Obviously the author(s) have recorded or used recordings of the people giving their thoughts, their feelings, their eye-witness accounts, and for the book, transcribed them, but for this version, used them as they were given. Think a documentary, without pictures. It captured me all over again.
I won't hear a word against how powerful and concise and important and affecting this book is.
Blog : Speesh Reads
Facebook Page: Speesh Reads
April 21, 2019
A very fascinating and honest read. Tough to read many times throughout, stirring all kinds of emotions. A huge thank you to the brave men and women who shared their accounts of what they went through.
June 23, 2021
The best book of accounts of the Holocaust I have ever read. This is essential reading for anyone who is wanting to learn about this time and events
March 20, 2017
A factual account of the holocaust from the people who survived. It's hard to read but compelling at the same time despite the subject matter.
Currently reading
May 9, 2010this book has brought tears to my eyes multiple times because of the first hand accounts of those that have lived through the horrific times. having been reading this as a generation that cannot fathom the "why's, how's, or who's" puts into persepctive the feeling that those who actually lived it, had much bigger questions and much more to address than we could even begin to think about.
the writing style was initially hard to adjust to; keeping track of who was who and what story went with which... as of now doesnt matter. the stories are real. they are true accounts of things we have never heard, never seen, never been told. and because of this adds more reason to pay attention to the world and whats going on...
the writing style was initially hard to adjust to; keeping track of who was who and what story went with which... as of now doesnt matter. the stories are real. they are true accounts of things we have never heard, never seen, never been told. and because of this adds more reason to pay attention to the world and whats going on...
July 11, 2012
If you are interested in the subject matter, then this is a must. The forgotten voices are not only the victims but also some of those who stood by and watched and then those who stood by and helped. So many emotions touched that I struggle to review this except to say it was a harsh read but necessary.
August 17, 2010
A fantastic collection of short accounts straight from those who were there - from German Jews to Polish Jews to a Lithuanian Policeman (and many more). Very upsetting and a very poignant read that will shock most. A brilliant collection that is a must-read.
April 26, 2012
I've taken over a year to read this book. It sat at my bedside and I read one or two testimonies at a time. Harrowing, brilliant and should be compulsory.
Read
July 26, 2011Heartbreaking and moving accounts of the Holocaust left behind by those murdered by the Nazi regime, and the memories of those who survived. Should be read by everyone - Never Again.
July 28, 2011
Chilling & haunting reminder of lessons we should never forget... a must read for all!
July 16, 2019
I forgot I had read this some time ago and still have it. A good introduction to Holocaust reading in general.
April 2, 2018
I like the format of this book. There are sections devoted to time periods, in chronological order and, within those sections, the same characters appear voicing their experiences. After a while, you get to "know" those people, their personalities, and you gradually piece together the whole of their experience.
What I particularly liked was that the time started at pre-war. Being able to read how their lives were prior to the Holocaust makes it all that more shocking. As time progresses, and anti-semetism rises, reading some accounts are quite devastating. To imagine those poor children in a classroom made to read literature that depicts them as subhuman is a mental barbarism.
The book does not end at Liberation and further explores their lives in the years since, from the immediate aftermath and attempts at reintergrating or relocating, to more recent times and how now, even in their old age, they still carry the scars of this inhumanity.
There was nothing contained within the book that I had not already read (ie from a historical aspect or an atrocity aspect), but being able to compare everyone's versions of the same or a similar experience is very interesting.
What I particularly liked was that the time started at pre-war. Being able to read how their lives were prior to the Holocaust makes it all that more shocking. As time progresses, and anti-semetism rises, reading some accounts are quite devastating. To imagine those poor children in a classroom made to read literature that depicts them as subhuman is a mental barbarism.
The book does not end at Liberation and further explores their lives in the years since, from the immediate aftermath and attempts at reintergrating or relocating, to more recent times and how now, even in their old age, they still carry the scars of this inhumanity.
There was nothing contained within the book that I had not already read (ie from a historical aspect or an atrocity aspect), but being able to compare everyone's versions of the same or a similar experience is very interesting.
January 15, 2019
This is a first hand account of survivors from the Holocaust. They start their stories before the war, and then what they went thru doing the war. Most of these people lived an easy, happy, rich life and had it all. The children did not know they were different and some of their non-Jewish friends did not know they were different.
I went to Poland this summer and visited Treblinka, Auschwitz and Birkenau. We found a picture of a person with our family name but could not verify who they were. This book was so fascinating. The heartbreak and struggles these people went thru and their will to live. How they survived is beyond my comprehension. I do not understand how one human being/or beings could be so mean to people. I don't understand that degree of hate. I have since read another book called Mila 18 about the Warsaw Ghetto. In my mind the Holocaust was a well thought out and planned event. There were so many people who were involved. Soldiers, farmers, railroad personnel, construction workers. You can't tell me they didn't know what was going on.
Anyway, I was mesmerized by the book.
I went to Poland this summer and visited Treblinka, Auschwitz and Birkenau. We found a picture of a person with our family name but could not verify who they were. This book was so fascinating. The heartbreak and struggles these people went thru and their will to live. How they survived is beyond my comprehension. I do not understand how one human being/or beings could be so mean to people. I don't understand that degree of hate. I have since read another book called Mila 18 about the Warsaw Ghetto. In my mind the Holocaust was a well thought out and planned event. There were so many people who were involved. Soldiers, farmers, railroad personnel, construction workers. You can't tell me they didn't know what was going on.
Anyway, I was mesmerized by the book.
February 2, 2021
Every human being should read this book.
“Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust” gives a platform to a wide range of victims of the Holocaust, all from various backgrounds and hometowns, and shares their experiences of the Holocaust — from the start of the anti-Semitism that accompanied the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, to the liberation of the camps and what happened after being liberated.
The Germans’ inhumane treatment of the Jews (as well as so many other minority groups) started long before the concentration camps. As the Nazis and Adolf Hitler rose to power, the Germans slowly stripped away their rights, isolated them from their communities, uprooted their lives, stole from them and caused them an ungodly amount of suffering long before they were rounded up and sent to the concentration camps.
While I knew many of the details of the Holocaust (I also visited Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2016), there were experiences and stories in this book that truly gave me chills and shook me to my core. Although the survivors’ stories are harrowing, we must continue to share them so that the world never forgets what happened during the Holocaust.
“Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust” gives a platform to a wide range of victims of the Holocaust, all from various backgrounds and hometowns, and shares their experiences of the Holocaust — from the start of the anti-Semitism that accompanied the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, to the liberation of the camps and what happened after being liberated.
The Germans’ inhumane treatment of the Jews (as well as so many other minority groups) started long before the concentration camps. As the Nazis and Adolf Hitler rose to power, the Germans slowly stripped away their rights, isolated them from their communities, uprooted their lives, stole from them and caused them an ungodly amount of suffering long before they were rounded up and sent to the concentration camps.
While I knew many of the details of the Holocaust (I also visited Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2016), there were experiences and stories in this book that truly gave me chills and shook me to my core. Although the survivors’ stories are harrowing, we must continue to share them so that the world never forgets what happened during the Holocaust.
October 16, 2024
Un libro triste pero necesario, en el que te das cuenta de algunas cosas que a gente de nuestra generación se le puede escapar, y es que, al parecer, inmediatamente después de la II Guerra Mundial la gente no quería hablar de ello, de lo que había sucedido, la sociedad de aquel momento solo quería olvidar todo aquello, y las experiencias fueron totalmente traumáticas, como se puede entender, pero aquel silencio contribuyó de forma indirecta en alimentar el bulo de que el Holocausto no existió y, claro, todos los supervivientes tuvieron que alzar la voz, dar su testimonio para que esto no quedara en el olvido ni como algo inexistente , de ahí la importancia del libro que recopila una cantidad ingente de testimonios. Está muy bien estructurado con un crescendo que te lleva desde el inicio hasta el final de la guerra, los testimonios son muchas veces aterradores y la verdad que te das cuenta de algunos hechos que son bastante desconocidos, como los pogromos que hubo en Polonia justo después de la guerra, o que Irma Grese estuvo a puntito de salvarse de la horca. Como digo un buen libro con testimonios de primera mano de las víctimas.
June 18, 2018
Book tells us stories of people who, as title says, survived holocaust. It is an amazing book, which goes into detail and doesn't spare us with them. We get to know exactly what happened in vicinity of survivors.
Most chapters begin with short introduction in time period and then there's a mixture of stories from that period. Before the war people felt safe and lived in harmony with different ethnic backgrounds. With second world war closing in things started to change and antisemitism became more and more powerful and ubiquitous. When Hitler and his party started to govern, everything went downhill. They started concentration, workin and transitory camps and extermination of Jews and other less important people (comparing to Aryans). After liberation problems didn't end for survivors. A lot of them died in first months and those who actually survived were often left alone with all relatives dead.
While reading it I was often anxious, sad, angry or felt the mixture of all possible emotions. I recommend a book to anyone who has a stomach to digest there horrible stories.
Most chapters begin with short introduction in time period and then there's a mixture of stories from that period. Before the war people felt safe and lived in harmony with different ethnic backgrounds. With second world war closing in things started to change and antisemitism became more and more powerful and ubiquitous. When Hitler and his party started to govern, everything went downhill. They started concentration, workin and transitory camps and extermination of Jews and other less important people (comparing to Aryans). After liberation problems didn't end for survivors. A lot of them died in first months and those who actually survived were often left alone with all relatives dead.
While reading it I was often anxious, sad, angry or felt the mixture of all possible emotions. I recommend a book to anyone who has a stomach to digest there horrible stories.
January 16, 2023
Not just a book, this is first and foremost a historical document. This is the lasting testimony first-hand of the people who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust. I was a little put-off reading this initially thinking it would be macabre or just a depressing pile-on of pages of misery after misery. Obviously the stories told here are at times incredibly sad and sometimes impossible to imagine but the book is so well put together that the humanity of the inidviduals and the nuance of each of the situations they recall shines through. It's one of the best of the 'Forgotten Voices' series that I've read, it's a testament to the work of the Imperial War Museum. In the world we currently live in, with Holocaust denial and far-right politics continuing to rear it's head, it's really an essential read.
September 3, 2020
Ghastly book, but necessary reading to get a sense of the holocaust at an individual level.
Jan Herman, Czech Jewish Youth Auschwitz-Birkenau
"Also, the air was not clean: you were breathing the dead.
Gertrude 'Trude' Levi, Young Hungarian Jewish woman on the train to Auschwitz
"In our normal life we talk about being thirsty, but thirsty there meant one's lips were parched, broken, hurting; you were hungry, you had a piece of bread in your hand but coudln't eat it because you couldn't swallow any more. It meant people went into hysterics, people went mad, people had heart attacks, and people died. And we had the dead, the mad, the hysterical and the screaming among us and we could not do a thing about it.
Jan Herman, Czech Jewish Youth Auschwitz-Birkenau
"Also, the air was not clean: you were breathing the dead.
Gertrude 'Trude' Levi, Young Hungarian Jewish woman on the train to Auschwitz
"In our normal life we talk about being thirsty, but thirsty there meant one's lips were parched, broken, hurting; you were hungry, you had a piece of bread in your hand but coudln't eat it because you couldn't swallow any more. It meant people went into hysterics, people went mad, people had heart attacks, and people died. And we had the dead, the mad, the hysterical and the screaming among us and we could not do a thing about it.
January 10, 2019
Heartbreaking but so important. I'm not sure the format of the book is the best one possible - perhaps it would be better to read each person's story uninterrupted. Instead, they are presented as loose paragraphs or short excerpts, grouoed by theme or similar experience, e.g. forgiveness, life in the ghetto, persecutions etc. This book contains stories of many great individuals, among others, Lili Stern-Pohlmann. Presenting the individual statements in this form does really allow to show the variety of experiences and the victims' reactions to them. It's a very valuable source, maybe not from an academic point of view, but from the human, personal one.
December 10, 2017
Brytyjczycy nie mieli świadomości Holokaustu [...] Matka opowiadała mi, jak na przyjęciu jakaś kobieta spojrzała na jej rękę i spytała, co to jest, czy to numer telefonu. "Tak numer telefonu do Auschwitz" - odpowiedziała matka.
Dziś jest dokładnie tak samo, wielu nie ma pojęcia czym był Holokaust, nie czyta o nim, nie chce słuchać, część nawet neguje jego istnienie. Tymczasem świadkowie tamtych wydarzeń odchodzą i jest ich z każdym rokiem coraz mniej. Tym bardziej powinniśmy więc ich słuchać, czytać o tym, tak aby te wydarzenia dobrze wryły się w naszą pamięć i nigdy więcej nie powtórzyły.
Dziś jest dokładnie tak samo, wielu nie ma pojęcia czym był Holokaust, nie czyta o nim, nie chce słuchać, część nawet neguje jego istnienie. Tymczasem świadkowie tamtych wydarzeń odchodzą i jest ich z każdym rokiem coraz mniej. Tym bardziej powinniśmy więc ich słuchać, czytać o tym, tak aby te wydarzenia dobrze wryły się w naszą pamięć i nigdy więcej nie powtórzyły.
October 17, 2019
A book of horror stories as I expected! I have read a few books on the Holocaust but because they were reports of people’s experiences rather than first hand accounts they were not as moving, horrific or compelling reading as this book. It was a book I could not put down. As the numbers of this generation are dwindling it is essential that their voices are heard and NEVER forgotten. This book should be on the library shelves of all senior schools at least. Please don’t forget the horrors of the Holocaust or any subsequent genocide .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews