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Don't Fence Me In! An American Teenager in the Holocaust
an important and incredible memoir of being in the Holocaust and everyone who is interested in this subject should read this book
207 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 7, 2008
I actually met Barry Spanjaard when he came to speak to my history class in high school (1984). I still remember that day and the feelings I felt when I heard him tell the story of his experiences as a teen. I can't say I liked the book but that is not because of the author or the telling. It is hard to "like" anything about this time in history. I would recommend this book.
January 4, 2010
The first time I read this was in 1982 or '83. I re-read it last year and introduced it to my bookclub. It's out of print so we had to find used copies. It's heartbreaking and wonderful. If you were to read it off-hand, you'd think "This is a terrible writer", but when you know it's the journal of a 16 year old boy telling of the horrors of WWII in Belgen Bersen, you have a whole new respect. I think everyone should read this book, so nothing like this happens again.
April 13, 2011
3.5 - I should have written this review as soon as I finished the book, especially with my memory or lack thereof.
When I first saw the title I was a little shocked, very interested, and knew I had to read the book. I wasn't sure what it would be about, as strange as that sounds. I forget where I first saw the book but I saw only the main title, no cover and no subtitle. I wasn't sure if this was about the Holocaust I read so much about or if 'Holocaust' was meaning something else entirely. It's about the Holocaust I read so much about.
Apparently the author has done many, many speaking engagements all over the country in the years after the war. (Why I can never find any survivor speaking or doing a signing I'll never know.) There have to be a great many people who remember Spanjaard very fondly - even just reading the book you like him.
About the included photos: some are harsh and besides the personal touches most, can be seen elsewhere easily. The shot of 4 or 5 male prisoners laying next to each other on one bunk in Bergen-Belsen is one example and the four photos that show either a mass grave or prisoners removing bodies will have been seen by anyone who reads a lot about the Holocaust. One photo I have not seen before? Irma Grese. Spanjaard included a photo of Grese standing next to Josef Kramer under guard and after their arrest. Grese looks like a little girl. A little harmless girl. It's not easy to reconcile her actions - her atrocious actions to the little girl in the photo. I guess that could be said about a great many perpetrators.
Other photos include Spanjaard's family's documents and a few personal pictures of his family. All are perfect for the story and spread out in perfect order.
Spanjaard's wife, in the prologue, mentions that this is not meant to be "a great literary project" but rather the "memoirs of Barry Spanjaard". She's right - that's just what it is.
If you're looking for a memoir of a Holocaust survivor you'll find that here. Spanjaard has the added element of being an American and having somewhat different experiences in the beginning of the war. (His family was passed over a number of times instead of being shipped out of the ghetto because of his American citizenship.)
There are parts that will upset you but that's to be expected with a book of this nature.
**I don't consider this a spoiler but anyone disagrees please let me know.**
The part that affected me the most I think was near the end when the family was on their way home. Not taking a straight route to America of course the Spanjaard family entered Switzerland and Mr. Spanjaard (Barry's father), who was emaciated and near death to begin with after all of the abuse hurled at him in the camp, got worse. The Red Cross took him to the hospital and three days after gaining his freedom Mr. Spanjaard died. I don't know if he ever really understood that he was in fact free at the time.
What makes this even worse, if that's possible, was that the morning of the funeral the remaining Spanjaard's (Barry and his mother) were told they'd have to leave immediately for America and no one could stay behind. They couldn't see their husband and father buried and they couldn't even say goodbye.
There's a lovely photo of Mr. Spanjaard's tombstone with the words "Victim of camp Bergen Belson. Your strength lasted until entering free ground. You witnessed the premature end of 6 million Jews in the years 1933-1945."
There is also, near the end of the book, a startling photo of Mrs. Spanjaard and her identical twin sister. One could never guess they were related beyond the eyes. The book tells at one point that Mr. Spanjaard weighed 65 pounds. (I forget at what point this was.) My daughter, who is almost 6 years old, is almost 5 pounds. Granted, she's tall and a healthy girl but she's 6 years old. Imagine, just for a second, a grown man at 65 pounds. Mrs. Spanjaard, in this photo looks like she lived through hell, which she had. Her sister looks like the typical American woman of the time.
The last two photos are especially symbolic IMO. In 1976 Spanjaard took a picture of the railroad track leading to Westerbork. The rails are broken and turned up. They can't be used again.
The author, along with his mother, both led interesting lives after the war and their return to America. Mrs. Spanjaard's story doesn't end well as she attempted suicide a number of times after she was no longer able to help the United Jewish Appeal. (After Palestine became the State of Israel.) According to Mr. Spanjaard, this was his mothers whole life. That being taken away she wasted away and spent her last 16 years confined in a mental hospital. I have to wonder with more help, or a specific kind of help, could things have been different? If Mrs. Spanjaard was able to function, and function well for so long, I'm led to think that with her life "meaning" something again, (i.e. helping others) she may have been fine? Very sad indeed.
When I first saw the title I was a little shocked, very interested, and knew I had to read the book. I wasn't sure what it would be about, as strange as that sounds. I forget where I first saw the book but I saw only the main title, no cover and no subtitle. I wasn't sure if this was about the Holocaust I read so much about or if 'Holocaust' was meaning something else entirely. It's about the Holocaust I read so much about.
Apparently the author has done many, many speaking engagements all over the country in the years after the war. (Why I can never find any survivor speaking or doing a signing I'll never know.) There have to be a great many people who remember Spanjaard very fondly - even just reading the book you like him.
About the included photos: some are harsh and besides the personal touches most, can be seen elsewhere easily. The shot of 4 or 5 male prisoners laying next to each other on one bunk in Bergen-Belsen is one example and the four photos that show either a mass grave or prisoners removing bodies will have been seen by anyone who reads a lot about the Holocaust. One photo I have not seen before? Irma Grese. Spanjaard included a photo of Grese standing next to Josef Kramer under guard and after their arrest. Grese looks like a little girl. A little harmless girl. It's not easy to reconcile her actions - her atrocious actions to the little girl in the photo. I guess that could be said about a great many perpetrators.
Other photos include Spanjaard's family's documents and a few personal pictures of his family. All are perfect for the story and spread out in perfect order.
Spanjaard's wife, in the prologue, mentions that this is not meant to be "a great literary project" but rather the "memoirs of Barry Spanjaard". She's right - that's just what it is.
If you're looking for a memoir of a Holocaust survivor you'll find that here. Spanjaard has the added element of being an American and having somewhat different experiences in the beginning of the war. (His family was passed over a number of times instead of being shipped out of the ghetto because of his American citizenship.)
There are parts that will upset you but that's to be expected with a book of this nature.
**I don't consider this a spoiler but anyone disagrees please let me know.**
The part that affected me the most I think was near the end when the family was on their way home. Not taking a straight route to America of course the Spanjaard family entered Switzerland and Mr. Spanjaard (Barry's father), who was emaciated and near death to begin with after all of the abuse hurled at him in the camp, got worse. The Red Cross took him to the hospital and three days after gaining his freedom Mr. Spanjaard died. I don't know if he ever really understood that he was in fact free at the time.
What makes this even worse, if that's possible, was that the morning of the funeral the remaining Spanjaard's (Barry and his mother) were told they'd have to leave immediately for America and no one could stay behind. They couldn't see their husband and father buried and they couldn't even say goodbye.
There's a lovely photo of Mr. Spanjaard's tombstone with the words "Victim of camp Bergen Belson. Your strength lasted until entering free ground. You witnessed the premature end of 6 million Jews in the years 1933-1945."
There is also, near the end of the book, a startling photo of Mrs. Spanjaard and her identical twin sister. One could never guess they were related beyond the eyes. The book tells at one point that Mr. Spanjaard weighed 65 pounds. (I forget at what point this was.) My daughter, who is almost 6 years old, is almost 5 pounds. Granted, she's tall and a healthy girl but she's 6 years old. Imagine, just for a second, a grown man at 65 pounds. Mrs. Spanjaard, in this photo looks like she lived through hell, which she had. Her sister looks like the typical American woman of the time.
The last two photos are especially symbolic IMO. In 1976 Spanjaard took a picture of the railroad track leading to Westerbork. The rails are broken and turned up. They can't be used again.
The author, along with his mother, both led interesting lives after the war and their return to America. Mrs. Spanjaard's story doesn't end well as she attempted suicide a number of times after she was no longer able to help the United Jewish Appeal. (After Palestine became the State of Israel.) According to Mr. Spanjaard, this was his mothers whole life. That being taken away she wasted away and spent her last 16 years confined in a mental hospital. I have to wonder with more help, or a specific kind of help, could things have been different? If Mrs. Spanjaard was able to function, and function well for so long, I'm led to think that with her life "meaning" something again, (i.e. helping others) she may have been fine? Very sad indeed.
September 20, 2008
I got this book when I was in Jr High and he came to speak with us. I had no idea what the book was about when I got it, but I could not put it down when I finally read it. Barry holds nothing back when telling us about his survival of the Holocaust, including the brutality that was never in my history books. I can't wait to get another copy and read it again.
August 16, 2008
I have loved this book since I was a young girl. The author came and spoke with us and began my discovery of the evils of the Holocaust. This is a book from the heart.
April 4, 2008
This book remains one of the best accounts I've read of the Holocaust. Interesting side note: I met the author and got him to sign my copy.
March 12, 2020
This book is about an American-Dutch teenager that was born in America but was living in Amsterdam during the holocaust. Barry Spanjaard is a American that have passed very difficult moments during his childhood. He was Jewish during the time that Hitler take the lead in Germany and start the holocaust. Barry have passed through 3 concentration camps and one of those was Bergen-Belsen. When he was arrested he was with his family in Holland. All the family get arrested. In my opinion this book is intresting and make people get amazed because Barry gives a lot of details in how he get arrested or how he was transport to all 3 concentration camps. The amount of food the Nazi soldiers gave him it's incredible. I recommend this book to the people who like the holocaust theme because you will really like it and you will feel as you were there. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because he really put in a lot of effort and it's awesome how he remember all the little details that make this book to be good.
November 13, 2017
Don't Fence Me In is a very touching book. It is about a Dutch-American teenager during World War II named Barry Spanjaard and his family. Barry and his family live in Holland, but Barry was born in America, and he and his family are Jewish.
Enter the German Gestapo. Barry and his family were given ten minutes too pack their lives and memories into bags, and then they were transported to a concentration camp as if they were nothing more than cattle. This event marks the beginning and a chain of events that drastically change Barry's life and that of his family. They are brutally beaten, and starved, and shuffled from one camp to another. They are surrounded by death and disease.
This book outlines the historical and emotional turmoil caused by the persecution and systematic execution of the Jewish people during World War II. It is very well written but be prepared for a heart wrenching story.
Enter the German Gestapo. Barry and his family were given ten minutes too pack their lives and memories into bags, and then they were transported to a concentration camp as if they were nothing more than cattle. This event marks the beginning and a chain of events that drastically change Barry's life and that of his family. They are brutally beaten, and starved, and shuffled from one camp to another. They are surrounded by death and disease.
This book outlines the historical and emotional turmoil caused by the persecution and systematic execution of the Jewish people during World War II. It is very well written but be prepared for a heart wrenching story.
November 5, 2018
This novel was an excellent example of a truly great biography written from a first hand author that survived the horrible event of the Holocaust. It just goes to show that if you know how to solve a problem in war you're a very important piece in the game. I learned many interesting and scary facts about being in the middle of war and what happened to the people that got trapped in the middle of it. Barry Spanjaard went through a lot of terrible things that happened to him and his family. Overall highly recommend this novel to any person who wants to learn the insides of World War 2.
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June 24, 2022Haven't read the novel yet.... but I remember Barry coming to our Jr. HIGH in Fontana ,CA. Back in the late 80s.
I don't know exactly how , but a fellow student asked him ..." Why were the camps not even in Germany ( the Death Camps ) and built in Poland ?
And Mr. Barry's response was ...
" That's gonna cost me another book." .... as he retrieved a novel from the stack he brought with him to pass it Izzy Rangel.... the student questioning .
It was a moving experience... I'll never forget .
I don't know exactly how , but a fellow student asked him ..." Why were the camps not even in Germany ( the Death Camps ) and built in Poland ?
And Mr. Barry's response was ...
" That's gonna cost me another book." .... as he retrieved a novel from the stack he brought with him to pass it Izzy Rangel.... the student questioning .
It was a moving experience... I'll never forget .
December 22, 2021
I was lucky enough to have Mr Spanjaard speak to my junior high in the mid 1980’s. This is a stunning memoir of a boy living in Amsterdam during the German invasion and then forced into a work camp. Written after his liberation while living as a teenager in a military school it has the spare language you’d expect from someone so young with little bits of humor. It also contains photos and illustrations.
October 2, 2018
How can you not give this memoir a 5 star rating? I think every child in America should read it and perhaps some famous athletes that have starting kneeling..
March 22, 2022
I met him in High School when he came to speak. An amazing man who went through a horrific experience. I still cherish my signed copy of his book!
February 9, 2025
Heartbreaking and informative. Should be a required reading book for ALL schools’ History Classes!
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October 3, 2025nan
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November 10, 2011The memoir that, I read was "Don't fence me in " and the story was about the holocaust and how he survived it the book started how it was a quiet sunny morning and noise came up it was like a woman was banging the dusty carpet trying to take out the dust. Then the kid gets up to see what it was because he thought that wasn't the noise so he gets up and that's when it started the story took place in, Holland that's when Hitler started to attack so the kids dad and mom turned on the radio and trying to see what was happening. So the radio said that there at war so the police came out trying to attack back and they do but not as good as the natizis so the next day the kid and the mom got up and the dad was up all night listening what was happening but the mom got up to take him to school but the schools were all closed.
December 29, 2013
I will never forget him. He spoke at my Middle School. I've read his book twice. I read it in middle school and never forgot it. I found it again online and bought another one. My children will read it when they are mature enough. It was very painful for him to relive his story in middle school after middle school. He stated that he put himself through that pain because history repeats itself, and that we were the only ones who could prevent that happening again.
This book is a first hand historical account of a holocaust survivor. I can not recommend it enough.
This book is a first hand historical account of a holocaust survivor. I can not recommend it enough.
January 29, 2026
I don't have a clear memory of exactly what grade I was in or when I read this book in elementary school but it was in the late 80s and he came to our school to speak about his experience. It left an indelible impression on me and I'm sure all my classmates who met him. Rest in power Barry, you were a real one
October 28, 2013
This was an amazing telling of what really happened, not in the brutal fashion of today but in a story that I, as a junior high school student, could relate to when I read it long ago. Having actually met the author in person, I can say that I believe every word and my heart wrenches at what he and all the others went through during this time in history.
April 21, 2008
When I was a teenager this was an eye opening book. Definitely a must read for everyone.
September 4, 2009
Mr. Spanjaard came to speak at Notre Dame High School in Salinas, CA around 1989-90. I enjoyed reading this eye-opening book.
January 13, 2011
Most moving and descriptive read I have ever read. A must read!!
January 12, 2012
Meeting the author of this book and reading it so many times my copy is held together with tape had a profound impact on my life.
April 23, 2012
A polarizing and eye-opening account of the Holocaust.
July 11, 2013
Barry Spanjaard spoke at my middle school in Washington. I didn't read his book until now. I wish he would have fixed all the grammar errors so it would have been an easier read.
February 24, 2015
first non-fiction book I ever read and it changed me.
July 18, 2022
5 stars
April 27, 2016
Compelling story, simply written. The lack of polish makes it even more real and personal.
February 14, 2017
Real life story of a young boy being held at Bergen Belsen during the holocaust. Insightful and thought provoking.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews