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Irma Grese & Auschwitz: Holocaust and the Secrets of the The Blonde Beast

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Learn the Secrets of the Holocaust and the Blonde Beast! 2nd Edition - now in paperback! Do you want to know more about the Holocaust? Are you fascinated by this dark chapter in human history? Do you find it hard to understand?

If so, then Irma Secrets of Irma and the Holocaust is the book you’ve been looking for. It gives you an overview of the Second World War, and describes the experience of the Holocaust. You’ll learn about Irma Grese, a female concentration camp guard who was notorious for her cruelty and dedication to the Nazi party.

Irma Secrets of Irma and the Holocaust is available for Download Now. Because of her gender and youth, Irma Grese remains known today for her crimes against humanity in the camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Executed at 22 years old, she was the youngest woman to die under British law in the 20th century.

Irma Grese has gained notoriety as a villain in many diaries, journals, and creative works of Holocaust survivors. She has been studied by historians, psychologists, and psychiatrists across the world. What could cause someone to act as she did? When you read this book, you can decide for yourself.

Download Irma Secrets of Irma and the HolocaustNow for Instant Reading by Scrolling Up and Clicking the "Buy" Button. .

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2015

263 people are currently reading
222 people want to read

About the author

Raymond Jennings

31 books5 followers
Raymond Jennings was born and raised in Coventry, England. He studied Applied Physics at Lancashire Polytechnic and worked for the British civil service in Chelmsford for twenty years before moving to Tucson, Arizona where he now lives with his wife and their two cats.
His interests include science (with a special emphasis on space exploration), military history, all kinds of gaming, particularly war-gaming (most notably Advanced Squad Leader) and travelling. Needless to say he enjoys reading and can think of no greater gift from his parents than the love of books.

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5 stars
77 (22%)
4 stars
62 (17%)
3 stars
103 (29%)
2 stars
57 (16%)
1 star
47 (13%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
9 reviews3 followers
February 14, 2020
A Bad Wiki Page

I had to read this to see if the bad reviews were true, and they are. Mildly amusing for about 3 pages, and I won't comment on which 3, this book reads like a bad Wiki page or a poor high school paper by the one "intellectual" kid nobody likes and who isn't very intellectual at all. The type of kid who believes lizard people are real. Nevermind all this, because the real problem is how many " facts" aren't facts at all. There is a lot of misinformation in this book, so please take all you read with a grain of salt. It takes about 45 minutes to read this "book" and the only thing you'll gain is a distaste for the author.
Profile Image for Jennifer .
698 reviews5 followers
January 19, 2020
Well written. Good read for a history buff like me. Some things I knew, some I didnt. Interesting book
Profile Image for marjorie hall-venmore.
408 reviews8 followers
August 22, 2016
Irma Grese

Although very interesting I found this to be a short book with records of sadism from a so called female yet I felt it lacked strength in a manner to know exactly how disturbed Irma Gese really was, she epitomizes how disturbed a female can be. Yet I must say t only stated in short sentences and did not truly give an accurate insight into how evil and twisted she really was, I do agree somewhat to her being a product of the times yet I found this book lacked in something, I cannot put my finger on it, I believe she should have been given a bit more coverage to depict the evil atrocities she committed. She was one evil sadistic person who in my opinion deserved to be put to death, yet I also believe she should be shown more of what she really was, a psychotic evil being, I think it was inbuilt in her, no person deserved what she did, she didn't even really stand as I appointee of the third Reich she was cruel to further her own sexually pleasure. No one can make any excuses for her she deserved to be hung, her death was carried out in a more humain way than the deaths she caused
Profile Image for Pam.
4,625 reviews68 followers
October 10, 2024
Irma Grese and Auschwitz: Holocaust and the Secrets of the Blonde Beast is written by Raymond Jennings. This book takes a look at one of the women perpetrators of the Holocaust. Women were given a unique place to fill during the Holocaust. As many more men were used in the Army to fight against intruders from many different countries around the world, women filled in the places the vacated. Among those positions was that of guards in the concentration camps.
One of these guards was Irma Grese. She joined the Party and the women’s groups as she was growing up. From a shy girl, she changed into a strong and frightening guard in the camps of Ravensbruck, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. All of this took place within three years. At the end of that time, she was arrested, tried, and convicted of crimes against humanity. She was sentenced to death by hanging and that sentence was carried out. She was only 22 upon her death.
This book talks about the outline of the Holocaust and her role in the camps. It cannot answer the final question, why did she do the things she did.
Profile Image for Steven Ammer.
47 reviews
July 23, 2016
Not worth it

Sooo repetitive. I didn't learn anything at all. The first 3-4 chapters was about what was going on in the world before and during ww2. It seemed like the author only had 3 paragraphs of knowledge to write about Irma, and he just stretched them out over the last 3 chapters, repeating himself over and over again. Waste of time!!! Incredibly disappointing.
1,635 reviews25 followers
January 15, 2022
Repetitive. There is little information to be found here and the author repeats the little he has to fill out space in an already short book. He even starts out by announcing that America defeated Japan with the nuclear bomb. Hydrogen bombs were used to strike Japan. So even the most basic facts are wrong here.
2 reviews
December 23, 2022
Needs to be professionally proofread

Interesting topic, but needs to be professionally proofread especially for word usage, grammar, sentence structure, and repetition. Also, the use of more detailed and descriptive information about Grese from additional primary sources, would make the the book more intriguing to the reader.
100 reviews
December 8, 2019
Fair reading

This would have been a more interesting book if the author had spent more time on Irma Grese and not on the war itself.
Profile Image for Judith A..
Author 15 books34 followers
January 25, 2024
Where to start except I will never get that 1.5 hour back...
1. The book repeats itself over and over. This could have been a 50pp book or less.
2. Where are the editors? Well, they weren't working on this manuscript.
3. There are no citations or references. Therefor, when it comes to numbers and certain facts, it is difficult to believe or cite.
4. There are some rumors and downright fallacies written as truths about Grese. Just a few examples:
A. Iona Stein NEVER testified about her sexual encounters with Grese. No one did.
B. Irma Grese's dogs were specifically rabid?? I cross-referenced this for weeks and came up with ... nothing. How would this even be possible? Or safe for the handlers? Why just Irma's dogs? Wouldn't it eventually kill the dog and make it not able to function? Where did this tidbit of information come from? Grrr.
C. At no time in the Belsen Trial did Grese refuse to answer a question repeatedly, then stand to shout "Heil Hitler!" and sit down. Nein. None. Zero. Read through the (long and very detailed) trial manuscript.
5. How is this a #1 Best Seller? On what list? Please clarify.
I really do hate slamming books. I just feel, if you truly want to write a book, a GOOD book, then research your subject. Take a long time to write. Get a good editor. Cross check and reference. If it is a rumor then label it as such (we don't even really know what Grese's childhood was like).
Profile Image for Paul.
434 reviews3 followers
April 14, 2018
A sensationalist book attempting to cash in on the notoriety of Irma Grese.

The first half of this book recaps what world war 2 was about, the holocaust, and the Nazi dislike of Jews. Lets face it, if you don't already know this information (and it is a very high level recap), you would not know who Irma Grese was and be interested in reading this. If I was cynical (which I am), it is only included to pad out an already very short book.

There are no new facts about Irma here, there is repetition in the facts given (poor editing) and there are no references to other books where the information on Irma was sourced.

In summary, there is nothing here to recommend. Avoid.
Profile Image for Emerson (Ariel).
151 reviews
November 10, 2018
HOW can a book be SO informative and yet so short!? It only took a couple of hours, but I learned more about the Holocaust and what led to it than I had in any classroom or any other book! That is something. That being said, they didn't go much into Irma's personal atrocities, so if you're looking for the details of everything she did this isn't your book. However, you ARE given a very good idea.

Remember, this was the lady that inspired Ed Gein.

Anyway 5 stars for a historical book. I wish that more stories about the Holocaust would go so in-depth.
4 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2020
The topic was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the notorious Irma Grese but the author should have had this book proofed by one or more professional editors. It cried out for editorial assistance. It contained bad or no use of pronouns and needless repetitions of elements already presented. I wondered what publishing company would allow this book to be published and then I concluded it was self-published. The topic was interesting, yes, but I've never read a book that was so poorly written.
5 reviews2 followers
November 14, 2021
A message and warning

I never heard of Irma Grese. I imagined the same woman being a serial killer during any generation. Conveniently for her, she lived during the Holocaust which gave her the freedom to cause many deaths and perverse tortures to so many innocents. Her death was too easy. I like the authors comments at the end. We are reminded how this could happen again under the perfect storm. History can repeat itself if we all don’t wake up and stop hating each others differences. At least that is one reason. Well written.
16 reviews
November 17, 2018
A good, short read!

Geared toward the novice - Not for the historically adept into this depraved portion of our time on this rock - Have read this author many times and for the most part enjoy his perspective, but he is less than objective as an historian
4 reviews
April 20, 2020
I’m just glad I didn’t pay for it.

Like another reviewer said, it reads like a 10th grade term paper. But I think even a high school student would have used better grammar and not repeated the same things to the point of other boredom of the reader.
5 reviews
January 19, 2023
Hard to read

Sometimes redundant. Sorry for no reason.. Pentax and grammar needs editing.
The subject is intriguing and held my attention, but please ... Re-write, proofread and edit it.
1 review
March 2, 2023
Poorly organized and written.

Never got into the psychology that would create such a person. Clinical psychologist's opinion would have been her useful. Repeated himself in many sections.
4 reviews
August 6, 2024
Not very good...

Not much information on her. Very boring. As another reader mentioned, just repeating boring information. No real history of her at all. Disappointing. Doesn't even deserve a one star rating.
Profile Image for Johnny.
99 reviews
August 15, 2018
Felt like I was reading a prospectus for a dissertation than a complete throughout book. Still it has some interesting parts and some underdeveloped ideas that looked tantalizing.
6 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2018
Too many mistakes

Hard to read due to an extreme number of grammatical and spelling errors. Just repeats others research. Nothing original. Very shallow.
Profile Image for Allie.
6 reviews
January 12, 2020
This book was a good telling of a horrific person. It is also the best short summary of World War II and the Holocaust that I have read.
Profile Image for Nancy Breault.
6 reviews
January 9, 2021
The first part of the book is just a recap of WW2 and the discrimination of the Jewish people during that time frame. There are little facts about Irma, and the sources named are not noted.
Profile Image for Travis Franklin.
51 reviews2 followers
July 13, 2025
Irma Grese & Auschwitz: Holocaust and the Secrets of The Blonde Beast delves into the chilling and complex story of Irma Grese, one of the most infamous female guards of the Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. Known as “The Blonde Beast,” Grese served at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, where she became notorious for her brutal treatment of prisoners and her role in the machinery of Nazi terror.

The book explores not only her cruel actions but also seeks to understand the psychological and social factors that shaped her transformation into a symbol of cruelty. Through detailed research and eyewitness accounts, it paints a stark picture of the horrors within the camps and the individuals who perpetrated them.

This work serves as a grim reminder of the depths of human cruelty during the Holocaust, while also contributing to historical understanding of how ordinary people became part of such atrocities. It is a sobering read that highlights the importance of remembering the past to ensure such horrors are never repeated.
Profile Image for Sabina Squires.
53 reviews5 followers
December 2, 2015
I wanted to read this and found the subject matter interesting. Unfortunately it read like a middle school essay. Although the book is very short, I couldn't complete it. Every sentence was a chore because the grammar and sentence phrasing were terrible! It was a book about a WW2 criminal, but there is a sentence saying that she was born after world war 2. I know the writer meant WWI but by then I wasn't sure what other mistakes were written that I might not know to catch. I kept having Princess Bride moments because the writer would use large words inappropriately. I've read books like "Precious" with odd wording but this book was different.
Profile Image for Kim Reynolds.
Author 2 books9 followers
January 25, 2016
Not what I expected

I was hoping for a broad understanding of the prisons in Germany--mostly to understand the conditions. The author focuses again and again on the same few facts instead of providing new facts in each chapter. He talks about her sexual deviancies but never explained what those were except to use a few recanted from inmates saying she took sexual pleasure from beating inmates. This book does not delve into any substance. Big disappointment. Hopefully there are other books that recant the inmates view of life in the camps. Never want to repeat this past and so we learn about the past in hopes of being stronger.
Profile Image for Taisynn.
33 reviews8 followers
September 13, 2015
Reads more like a high school research paper

Between the grammar errors and the poor introductions into new paragraphs, this reads more as a high school research paper.
Profile Image for Jason Gegere.
10 reviews3 followers
Read
December 3, 2015
The way people act towards others will always seek to amaze me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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