The Weight of Freedom

by Nate Leipciger

“To avoid thinking I repeated the words ‘after the war.’ The words stuck in my mind like a mantra. After the war. The words blended into the clang of the wheels. Would there ever be an end to the war?”

Nate Leipciger, a thoughtful, shy eleven-year-old boy, is plunged into an incomprehensible web of ghettos, concentration and death camps during the German occupation of Poland. As he struggles to survive, he forges a new, unbreakable bond with his father and yearns for a free future. But when he is finally liberated, the weight of his pain will not ease, and his memories remain etched in tragedy. Introspective, complicated and raw, The Weight of Freedom is Nate’s journey through a past that he can never leave behind.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, Memoir, Polish Literature, Autobiography

360 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very moving and long awaited biography by a Holocaust survivor who has spoken often in local Toronto places. But there is much more to the story that he generously shares here in this recently published book. I am so happy that his thoughts have made it into print. A living treasure. A fitting book to complete in the Canada 150 anniversary year, just a few days before the New Year. And on Christmas Eve. There is much wrong with the world but there is still hope. Terrible things have happened in our living memory. Wisdom and witness and kindness and justice can still do good in the world. A terrible journey in which simple survival is a triumph. Blessings on the author and his family for this good work.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Nate Leipciger and his family during WWII in Poland was gritty and difficult reading, as Holocaust memoirs must be. It is important to read these experiences so we can remain vigilant as a human race to prevent these atrocities from ever recurring.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This autobiography is an engrossing, difficult but uplifting story that anyone interested in a human perspective on the Shoah (the Holocaust) should put on their "must read" list. Nate's uncensored account of his survival and transition into Canadian life is both sobering and inspiring. You will not forget this book.

[Lizvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Libro.fm for the ALC!

There are many memoirs by Holocaust survivors, all heart wrenching and important. What makes this book different and special is the number of years the author covers and the peaceful narration in the face of horrific events.

Nate Leipciger, a Jewish survivor from Poland, takes the reader on his life journey, before, during, and six decades after World War II. He was imprisoned with his father in a concentration camp at the age of 11. They remained together during different camps and even after the official liberation. It is impressive how after so much suffering and loss, he rebuilt his life successfully and peacefully, although always tortured emotionally by memories.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for every undergrad and high school senior. Incredibly well written, Leipciger recounts his time in various concentration camps and his attempts to create life after being liberated in haunting detail.

[Shannon Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutally raw and honest through and through.