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Visas pour 6000 vies
First Edition, 1955, first printing, all 6 volumes (170-1; 170-2; 170-3; 170-4; 170-5, 170-6) are like-new, unread, unworn, unopened, unmarked trade softcovers, from Rider. By Van Valkenburgh, Nooger & Neville, Inc.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 14, 2018
Yukiko Sugihara's account of her life was translated by her eldest son Hiroki from the Japanese original memoir. It was souped up more than 20 years ago to give readers the impression that perhaps Yukiko herself deserves a medal in her own right. She birthed four boys whom she loved dearly, lost one to childhood disease in the harsh post-war years, was removed for a decade from Japan, when World War II made it impractical and ultimately extremely dangerous to travel across the trans-Siberian railway that would ultimately take her family home. She studied Russian when she lived in Russia. She recorded impressions of the many European cities she was stationed in--from Berlin to Bucharest-- through tanka poems that illuminate her deepest feelings. The wife of Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat and consul in Kauna, Lithuania who issued thousands of visas to desperate Jews fleeing Nazi occupied Eastern Europe, was already a widow when she opened up her heart to sharing fascinating, gripping behind the scenes of her marriage to one of Japan's most reviled post-war diplomats. Sugihara was stripped of his consular duties as punishment for issuing visas in 1941 that saved thousands of lives. What is less known is that this brilliant linguist, who spoke many languages fluently including English, Russian, German, and Japanese, struggled to support his family and opted to spend 15 years without Yukiko. . The love between the two is a magnetic pull into each page of Visas for Life The Sugiharas were forced to spend the final 3 years of the war in Bucharest, Rumania in villa at first and finally interned in a camp under harsh conditions. When Yukiko's life is saved by a German soldier who throws himself on her to save her from bullets and dies on top of her this is when the story unravels for me. Yet however bizarre the story twists and turns, one fact remains under no dispute: Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial gave Chiune Sugihara highest honor and recognition for his role in saving thousands of Jewish lives. And Yukiko, his wife, gave him one hundred percent support to carry through on their shared convictions to do whatever they could to save innocent lives.
August 1, 2016
An amazing account of a foreign legion officer, Chiune Sugihara, sometimes labelled as the "Japanese Schindler," who, against the dictates of his government, signs off on 2000+ visas to assist Jews fleeing Nazism allowing them entry into Japan via Russia. Yukiko Sugihara, Chiune's wife, narrates her family's story with the utmost clarity, reminding us of the resilience of humans in times of strife, and the capacity of those with high moral character to do the utmost good. The text in general works a nice foray into the life of a Japanese diplomat's family in Europe during the time of WWII. Others have commented on the inconsistent writing quality, and the text could use further editing. Neither of these issues detracts from how amazing this story has turned out to be.
December 8, 2012
It's hard to give this book a rating... The writing stumbles, but it was translated by Hiroki Sugihara, son of Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara, who learned Japanese, German, Romanian, and probably some Russian before he ever learned English. Further, it was written by a woman for whom speaking/writing about personal things comes neither naturally nor culturally, so the writing really needs to be over-looked (even when it is repetitive, which it often is).
As for the book itself, this is a must-read for students of the Holocaust and/or Holocaust resistance. Sugihara's story is at least as important as that of Schindler, and deserves to be known.
As for me: I'd wanted this book for a long time, and my husband got me a used copy (it's been out of print for years) for Channukah, 2012/5773. I'm very glad to have finally had a chance to read it; it's quick and easy to read. It leaves out a lot, at least some of which I'm hoping will be in the Levine book about Sugihara, if I can ever force myself to finish it. Yukiko's own story is at least as amazing as that of Chiune's, but in her reticence, she leaves out much detail. The inclusion of her tanka(s?) is delightful, and the photos are also an excellent addition. On an academic note, I don't know who the "Sir Edmund L. de Rothschild" who wrote the Forward is, or what his first language is, but his writing in English is crap (or he should have gotten a proper translator).
On the whole: well worth reading.
As for the book itself, this is a must-read for students of the Holocaust and/or Holocaust resistance. Sugihara's story is at least as important as that of Schindler, and deserves to be known.
As for me: I'd wanted this book for a long time, and my husband got me a used copy (it's been out of print for years) for Channukah, 2012/5773. I'm very glad to have finally had a chance to read it; it's quick and easy to read. It leaves out a lot, at least some of which I'm hoping will be in the Levine book about Sugihara, if I can ever force myself to finish it. Yukiko's own story is at least as amazing as that of Chiune's, but in her reticence, she leaves out much detail. The inclusion of her tanka(s?) is delightful, and the photos are also an excellent addition. On an academic note, I don't know who the "Sir Edmund L. de Rothschild" who wrote the Forward is, or what his first language is, but his writing in English is crap (or he should have gotten a proper translator).
On the whole: well worth reading.
November 21, 2013
Amazing story! Although the writing style is clunky and can be annoying, it really gives you the feeling that you are sitting down with this woman while she goes through her memories and ramblingly tells you everything that comes to mind. The flow is nonexistent but worth trudging through, and she manages to come to a decent conclusion. I imagine this is more difficult to accomplish while remaining true to the events that took place (we've all read excellently written memoirs that can't possibly have happened in such a perfect story-telling way- this doesn't happen here). The tankas sprinkled throughout were nice too. This story is an excellent reminder of the ripple effects of our actions, and a loving testament to a man that was true to his heart and who carefully weighed the goodness of his actions and the repercussions of what he might choose. If only we had politicians like Mr. Sugihara.
February 19, 2022
L'histoire vraie de celui qui a sauvé plus de 6000 juifs contre les ordres de ses supérieurs et au détriment de sa carrière. Un grand homme comme il en existe peu
July 14, 2022
Très bon livre retraçant le parcours diplomatique de Sugihara, l'homme qui a sauvé 6000 vies alors qu'il était consul à Kaunas pendant la 2nde guerre mondiale.
August 10, 2026
“We both knew that we had to save these people. There was simply no choice in the matter. My husband and I never, for a single moment, doubted that we would take less than the necessary actions. We never regretted our decision.”
I first heard of Chiune Sugihara and Yukiko Sugihara from, admittedly, a social media post. It took me a while to track down a copy of this memoir, but I am very glad I did.
Before, I had not heard of Chiune’s actions in Lithuania — when he was appointed as Japanese Consul in 1939, he was stationed in Kaunas (Kovno), Lithuania. In 1940, when faced with hundreds of Jewish individuals fleeing the Nazis, and told three separate times by his government that he should not issue visas, Chiune risked his life, his family’s, and his future career to issue the visas anyway.
The memoir recounts more than this, of course. Chiune was an honorable, compassionate man, who previously resigned another foreign post in protest of the ill treatment of the Chinese at his post. He was staunch in his belief that he had to do what was right, no matter what others said, and his doing so was not something to be celebrated, but simply something humanity should do for each other.
Yukiko also deserves praise — she was a staunch supporter of her husband, and she never wavered in her faith in him. She had her own chaotic/traumatic experiences — ending up trapped in the middle of an active war zone for days before she made it home! — but she seemed to handle it with grace and strength. I enjoyed her poetry throughout this book, it made this really feel like a personal account and not just a recitation of “what happened.”
I am glad that their story has been preserved and shared — it was a reminder that in times of great horror, there have been, and will always, be those willing to help others.
Note: I don’t like rating memoirs (for a variety of reasons) so I always rate them five stars. There were a few minor errors and clunky wording, but I can definitely understand why because of 1) an attempt to write down memories of a very turbulent time from journals and notes, and 2) translations are not perfect. That said, it did not detract in any way in my enjoyment of the book.
I first heard of Chiune Sugihara and Yukiko Sugihara from, admittedly, a social media post. It took me a while to track down a copy of this memoir, but I am very glad I did.
Before, I had not heard of Chiune’s actions in Lithuania — when he was appointed as Japanese Consul in 1939, he was stationed in Kaunas (Kovno), Lithuania. In 1940, when faced with hundreds of Jewish individuals fleeing the Nazis, and told three separate times by his government that he should not issue visas, Chiune risked his life, his family’s, and his future career to issue the visas anyway.
The memoir recounts more than this, of course. Chiune was an honorable, compassionate man, who previously resigned another foreign post in protest of the ill treatment of the Chinese at his post. He was staunch in his belief that he had to do what was right, no matter what others said, and his doing so was not something to be celebrated, but simply something humanity should do for each other.
Yukiko also deserves praise — she was a staunch supporter of her husband, and she never wavered in her faith in him. She had her own chaotic/traumatic experiences — ending up trapped in the middle of an active war zone for days before she made it home! — but she seemed to handle it with grace and strength. I enjoyed her poetry throughout this book, it made this really feel like a personal account and not just a recitation of “what happened.”
I am glad that their story has been preserved and shared — it was a reminder that in times of great horror, there have been, and will always, be those willing to help others.
Note: I don’t like rating memoirs (for a variety of reasons) so I always rate them five stars. There were a few minor errors and clunky wording, but I can definitely understand why because of 1) an attempt to write down memories of a very turbulent time from journals and notes, and 2) translations are not perfect. That said, it did not detract in any way in my enjoyment of the book.
February 22, 2008
No literary masterpiece, writing-wise, but this is a great discovery of another unsung Holocaust hero and friend to the Jews, Chiune Sugihara --- the Japanese Schindler, well, maybe not.
Sugihara was a career diplomat who put his life on the line to issue exit visas to 40,000 Jews in Lithuania. He was imprisoned in Romania, nearly starved to death and picked up a nasty case of body lice on his way to Vladivostok.
Upon return to Japan he was unceremoniously fired from the diplomatic corps.
In the telling, Sugihara lost it all but saved his soul.
Sugihara was a career diplomat who put his life on the line to issue exit visas to 40,000 Jews in Lithuania. He was imprisoned in Romania, nearly starved to death and picked up a nasty case of body lice on his way to Vladivostok.
Upon return to Japan he was unceremoniously fired from the diplomatic corps.
In the telling, Sugihara lost it all but saved his soul.
March 19, 2010
The story is great, but the writing is raw and a bit self-indulgent and quite unpolished. How Sugihara saved thousands of Jews during WWII is a story that belongs with the Hiding Place and Schindler's list.
November 5, 2018
Reading Rabbi David Wolpe's opinion piece about Chiune Sugihara, an ordinary man who saved many lives during World War II, made me want to learn more. Chiune's wife, Yukiko, wrote a memoir about their lives. Chiune was a Japanese Vice Consul stationed in Lithuania. Crowds of Polish Jews fleeing from Nazis showed up at the Japanese Consulate begging for help. Refugees hoped to gain transit visas to escape from Lithuania through Russia and Japan. Chiune's superiors ordered him not to issue visas. Japanese officials feared that issuing visas would have been interpreted as a hostile act against Germany. Chiune got permission from the Soviet embassy to accept transit visas, which refugees needed for the first leg of their escape route. Chiune decided to disobey orders from Japan and issued visas anyway. He issued as many visas as possible at great risk to his personal safety. Soviets eventually occupied Lithuania and forced the Japanese Consulate to close. Chiune and his family stayed in a hotel and kept issuing permission papers to refugees. As they were leaving by train, Chiune threw blank visas out of the train windows for others to forge. Before being recalled to Japan, Chiune served in other diplomatic positions around Europe. He and his family were captured and interned by Soviets in Romania. When they returned to Japan, Chiune was fired for "that incident" in Lithuania. His family suffered socially and financially. Many years later, survivors reunited with the Sugiharas. This story restores my faith in humanity. I highly recommend this book.
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April 28, 2021
When it comes to "Visas for Life" I am a bit torn about it. On one hand the book is iconic to the Sugihara story, on the other it is full of tiny historical mistakes.
What most people do not know is that the majority of the book was not written as a diary during the time the events took place, but rather as a memoir trying to recall and tell the story that happened 50 years ago. And naturally when you're trying to recall events that happened a half a century ago, mistakes happen. Names of places get mixed up, the dates may not be correct, two memories merge into one and etc. This is exactly what happened to the "Visas for life" and whilst it doesn't take away anything from the story itself, it is rather annoying to read the text or see the pictures that do not fit with the documents that been made public years after the publishing of this book. Whilst, I do understand the limitations of information sharing and availability that Yukiko and Hiroki encountered whilst publishing this book, it still is somewhat historically inaccurate and incomplete looking fro today's perspective.
Of course, there is no way denying the impact the book had on making the Sugihara story famous in 1990s, when only a few people were pushing the Sugihara story forward. As well as, the fact that the title of the book is now used as a synonym for a transit visa to Japan issued by Sugihara. I am happy that the book did so much for the story and overall it was an easy read (even if at times there was too much Yukiko and not enough Chiune for my taste).
One star in honor of Sugihara, one star for spreading the story, and one star for it being easy to read. 3/5
What most people do not know is that the majority of the book was not written as a diary during the time the events took place, but rather as a memoir trying to recall and tell the story that happened 50 years ago. And naturally when you're trying to recall events that happened a half a century ago, mistakes happen. Names of places get mixed up, the dates may not be correct, two memories merge into one and etc. This is exactly what happened to the "Visas for life" and whilst it doesn't take away anything from the story itself, it is rather annoying to read the text or see the pictures that do not fit with the documents that been made public years after the publishing of this book. Whilst, I do understand the limitations of information sharing and availability that Yukiko and Hiroki encountered whilst publishing this book, it still is somewhat historically inaccurate and incomplete looking fro today's perspective.
Of course, there is no way denying the impact the book had on making the Sugihara story famous in 1990s, when only a few people were pushing the Sugihara story forward. As well as, the fact that the title of the book is now used as a synonym for a transit visa to Japan issued by Sugihara. I am happy that the book did so much for the story and overall it was an easy read (even if at times there was too much Yukiko and not enough Chiune for my taste).
One star in honor of Sugihara, one star for spreading the story, and one star for it being easy to read. 3/5
April 18, 2021
This is a "4" solely on the story. The writing is direct and simple and, in some ways, so is the subject matter.
It is a very short narrative of Chiune Surihara, a Japanese Foreign Affairs official stationed in Kaunas, Lithuania at the outbreak of WWII. Against the direct orders of his government he issued transit visas to allow Jews to escape the Nazis, thereby saving approximately 10,000 lives.
When, after the war he made he and his family made its way back to Japan, he was, as a result of his disobedience, dismissed from the Foreign Service.
It is hard to read this book and not make comparisons to events that have recently transpired in the United States, where people faced with a moral decision instead of choosing the moral way, choose the the easier path.
In writing this I have to acknowledge GA Governor Kemp as someone who did the right thing at the cost of his political career (at least as of this writing, that's how it appears),
It is a very short narrative of Chiune Surihara, a Japanese Foreign Affairs official stationed in Kaunas, Lithuania at the outbreak of WWII. Against the direct orders of his government he issued transit visas to allow Jews to escape the Nazis, thereby saving approximately 10,000 lives.
When, after the war he made he and his family made its way back to Japan, he was, as a result of his disobedience, dismissed from the Foreign Service.
It is hard to read this book and not make comparisons to events that have recently transpired in the United States, where people faced with a moral decision instead of choosing the moral way, choose the the easier path.
In writing this I have to acknowledge GA Governor Kemp as someone who did the right thing at the cost of his political career (at least as of this writing, that's how it appears),
July 11, 2024
As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it!
There are many books out there about people who acted so bravely during WWII, but not very often told from someone who was there and so intimately connected to them.
Mr. Sugihara's wife, Yukiko, tells his story. And hers. No, the narration is not perfect. Nor is the translation. But I didn't find that bothered me. I was taken into the story, loving to hear from her perspective. There are a few places that slowed and felt a little unnecessary, but they didn't last long.
A must read for everyone.
There are many books out there about people who acted so bravely during WWII, but not very often told from someone who was there and so intimately connected to them.
Mr. Sugihara's wife, Yukiko, tells his story. And hers. No, the narration is not perfect. Nor is the translation. But I didn't find that bothered me. I was taken into the story, loving to hear from her perspective. There are a few places that slowed and felt a little unnecessary, but they didn't last long.
A must read for everyone.
January 3, 2022
I hesitated to read this book for a long time because I was worried that reading about the hardships and difficulties of WWII would be too depressing. I shouldn’t have worried because this book was peaceful, noble and - though not quite uplifting - very inspiring. I felt how special Chiune must have been to everyone who knew him, and how much of an impact he made, not only to the Jews who received visas from him, but to everyone he knew.
December 5, 2017
An often charming read to flesh out the 2-minute version I already knew.
Fun fact 1: Sempo was half diplomat half spy.
Fun fact 2: Sempo & Yukiko's youngest son can speak Yiddish and Hebrew.
Fun fact 3: Yukiko wishes Europeans understood kimonos better :-)
Fun fact 1: Sempo was half diplomat half spy.
Fun fact 2: Sempo & Yukiko's youngest son can speak Yiddish and Hebrew.
Fun fact 3: Yukiko wishes Europeans understood kimonos better :-)
March 6, 2018
Unbelievably moving account by Chiune's widow about their life as Japanese diplomats during WWII in Europe and his unassuming saving of (credited 6,000) lives by issuing visa against government orders. This is the story of a very great man told by the person who knew him best.
January 3, 2026
While you can tell it was written via translation, the story is moving nonetheless. The accounts told by Yukiko speak to a need for people to be better and the dedication of her husband to provide visas. An excellent read
June 7, 2020
J’ai trouvé l’intro plus intéressante que le témoignage :(((
July 25, 2016
Fascinating story about a Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, by writing visas for them to travel through Eastern Europe to Japan, against the wishes of the government but following his conscience. His wife pens this tale, coaxed by one of their sons, who translated the book. The human story and the historical significance far outweighs the somewhat repetitive nature of the writing. The author includes several of her poems that nicely describe the emotions and experiences throughout. The backstory about Sugihara himself are presented and very interesting including his samurai background and language training, then service in Japanese occupied Manchuria. PBS made a documentary that is also excellent and gives more information about Japan's contradictory contract with Germany and its own plans and attitudes toward the Jewish people. Highly recommended.
January 17, 2016
This is the story of how one man, Yukiko Sugihara, was able to save the lives of thousands of Polish Jews who had fled for safety to the Japanese consulate in Lithuania. The Japanese government had repeatedly turned down the Jews requests for asylum. However Sugihara, a convert to Christianity, stated "I may have to disobey my government, but if I don't, I will be disobeying God." This is a story of one man's faith and courage in a time of testing and persecution.
July 2, 2013
I took 85 minutes in total. I am writing this review in this book because I could not search the book I read this week.
seven words -consul Jews Visa issue refugee promise reunion-
Q Have you ever got a Visa?
A Actually, I am making Visa in order to go to the USA. it is complex!
I am sorry for being late to post it, anyway.
seven words -consul Jews Visa issue refugee promise reunion-
Q Have you ever got a Visa?
A Actually, I am making Visa in order to go to the USA. it is complex!
I am sorry for being late to post it, anyway.
Read
October 21, 2008This was a great book about doing what you know is right and about courage. It is a true story and inspiring.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews