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Holocaust Survivor Memoirs World War II #9
Ik overleefde de Holocaust
Pas op haar zeventigste is Nanette König-Blitz, nu 88 jaar, gaan praten over de oorlog. De Jodenvervolging, de kampen, haar vriendschap met Anne Frank, tot haar laatste dagen. Ze overleefde een jaar in Westerbork en nog eens twee jaar in Bergen-Belsen. Na de oorlog verhuisde ze naar Brazilië om niet meer terug te keren. Ik overleefde de Holocaust is het schrijnende verhaal van de jeugdvriendin van Anne Frank en de laatste persoon die haar in levenden lijve zag. Doorgewinterde oorlogskenners, bekend met alle mogelijke verschrikkingen, lazen in tranen wat zij heeft moeten meemaken. In een dagelijks gevecht om te overleven moest Nanette het ondraaglijke doorstaan. Met haar zowel gevoelige als rauwe relaas onderzoekt zij het menselijk vermogen tot mededogen en wijst zij de wereld op de noodzaak van verdraagzaamheid. Nanette König-Blitz (1929) groeide op in Amsterdam. Zij zat met Anne Frank in de klas. In 1943 werd zij met haar familie naar Westerbork gestuurd en in 1944 naar Bergen-Belsen, waar zij Anne Frank en haar zusje Margot voor het laatst zag. Na de oorlog verhuisde Nanette naar Brazilië en daar woont zij nog steeds met haar man John König. Ze geeft nog altijd lezingen over de oorlog.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
July 9, 2018
Gruwelijk...onvoorstelbaar gruwelijk...hoe kan een mens een ander mens dit aandoen...hoe dan...wat voor mensen zijn dit?
Nanette Konig verteld haar informatieve, waargebeurde verhaal over haar deportatie naar Westerbork en haar deportatie naar Bergen Belsen. Zij is de laatste persoon die hier ook Anne Frank en haar zus Margot heeft gesproken...De omstandigheden in Bergen Belsen waren onvoorstelbaar...gruwelijk...mensonterend...de Britse bevrijders waren in shock...ze noemden het 'the horrorcamp'...Door gebrek aan hygiëne en voedsel stierven duizenden mensen aan ondervoeding en ziektes...door overbevolking in het kamp bleven de lijken gewoon liggen...
Ook na de bevrijding van Bergen Belsen stierven er nog duizenden mensen door ondervoeding, vlektyfus en andere ziektes opgelopen in het kamp. Nanette zelf woog 30 kilo toen ze uit het kamp kwam, ze bleek vlektyfus, TBC en een longontsteking te hebben...het heeft drie jaar geduurd voor ze was hersteld. Uiteindelijk is ze naar Engeland verhuisd waar er niet over haar oorlogstrauma gesproken werd...Om alles achter zich te laten en een nieuw leven te beginnen verhuisd ze met haar man naar Brazilië waar ze een gezin sticht en nu een 'gelukkig' leven leidt. Dagelijks leeft ze met haar oorlogstrauma, het beïnvloedt haar hele leven waardoor het ook het leven van haar kinderen en kleinkinderen beïnvloed.
Nanette geeft nu voorlichting over haar kampervaringen en haar oorlogstrauma...er zijn nog maar weinig mensen die hun verhaal kunnen vertellen...
Nanette is een sterke, bewonderenswaardige vrouw met een enorme wilskracht tot overleven.
Nanette Konig verteld haar informatieve, waargebeurde verhaal over haar deportatie naar Westerbork en haar deportatie naar Bergen Belsen. Zij is de laatste persoon die hier ook Anne Frank en haar zus Margot heeft gesproken...De omstandigheden in Bergen Belsen waren onvoorstelbaar...gruwelijk...mensonterend...de Britse bevrijders waren in shock...ze noemden het 'the horrorcamp'...Door gebrek aan hygiëne en voedsel stierven duizenden mensen aan ondervoeding en ziektes...door overbevolking in het kamp bleven de lijken gewoon liggen...
Ook na de bevrijding van Bergen Belsen stierven er nog duizenden mensen door ondervoeding, vlektyfus en andere ziektes opgelopen in het kamp. Nanette zelf woog 30 kilo toen ze uit het kamp kwam, ze bleek vlektyfus, TBC en een longontsteking te hebben...het heeft drie jaar geduurd voor ze was hersteld. Uiteindelijk is ze naar Engeland verhuisd waar er niet over haar oorlogstrauma gesproken werd...Om alles achter zich te laten en een nieuw leven te beginnen verhuisd ze met haar man naar Brazilië waar ze een gezin sticht en nu een 'gelukkig' leven leidt. Dagelijks leeft ze met haar oorlogstrauma, het beïnvloedt haar hele leven waardoor het ook het leven van haar kinderen en kleinkinderen beïnvloed.
Nanette geeft nu voorlichting over haar kampervaringen en haar oorlogstrauma...er zijn nog maar weinig mensen die hun verhaal kunnen vertellen...
Nanette is een sterke, bewonderenswaardige vrouw met een enorme wilskracht tot overleven.
April 6, 2019
Nanette Blitz Konig era uma garota judia morando na Holanda que foi levada, junto com seus pais e um irmão ,para um campo de concentração nazista de Westerbork e depois para Bergen-Belsen onde permanece sozinha pois seu pai faleceu no campo de concentração e sua mãe e seu irmão foram enviados para outros campos de concentração.
Sozinha , passou por situações horrendas e lutou com todas as suas forças para sobreviver ao horror que foi o holocausto e para se livrar das sequelas físicas e emocionais que permaneceriam por toda sua vida. E só agora recentemente depois de mais de 70 anos do holocausto Ela resolve contar sua história num tom emocionante onde por várias vezes me emocionei.
Além de ter vivido sua própria história, Nannete também foi participante da História de Anne Frank. Estudou com ela no liceu Judaico na Holanda e mais tarde encontraria Anne Frank e sua irmã Margot no campo de concentração. Anne Frank estava enrolada em um cobertor , tremendo de frio, magra como um esqueleto e coberta por piolhos. Anne e sua irmã morreriam poucos dias depois.
É um livro emocionante, triste e revoltante assim como todo livro que trata da temática do holocausto.
Sozinha , passou por situações horrendas e lutou com todas as suas forças para sobreviver ao horror que foi o holocausto e para se livrar das sequelas físicas e emocionais que permaneceriam por toda sua vida. E só agora recentemente depois de mais de 70 anos do holocausto Ela resolve contar sua história num tom emocionante onde por várias vezes me emocionei.
Além de ter vivido sua própria história, Nannete também foi participante da História de Anne Frank. Estudou com ela no liceu Judaico na Holanda e mais tarde encontraria Anne Frank e sua irmã Margot no campo de concentração. Anne Frank estava enrolada em um cobertor , tremendo de frio, magra como um esqueleto e coberta por piolhos. Anne e sua irmã morreriam poucos dias depois.
É um livro emocionante, triste e revoltante assim como todo livro que trata da temática do holocausto.
September 16, 2015
Me interesso muito pelo assunto da Segunda Guerra Mundial e do Holocausto. Amei ter lido este livro, por mais que ele não tenha me trazido felicidade na maioria do tempo.
O que eu mais achei interessante é que a história de Nanette é um pouco diferente do que estamos acostumados a ouvir. Por causa do alto cargo de seu pai no banco (onde ele trabalhava), a família dela foi selecionada como aptos à troca para os alemães, o que favorecia eles em alguns sentidos, como uma condição menos pior em um campo diferenciado, não poderem ser tatuados, entre outros. É claro, a história não acaba por aí, mas vou poupar os spoilers.
O mais incrível de tudo é como essa mulher conseguiu permanecer forte com a cabeça erguida depois de tudo que passara em sua vida.
É um livro muito fácil de ler e os relatos são cativantes.
O que eu mais achei interessante é que a história de Nanette é um pouco diferente do que estamos acostumados a ouvir. Por causa do alto cargo de seu pai no banco (onde ele trabalhava), a família dela foi selecionada como aptos à troca para os alemães, o que favorecia eles em alguns sentidos, como uma condição menos pior em um campo diferenciado, não poderem ser tatuados, entre outros. É claro, a história não acaba por aí, mas vou poupar os spoilers.
O mais incrível de tudo é como essa mulher conseguiu permanecer forte com a cabeça erguida depois de tudo que passara em sua vida.
É um livro muito fácil de ler e os relatos são cativantes.
February 9, 2018
Nanette’s book may be short on pages (only 166 pages) but it isn’t short on courage, bravery, and determination. Nanette’s family were just a normal family living in Amsterdam. Nanette was only 11 years old when her world was knocked off-kilter – Hitler invaded Holland. It was after the segregation of the Jews into their own schools that Nanette met Anne Frank. Nanette attended Anne’s 13th birthday party and witnessed the moment when Anne received her diary. In late September 1943 Nanette, only 14 at the time, her 16-year-old brother, and her parents were rounded up, loaded onto a train, and sent to Westerbork work camp. Westerbork was a transitional camp where Dutch Jews were held to be deported to an extermination camp. Then in February 1944 Nanette’s entire family was deported to Bergen-Belsen.
Remarkably, it seems Nanette was able to write her memoir while detaching herself from the anxiety and agony she had to have experienced in her life. This allows the reader to get through her story without totally breaking down. How had Hitler managed to transform a “civilized society” into such monsters! Each day – no, each hour – was a struggle to survive, to live to see another hour, another day. Nanette says they felt as though they had a committed a crime for simply being alive. They had to survive not only the Nazis, but also typhus, lice, starvation, winters.
Somehow after all the horror of the camps and the loss of her family, she survived and opened her heart to others. She married and started a new family. And eventually she knew she had to tell her story. How painful that must have been the first few times she told it. And keep in mind that she was only 20 years old when she left the camps!
One of her quotes that really hit me hard was “When people hear my story, they ask me if I ever felt depressed, but I tell them I did not have time for that. After all, I needed to survive.”
I recommend you read her book and bear in mind that “the price of freedom is everlasting vigilance.”
Remarkably, it seems Nanette was able to write her memoir while detaching herself from the anxiety and agony she had to have experienced in her life. This allows the reader to get through her story without totally breaking down. How had Hitler managed to transform a “civilized society” into such monsters! Each day – no, each hour – was a struggle to survive, to live to see another hour, another day. Nanette says they felt as though they had a committed a crime for simply being alive. They had to survive not only the Nazis, but also typhus, lice, starvation, winters.
Somehow after all the horror of the camps and the loss of her family, she survived and opened her heart to others. She married and started a new family. And eventually she knew she had to tell her story. How painful that must have been the first few times she told it. And keep in mind that she was only 20 years old when she left the camps!
One of her quotes that really hit me hard was “When people hear my story, they ask me if I ever felt depressed, but I tell them I did not have time for that. After all, I needed to survive.”
I recommend you read her book and bear in mind that “the price of freedom is everlasting vigilance.”
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May 19, 2025La historia no se repite pero rima.
A través de las páginas, la autora nos cuenta cómo la guerra y la crueldad humana marcaron su vida de formas inimaginables. Cómo eventos que el inicio parecían lejanos destruyeron a todo lo que ella conocía. Explica su vida antes de que los nazis tomaran Ámsterdam y las formas en las que cambió cuando lo hicieron. Cuenta su vida durante los años en los que sobrevivió a los campos de concentración (a pesar que casi ningún otro miembro de su familia lo hizo). Y creo que aún más importante, su vida después de ello.
No podemos borrar la historia y recordar el holocausto no es solo nuestro derecho, es nuestro deber. No debemos permitir que algo así vuelva a pasar.
A través de las páginas, la autora nos cuenta cómo la guerra y la crueldad humana marcaron su vida de formas inimaginables. Cómo eventos que el inicio parecían lejanos destruyeron a todo lo que ella conocía. Explica su vida antes de que los nazis tomaran Ámsterdam y las formas en las que cambió cuando lo hicieron. Cuenta su vida durante los años en los que sobrevivió a los campos de concentración (a pesar que casi ningún otro miembro de su familia lo hizo). Y creo que aún más importante, su vida después de ello.
No podemos borrar la historia y recordar el holocausto no es solo nuestro derecho, es nuestro deber. No debemos permitir que algo así vuelva a pasar.
August 26, 2018
What was so disturbing about this book is that it was a memory about a very ordinary family. The dad worked at a bank, the kids went to school and they all led a very normal life....Until the disruption and horror brought to Holland by the Third Reich. Even then, the family thought that they would be safe until they were sent to a temporary camp where they started having their dignity gradually stripped away. Minimal food, poor hygiene and constant orders from the SS soldiers. The temporary camp was bad enough but when the family was moved to Bergen-Belsen, they lost all vestiges of their earlier life. Once they were there, it was a daily struggle to stay alive. The author presented the horror of the camp in such as way that it was even more horrific. I am so glad that the book continued to the author's years after her time in Bergen-Belsen and we were truly able to see what a strong determined woman she was.
Thank you Nanette for sharing your story and continuing to share it with future generations so that this never happens again.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you Nanette for sharing your story and continuing to share it with future generations so that this never happens again.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
May 21, 2022
“Nunca vou conseguir superar e aceitar tudo o que aconteceu comigo, mas vou permanecer falando até os últimos dias, para que ninguém jamais possa afirmar que isso não aconteceu, e para que o mundo não esqueça as dores que a intolerância pode causar. A minha vida eu dedico à minha luta, e assim eu farei até o fim.”
October 8, 2018
Amazing
This book pulled me in. It was heart-wrenching & I found myself crying more than once.
Thank you for sharing your story, you’re truly an inspiration!
This book pulled me in. It was heart-wrenching & I found myself crying more than once.
Thank you for sharing your story, you’re truly an inspiration!
July 8, 2016
Aquellas páginas significaron más que una trágica biografía de carácter melancólico. En realidad, se transfiguraban ante mis ojos en una ventana de madera corroída, por donde se colaban algunos rayos de luz que otorgaban una esperanza, un sentido para seguir luchando por sobrevivir. A través de esa ventana pude observar barbaridades, torturas, injusticias y verdaderos milagros que conformaron los momentos más destacados durante todo el confinamiento de Nanette Blitz en el Lager de Bergen-Belsen.
¿Habría un destino para aquellos sobrevivientes? ¿O en medio de la guerra y la desgracia podían tener lugar insólitas y deslumbrantes casualidades?
Más que un libro, ha sido toda una vivencia para mí. Conocí a la autora en una feria del libro en mi ciudad, tuve la oportunidad de escucharla dos veces en diferentes conferencias sobre su experiencia en el campo de concentración de Bergen-Belsen, y el honor de que me firmara su libro.
¿Habría un destino para aquellos sobrevivientes? ¿O en medio de la guerra y la desgracia podían tener lugar insólitas y deslumbrantes casualidades?
Más que un libro, ha sido toda una vivencia para mí. Conocí a la autora en una feria del libro en mi ciudad, tuve la oportunidad de escucharla dos veces en diferentes conferencias sobre su experiencia en el campo de concentración de Bergen-Belsen, y el honor de que me firmara su libro.
April 3, 2016
Não é um livro muito grande e portanto lê-se bem. Trata do relato de uma sobrevivente do Holocausto que esteve no campo de Bergen-Belsen e que sobreviveu.
Gostei bastante.
Gostei bastante.
April 25, 2022
Quem me conhece e já segue este cantinho há algum tempo, sabe que gosto do tema sobre o Holocausto. Não gosto de ler todos de uma só enfiada, até porque não é um tema fácil de se ler. Nanette foi colega de escola da Anne Frank e, tal como a Anne Frank, acabou por ir parar aos campos de concentração nazi. Também lá, se cruza novamente com a Anne e é das poucas pessoas que consegue dar um abraço à Anne (visto que estavam em partes diferentes) no campo de concentração. Nanette perde a sua família nos campos, embora tenham conseguido estar no mesmo local, mas em sítios separados (de um lado homens, do outro mulheres). Também nos conta como foi a sua recuperação após os nazis perderem a guerra, acabou por se casar, teve filhos e nunca mais tocou no tema, pelo menos até uma das filhas tocar no assunto. É um livro tocante, e a autora acaba por nos dar alguns trechos de Anne e de como os sobreviventes viveram com a culpa por terem sobrevivido.
https://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.co...
https://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.co...
January 30, 2022
Esse livro conta a história de Nanette Blitz, uma sobrevivente ao holocausto. Ela mesma conta a sua história, detalhando os horrores que viveu nos cinco anos que passou privada de sua liberdade, além de nos contar sobre sua amizade e reencontro com Anne Frank. Um livro extremamente emocionante, chorei muitas vezes na leitura. Recomendo muito.
“Aqueles que não podem lembrar o passado, estão condenados a repeti-lo.”
“Aqueles que não podem lembrar o passado, estão condenados a repeti-lo.”
September 21, 2018
Thank you for telling your story Nannette. I have read many first hand accounts and I will never forget you or them.
Very well told. It is important that your story and others are told and retold so that maybe such horrors will not be repeated and never forgotten. Thank you.
Very well told. It is important that your story and others are told and retold so that maybe such horrors will not be repeated and never forgotten. Thank you.
May 11, 2016
Un libro desgarrador y que deja la mente alborotada. Inevitable llorar con cada mención a Ana Frank...
March 21, 2018
It is tough...
It is tough to give a review of this book considering the subject, but I enjoyed it and hope others will too. We must never forget.
It is tough to give a review of this book considering the subject, but I enjoyed it and hope others will too. We must never forget.
January 18, 2021
It’s hard to put into words as well as rate a book that deals with the Holocaust. When you award a book five stars it’s because you’ve loved it! Really enjoyed it, blown you away even. When you read a book like this though, you can’t use words like that. Not because it isn’t worthy of five stars, if anything its worthy of so many more but they all feel so wrong to say about someone’s life story who has endured and witnessed such horrors in their lifetime. I felt privileged and honoured to read Nanette’s story and people need to keep reading these types of books so that we can learn from it.
This isn’t an overly long book but it’s one that will no doubt have an impact on its reader. Nanette starts off by sharing what life was like before and in the run up to the war starting. Life well before the war officially started for Jewish people was made to be unbearable even then. Businesses started to suffer, schools were divided, it’s hard to believe how callous the human race can be at times. Then we are shown what life is like in one of the many camps that were set up to destroy and demoralise not just Jewish people but anyone that was different to the Aryan race that Hitler envisioned.
Nanette also shows us what life was like after surviving the camp in the immediate as well as long after and how it affected her. My heart broke as people tried to find out what had happened to their loved ones. To survive and not even have a home to return to. Not every survivor wanted to talk about their experiences during the war, Nanette though began to speak about her experiences, first in schools and then further afield. There are some mentions of Anne Frank who of course due to her diary is a very prominent figure from that period of time. At the end there are also some photographs of Nanette and her family as well as other images from the camp.
Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor & Classmate of Anne Frank whilst a harrowing and at times upsetting read, it’s one that must be read and learned from. Nanette tells her story in a way that is both compelling and emotional for the reader. Whilst there are many books out there to do with the Holocaust, I think this one stands out in its own merit.
This isn’t an overly long book but it’s one that will no doubt have an impact on its reader. Nanette starts off by sharing what life was like before and in the run up to the war starting. Life well before the war officially started for Jewish people was made to be unbearable even then. Businesses started to suffer, schools were divided, it’s hard to believe how callous the human race can be at times. Then we are shown what life is like in one of the many camps that were set up to destroy and demoralise not just Jewish people but anyone that was different to the Aryan race that Hitler envisioned.
Nanette also shows us what life was like after surviving the camp in the immediate as well as long after and how it affected her. My heart broke as people tried to find out what had happened to their loved ones. To survive and not even have a home to return to. Not every survivor wanted to talk about their experiences during the war, Nanette though began to speak about her experiences, first in schools and then further afield. There are some mentions of Anne Frank who of course due to her diary is a very prominent figure from that period of time. At the end there are also some photographs of Nanette and her family as well as other images from the camp.
Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor & Classmate of Anne Frank whilst a harrowing and at times upsetting read, it’s one that must be read and learned from. Nanette tells her story in a way that is both compelling and emotional for the reader. Whilst there are many books out there to do with the Holocaust, I think this one stands out in its own merit.
January 26, 2021
Memoirs of Nanette Blitz Konig about the Holocaust. She did an incredible job of telling her story. She loved her family and tried to stay with them for as long as she could. She told of the horrors of the camps and how she was able to endure. She was a very strong person and she kept going even when she thought that she could endure no more. She wants to make sure that we never forget what happen during those awful years that Hitler was in control and his followers carried out his orders and had no mercy for the prisoners..
Very well written and told in a way that we will never forget.
Very well written and told in a way that we will never forget.
March 18, 2021
Interesting
This book was interesting but the parts that were put in italics and then repeated immediately afterwards was annoying. I have read many books on the Holocaust but have never heard of the Palistine Jews or the Star camp before so that was interesting to see the different perspective from the other narratives.
This book was interesting but the parts that were put in italics and then repeated immediately afterwards was annoying. I have read many books on the Holocaust but have never heard of the Palistine Jews or the Star camp before so that was interesting to see the different perspective from the other narratives.
March 6, 2019
Amazing
It is just so hard to read this book and to try to put your self into there shoes. The reason why is because she is right we take a lot of stuff for granted and I would like to thank her for telling her story and I hope that this will never happen again.
It is just so hard to read this book and to try to put your self into there shoes. The reason why is because she is right we take a lot of stuff for granted and I would like to thank her for telling her story and I hope that this will never happen again.
October 28, 2020
Excellent memoir for young adults
This really has nothing to do with anne frank, but would still be a good companion piece for those who read Frank's diary and e
Wantfurther reading.
This really has nothing to do with anne frank, but would still be a good companion piece for those who read Frank's diary and e
Wantfurther reading.
February 16, 2023
Never forget
We must never forget what hate and jealousy can do. Nanette's story shows that life is important even if someone does not believe your existence matters.
We must never forget what hate and jealousy can do. Nanette's story shows that life is important even if someone does not believe your existence matters.
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June 15, 20245 stars
November 27, 2018
A touching tour de force of a holocaust memoir. This story is told in a very personal way which greatly helped forge a relationship of both sympathy and utmost respect for Nanette. By the end of the book, one can derive multiple messages from her memoir, the one that stuck to me is how she had faced such arduous hardships, yet still found the strength to make the most of her life, ultimately finding motivations to continue moving forward.
February 15, 2020
Decent
It was a decent read, thankfully not very focused on Frank. However, I found myself unable to recall most of the book, maybe it was due to the fact it's such a standard survival story that not much stands out. Overall, I gave it a 4 as it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't special either. It's sort of like an unmemorable dinner, not unpleasant but nothing to write home about. Worth a read it you're bored or have a survivor story fixation.
It was a decent read, thankfully not very focused on Frank. However, I found myself unable to recall most of the book, maybe it was due to the fact it's such a standard survival story that not much stands out. Overall, I gave it a 4 as it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't special either. It's sort of like an unmemorable dinner, not unpleasant but nothing to write home about. Worth a read it you're bored or have a survivor story fixation.
December 26, 2018
Devastating, yet the epitome of hope...
What a powerful and important message found within these pages! The author somehow found, and desperately clung to, an immense amount of inner strength in order to endure the horrors of the concentration camp she and her family were forcibly taken to during the Nazi’s reign of terror. Her will to survive continued to be prominent even after her ordeal was over and she had spent over 3 years in recovery very sick, with her immediate family gone, and with horrendous memories that left her with permanent scars. She could have easily let the nightmares she experienced ruin all the rest of her days, but instead, she used that pain to push forward and to create a second chance at living with her head held high. Along with the help from some wonderful people she encountered after liberation, including her husband and children/grandchildren, this author overcame unimaginable events, and has demonstrated the true definition of resilience. She selflessly tells her story in such an intense and detailed way, and all the way through it remains so reader-friendly and organized. I was able to visualize the majority of the events, people, and environments she speaks about, and I feel that if her goal was to educate others on the realities of the Holocaust, in addition to perpetuating the very impactful ‘never forget’ mantra, significant in keeping alive the memories of the millions affected by the Holocaust, then she was fully successful. God bless her for what she, and all the other victims, went through at the hands of the Nazis, and for having such unbelievable fortitude and courage.
What a powerful and important message found within these pages! The author somehow found, and desperately clung to, an immense amount of inner strength in order to endure the horrors of the concentration camp she and her family were forcibly taken to during the Nazi’s reign of terror. Her will to survive continued to be prominent even after her ordeal was over and she had spent over 3 years in recovery very sick, with her immediate family gone, and with horrendous memories that left her with permanent scars. She could have easily let the nightmares she experienced ruin all the rest of her days, but instead, she used that pain to push forward and to create a second chance at living with her head held high. Along with the help from some wonderful people she encountered after liberation, including her husband and children/grandchildren, this author overcame unimaginable events, and has demonstrated the true definition of resilience. She selflessly tells her story in such an intense and detailed way, and all the way through it remains so reader-friendly and organized. I was able to visualize the majority of the events, people, and environments she speaks about, and I feel that if her goal was to educate others on the realities of the Holocaust, in addition to perpetuating the very impactful ‘never forget’ mantra, significant in keeping alive the memories of the millions affected by the Holocaust, then she was fully successful. God bless her for what she, and all the other victims, went through at the hands of the Nazis, and for having such unbelievable fortitude and courage.
August 9, 2018
Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor - Written by Nanette Blitz Konig
The reality of the horrors on the Jewish during WWII! Heartbreaking truth!!!!
A monument to the indestructible nature of the human spirit. In these compelling Holocaust memoirs, Nanette Blitz Konig relates her amazing story of survival during the Second World War when she, together with her family and millions of other Jews were imprisoned by the Nazi's with a minimum chance of survival. Nanette (b. 1929) was a classmate of Anne Frank in the Jewish Lyceum of Amsterdam. They met again in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp shortly before Anne died.
During these emotional encounters, Anne Frank revealed how the Frank family hid in the annex, their subsequent deportation, her experience in Auschwitz and her plans for her diary after the war. This honest WW2 story describes the hourly battle for survival under the brutal conditions in the camp imposed by the Nazi regime. It continues with her struggle to recover from the effects of starvation and tuberculosis after the war, and how she was gradually able to restart her life, marry and build a family. Nanette Blitz Konig, mother of three, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of four, lives in São Paulo, Brazil. Her Holocaust memoirs were written to speak in the name of those millions who were silenced forever.
What did I like? I am honored to be given to opportunity to read such a heartrending memoir. While it took me a little while to get used to the format, I was taken to a time that I never want to personally endure. From the time that they were arrested and taken to Bergen-Belsen and beyond to the recovery that she and others went through was incredible! To think that there are men and women out there in our world that would inflict this type of horrendous treatment on anyone or anything is mind-boggling.
What will you like? While you may not like how it was said in some parts it is an account that needs to be told and retold so that we don’t forget. None of us want this to ever happen again but it could if we were to forget what happened in the past! I personally don’t ever remember hearing about this camp and was appalled that it even existed. I am glad that it was burned to the ground!!!!!! Nanette, as so many did, had a lifelong recovery that I am sure many did not survive as she did. I know personally what happens to those that I knew that went through the war and what happens to them and they did not have this experience. The mental anguish that they lived a lifetime afterward. One even committed suicide because he could not forget and put it behind him. I am giving this only 4 stars because of what I believe is somewhat distracting to the storyline and only for that reason. I received this from the publisher for an honest review with no other compensation.
The reality of the horrors on the Jewish during WWII! Heartbreaking truth!!!!
A monument to the indestructible nature of the human spirit. In these compelling Holocaust memoirs, Nanette Blitz Konig relates her amazing story of survival during the Second World War when she, together with her family and millions of other Jews were imprisoned by the Nazi's with a minimum chance of survival. Nanette (b. 1929) was a classmate of Anne Frank in the Jewish Lyceum of Amsterdam. They met again in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp shortly before Anne died.
During these emotional encounters, Anne Frank revealed how the Frank family hid in the annex, their subsequent deportation, her experience in Auschwitz and her plans for her diary after the war. This honest WW2 story describes the hourly battle for survival under the brutal conditions in the camp imposed by the Nazi regime. It continues with her struggle to recover from the effects of starvation and tuberculosis after the war, and how she was gradually able to restart her life, marry and build a family. Nanette Blitz Konig, mother of three, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of four, lives in São Paulo, Brazil. Her Holocaust memoirs were written to speak in the name of those millions who were silenced forever.
What did I like? I am honored to be given to opportunity to read such a heartrending memoir. While it took me a little while to get used to the format, I was taken to a time that I never want to personally endure. From the time that they were arrested and taken to Bergen-Belsen and beyond to the recovery that she and others went through was incredible! To think that there are men and women out there in our world that would inflict this type of horrendous treatment on anyone or anything is mind-boggling.
What will you like? While you may not like how it was said in some parts it is an account that needs to be told and retold so that we don’t forget. None of us want this to ever happen again but it could if we were to forget what happened in the past! I personally don’t ever remember hearing about this camp and was appalled that it even existed. I am glad that it was burned to the ground!!!!!! Nanette, as so many did, had a lifelong recovery that I am sure many did not survive as she did. I know personally what happens to those that I knew that went through the war and what happens to them and they did not have this experience. The mental anguish that they lived a lifetime afterward. One even committed suicide because he could not forget and put it behind him. I am giving this only 4 stars because of what I believe is somewhat distracting to the storyline and only for that reason. I received this from the publisher for an honest review with no other compensation.
December 28, 2016
Libro para Los Juegos de Booktube: Leer 7 libros. Con la lectura de este libro ya completé todas las consignas, excepto la de un libro con un animal en la portada (The Scorpio races) y como, aún quedan 2 días pues haré lo posible por terminar ese también.
Después del preámbulo, quiero decir que Sobreviví al holocausto, la desgarradora historia de Nanette Blitz (amiga de Ana Frank en el colegio) durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, es un libro buenísimo que palpa el horror que vivieron los judíos en esa época.
Yo me considero fan de Ana Frank y de las historias sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial así que cuando me enteré que una amiga de Ana Frank había escrito un libro sobre su experiencia, no dudé en comprarlo.
Este libro hace llorar y enternecer y entrar en shock, los momentos que más me hicieron emocionar fue cuando Nanette y Anna se encontraron en Bergen-Belsen y cuando, ya mucho más avanzado el libro Nanette expresaba: "Quien no vivió en un campo de concentración no puede imaginarse que, aunque dejas el campo, el campo no te deja, no hay paz".
Gracias al cielo Nanette todavía está viva y luego de 2 años en los campos y de 3 en un sanatorio, logró rehacer su vida y formar una familia. Es admirable lo fuerte que siempre fue, el que sobreviviera a todo el horror, el que nunca se rindiera y esto y más, hacen de su historia y de su experiencia un ejemplo de vida para todos.
Me voy a seguir llorando contra mi almohada. 5 de 5 estrellas más que merecidas para Sobreviví al holocausto.
Después del preámbulo, quiero decir que Sobreviví al holocausto, la desgarradora historia de Nanette Blitz (amiga de Ana Frank en el colegio) durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, es un libro buenísimo que palpa el horror que vivieron los judíos en esa época.
Yo me considero fan de Ana Frank y de las historias sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial así que cuando me enteré que una amiga de Ana Frank había escrito un libro sobre su experiencia, no dudé en comprarlo.
Este libro hace llorar y enternecer y entrar en shock, los momentos que más me hicieron emocionar fue cuando Nanette y Anna se encontraron en Bergen-Belsen y cuando, ya mucho más avanzado el libro Nanette expresaba: "Quien no vivió en un campo de concentración no puede imaginarse que, aunque dejas el campo, el campo no te deja, no hay paz".
Gracias al cielo Nanette todavía está viva y luego de 2 años en los campos y de 3 en un sanatorio, logró rehacer su vida y formar una familia. Es admirable lo fuerte que siempre fue, el que sobreviviera a todo el horror, el que nunca se rindiera y esto y más, hacen de su historia y de su experiencia un ejemplo de vida para todos.
Me voy a seguir llorando contra mi almohada. 5 de 5 estrellas más que merecidas para Sobreviví al holocausto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2020
Repetitive
This memoir has a very loose connection to Anne Frank in that the author was there at Anne’s birthday when she was given The Diary.
Other than that, there’s nothing terribly interesting about the book. It’s repetitive; there’s nothing new in each chapter. The bold text is repeated either just above or just below, which is pointless and distracting.
If you’re really into the Holocaust and life in concentration camps, this might keep you interested for a few chapters. But for anyone else, give it miss.
This memoir has a very loose connection to Anne Frank in that the author was there at Anne’s birthday when she was given The Diary.
Other than that, there’s nothing terribly interesting about the book. It’s repetitive; there’s nothing new in each chapter. The bold text is repeated either just above or just below, which is pointless and distracting.
If you’re really into the Holocaust and life in concentration camps, this might keep you interested for a few chapters. But for anyone else, give it miss.
March 1, 2018
Hace mucho no lloraba leyendo un libro, hace que valores las cosas pequeñas y aparentemente insignificantes de la vida. Te hace agradecer a Dios por lo afortunado que eres, y también de pensar que aún no se ha hecho justicia por tanto daño, quedo impregnada del deseo de leer más sobre el Holocausto.
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