Seed of Sarah: Memoirs of a Survivor

by Judith Isaacson

This gripping and highly acclaimed account of a young woman's experience in concentration camps now includes a final chapter, "A Time to Forgive?" detailing the author's trips back to her former forced labor camp in Germany.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, Memoir, History, World War II, Biography, Historical

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there were more stars. This is the Holocaust memoir in which the courage and cleverness of the narrator shines through the horrors of her experience.

Judith Isaacson was a nineteen-year-old Hungarian Jew when AFTER D-day she, her mom, aunt and grandma arrived in Auschwitz. Grandma, they found out later was immediately killed but the three surviving women stuck together and stayed alive until liberation.

If I had read of their close calls and last minute escapes in a novel I would have clouted the author for creating too many unbelievable escapes but her story is true.

I read this book twice to find out how they did it. At key points, one of the three would take the right choice that kept them alive a little longer. It might be something tiny. Telling the mother to cover her hair because it is white so the Nazis will think you're young enough to work. It might be big. Running even if you think you're going to be shot.

Judith Isaacson immigrated to America soon after the war. She not only survived but thrived. She was a happy outgoing person. So cheerful that it was even mentioned in her obituary. Her positive attitude makes this Holocaust story even more valuable

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. It was a gift from my grandmother, when I was about 12. This is the first time I've read it, and I wish she were still alive so we could talk about it.
I suppose I will have to tell you about it instead.
A story of a holocaust survivor, a woman who was able to survive the unbelievable conditions of Auschwitz and Hessisch Lichtenau. She was able to avoid the gassing chambers, and being sent to the Russian front to be used as a sex slave. Amazingly, she was also able to stay with both her mother and her aunt. All three were able to survive. I think it is amazing not only that she was able to survive, but also write about it. Not many people can look back on such an awful, traumatic part of their lives and write about it. It must be such a painful process, and Isaacson approaches it with fortitude and grace. A must read for anyone interested in Holocaust literature.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a tendency towards critiquing everything I read and I want to critique this one. However, it seems like a horrible thing to do, as I'm sure it was very difficult to write these memoirs in the first place, and it is so important that Ms. Isaacson did! I can just say that it's not the most gripping survivor story, but maybe I've read too many of them. An important read...

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir about Judith, aka Jutka, who was just trying to live her normal teenage life with friends and family when the war started, and they were forced into concentration camps. Despite everything Jutka had gone through, she still managed to stay with her aunt Magda and mother. This book showed more of a perspective on what it was like to be torn from your old life, facing life or death situations daily. She and her family showed constance strength and persistence, allowing for their survival. I enjoyed this memoir and Judith Isaacson's story of how she was able to overcome what she had experienced, and her retelling of the events that occurred.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels embarrassing to try to give a star rating to a book like this. How can you possibly categorize a book like this? How can you possibly give a star rating to Judith Isaacson's experience? Am I rating her trauma 5/5 stars? Can anyone possibly pass a value judgment on whether or not she's recounting things *artistically*? I'm giving it 5/5 stars because of this book's importance. It's a memoir that should be read by EVERYONE with a heart.

[Jennifer Hudson-Foskett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and compelling story of survival through faith and synchronicity! I learned more about how people moved from one camp to another, as well as how a person survived through moments of chance and split second decisions.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving. This is one of those books that makes an impression on you and it sticks forever.

[Camiwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir of a Holocaust survivor was riveting, especially as she was a local woman... To think I could have brushed shoulders with her!

[Sophie Frizzle]

it was confusing at first and was very graphic

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done. Very depressing, but also amazing the resiliency of human nature.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent memoir of one woman’s life in Hungary during WWII and her survival in the Nazi death and labor camps, including Auschwitz.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, however, I don't think I would have picked up this book and started reading it if it had not been for a school assignment. The author, Judith Isaacson, wrote this memoir about her experience in World War II concentration camps from what I found to be an interesting point of view. I was expecting this book to point out all of the bad that occured during the war. While it did point out plenty of negative events that occured during the war and all of the curelty prisioners suffered in the concentration camps, Issacson was sure to highlight her life post World War II, her move to America, her marriage to an American soldier, and her children. In the preface, Issacson also wrote about how when giving an interview about being a Holocaust survivor, she smiled, letting her reader know from early on that she had come to peace with her life. I found it interesting, and and enjoyed how she put positive aspects into a book that could otherwise have been a depressing book.

[Laura E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still on my quest to find a good memoir by an international author to read with my 11th grade English class. An excellent Holocaust memoir, Judith Isaacson also moved to Maine, where I teach, after the war and was a dean at Bates College. Because of this connection I had some high hopes.

Isaacson's account recalls her life as a young Jewish girl Kaposvar, Hungary during WWII and the Nazi occupation. In addition to covering the time she spent in concentration and forced labor camps it also discusses her later experience returning to Europe after immigrating to the US with her husband.

Though not the most accessible diction or rhetoric, thinking of my students, this story really sets itself apart with its recount of Isaacson's life after the war. This includes her return to Lichtenau, a satellite of Buchenwald, where she worked at a forced labor camp. She becomes a representative of the women who slaved there, returning first on her own mission for personal understanding and later at the request of the town to aid diplomacy and forgiveness.

All in all, this book was very interesting to read and I enjoyed it. But I don't think it's right for my juniors.

[Kim Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to have been able to interview Mrs. Isaacson when I was a 7th grader. My teacher did a whole unit on the Holocaust and she thought it was important for her students to talk to a survivor and hear the stories first-hand. If we understood what happened, we would be less likely to ever allow such a thing to occur again in the future. She found Mrs. Isaacson and took the class in small groups to her home in Maine. I will never forget meeting her and how she kept saying she was lucky, that so many stories were worse. The experience put a human face on the war and deeply moved all of us.

I did not learn that this book existed until a friend of mine shared Mrs. Isaacson's obituary on Facebook. It is an amazing story of survival and should be required reading for all of today's politicians. THIS is what can happen when those in power start looking for a group of people to blame for the world's problems.

[Gail Hedlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books I consider to be a "Sunday book", which to me means that it could be read in a day or a weekend. Even so this book carries a lot of punch to it. It is a great story of survival of 3 strong women from one family. It made me cry, it made me laugh & even cheer.
I would recommend this for young women, those in high school or just graduated. It is a powerful story of a 19 year old woman who not only survived the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, but became the dean of Bates College. She not only outlived the nightmare of the Holocaust but she thrived.

I think this book should be right beside "The Diary of Anne Frank" for required reading. It has a great deal to say in so few pages...208.

[Doris Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story although I hesitated reading it because it was about the Holocaust. I hate to read about people being treated like the Jewish people were during WW2, but it is important that we keep these atrocities in mind lest they happen again, and it has in Africa. This story was not too sordid but enough to let you see the evil that Hitler advocated. One quibble: I found it hard to keep up with Ms Isaacson's friends in the story. Luckily, the author had an index at the end of the book. One thing I especially liked in this book was how Judtka, her mother, and her aunt stuck together during their trials in the concentration camps and would not let each other out of their sights. This saved each other from probable death.

[Carolyn Russett · Rating 3 out of 5]

memoirs of a holocost survivor. Judith was sent to the concentration camps in 1944 at the age of 19. While it seems that many of the stories are similar, in this one, it is amazing how many times she should have died but didn't either because of the decisions she made to stay or go from where she was or how she defied the nazis. Also brings to light the many things that happened from a woman's perspective. Short read.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Seed of Sarah as a class assignment along with Night and I enjoyed both very much. The photos Isaacson included made me feel like I was right there and I could feel the pain that she went through while in the concentration camps. Isaacon's memoirs showed me a deeper look into the Holocaust and what happened to those who were sent to concentration camps.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging Holocaust memoir with a focus on living memory rather than misery. Often with surprising detachment, Judith Isaacson brings in the perspective of Jews from small town Hungary. Her accounts of day-to-day life in Auschwitz and other camps are terribly interesting in their details. Recommended reading for all those interested in WWII and the Holocaust.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this moving book probably 20+ years ago. It was written by the mother of my neighbor. She, Sarah, spent several years in a concentration camp during WWII. Her memorable memoir of those difficult, excruciating years is well-written and gracious. A testimony to how and what she and her fellow prisoners did to survive. Really good book.

[Shanea Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all stories of Holocaust survivors, it becomes nearly exhausting to read through the horrible things they were subjected to endure. On the other hand, this memoir doesn't fail to convey to resiliency of the human spirit and the fight in everyone.

[Gail Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Recommended to all three book groups I am in. In the midst of awful things happening to and around her, Judith I remained positive. Tells her story of the holocaust in a straightforward manner.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must admit, was hard to start reading a book on the Holocaust. But it is a remarkable work about an amazing young woman and her family. Well written, very detailed and absorbing. Worth the effort.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happen to know and worked with this woman. It is her personal account of being a holocaust survivor.

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

More about the Holocaust. This was a harder read for me but I stuck it out and learned even more that I didn't want to know.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly gripping memoir. I remember reading this book when I was in middle school in Maine, where I had the chance to meet Judith Isaacson, she is truly a remarkable woman!

[Wendyann Boston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an easy read.. it's real.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding memoir, clear and moving.