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The Brothers of Auschwitz
An extraordinary novel of hope and heartbreak, this is a story about a family separated by the Holocaust and their harrowing journey back to each other.
My brother’s tears left a delicate, clean line on his face. I stroked his cheek, whispered, it’s really you…
Dov and Yitzhak live in a small village in the mountains of Hungary, isolated both from the world and from the horrors of the war. But one day in 1944, everything changes. The Nazis storm the homes of the Jewish villagers and inform them they have one hour. One hour before the train will take them to Auschwitz.
Six decades later, from the safety of their living rooms at home in Israel, the brothers finally break their silence to a friend who will never let their stories be forgotten.
Told in a poetic style reminiscent of Atwood and Salinger, Malka Adler has penned a visceral yet essential read for those who have found strength, solace and above all, hope, in books like The Choice, The Librarian of Auschwitz and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
This paperback includes an exclusive 14-page P.S. section with an author Q, an Author’s Note and a reading group guide.
Praise for The Brothers of Auschwitz
‘I sat down and read this within a few hours, my wife is now reading it and it is bringing tears to her eyes’ Amazon reviewer
‘The story is so incredible and the author writes so beautifully that it is impossible to stay indifferent. I gave the book to my mom and she called me after she finished crying and telling me how much she loved it’ Amazon reviewer
‘It is a book we all must read, read in order to know … It is harsh, enthralling, earth-shattering, rattling – but we must. And nothing less’ Aliza Ziegler, Editor-in-Chief at Proza Books, Yedioth Ahronoth Publishing House
‘Great courage is needed to write as Adler does – without softening, without beautifying, without leaving any room to imagination’ Yehudith Rotem, Haaretz newspaper
‘This is a book we are not allowed not to read’ Leah Roditi, At Magazine
My brother’s tears left a delicate, clean line on his face. I stroked his cheek, whispered, it’s really you…
Dov and Yitzhak live in a small village in the mountains of Hungary, isolated both from the world and from the horrors of the war. But one day in 1944, everything changes. The Nazis storm the homes of the Jewish villagers and inform them they have one hour. One hour before the train will take them to Auschwitz.
Six decades later, from the safety of their living rooms at home in Israel, the brothers finally break their silence to a friend who will never let their stories be forgotten.
Told in a poetic style reminiscent of Atwood and Salinger, Malka Adler has penned a visceral yet essential read for those who have found strength, solace and above all, hope, in books like The Choice, The Librarian of Auschwitz and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
This paperback includes an exclusive 14-page P.S. section with an author Q, an Author’s Note and a reading group guide.
Praise for The Brothers of Auschwitz
‘I sat down and read this within a few hours, my wife is now reading it and it is bringing tears to her eyes’ Amazon reviewer
‘The story is so incredible and the author writes so beautifully that it is impossible to stay indifferent. I gave the book to my mom and she called me after she finished crying and telling me how much she loved it’ Amazon reviewer
‘It is a book we all must read, read in order to know … It is harsh, enthralling, earth-shattering, rattling – but we must. And nothing less’ Aliza Ziegler, Editor-in-Chief at Proza Books, Yedioth Ahronoth Publishing House
‘Great courage is needed to write as Adler does – without softening, without beautifying, without leaving any room to imagination’ Yehudith Rotem, Haaretz newspaper
‘This is a book we are not allowed not to read’ Leah Roditi, At Magazine
433 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2019
1655 people are currently reading
17323 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 783 reviews
September 22, 2020
This is easily the most brutal, gut-wrenching Holocaust book I have ever read. There is a content warning on the first page and honestly... it's justified. Heed the content warnings. This pulled no punches and held absolutely nothing back. The book is raw and brutal, yet completely historically honest. The brothers the book is based on, you fall in love with them and their story. They start in old age and then tell their story of pain and loss. It is short, choppy sentences at times but it still flows nicely. Highly recommended for those who want a story that is more realistic of what happened during WWII and the tortures of it.
November 7, 2019
The Brothers of Auschwitz, a biographical novel, is the most moving and disturbing Holocaust book I’ve ever read and there have been quite a few. Yes, any story about the experience of being in a concentration camp is deeply upsetting but this one was extremely raw and emotional for me. The detail is exceptional and it will shock you to your core. The reader will feel the pain, anguish, desperation, helplessness, terror, and the horrors of it all as experienced by these two brothers who were taken at 15 and 16 years old. You can’t help but feel outrage that human beings were treated in such a brutal and barbaric way.
We all knew the method at Zeiss. The method: No food, no water, no place to breathe, no shower, no coat, no medication, just work, work fast, until death comes. It takes about three months to come. In the meantime they bring a fresh, healthy consignment and the old-timers get on a train to the nearest available crematorium. Yes. Three months was enough for the Germans to turn healthy young men into a pile of disgusting rags.
There are aspects of being a concentration camp prisoner that I never even contemplated but are on clear display in this book. Yes, it is very difficult to read at times but I feel it is an important book that is worth reading because it brings the experience to life like no other book. There is a marked tension throughout the story that had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put this book down.
This is a story about family, love, the will to survive and above all else, hope. The bond between these two brothers is remarkable and you cannot help but wonder if either would’ve made it through without the other. It is a miracle that they even found each other and were able to stay together.
What really makes this story stand out from all the others I’ve read is that roughly one-third of the way through the book the war ends. It’s the aftermath that we witness up close and the post traumatic stress that the brothers experience for the rest of their lives. Acclimating to civilized life after suffering and struggling to merely survive is no easy task. It is impossible for them to escape the images, memories and even the smells.
Sometimes I have images with sound from life in the camps. The images and sounds come like thieves in the day.
There are so many things these former prisoners had to learn or relearn — not to gulp their food, not to steal food, not to keep food in their pocket or hidden in their bed, to say please and thank you, to wash their hands before a meal, and so much more. There were many newly acquired fears that stuck with them. Because they were shuttled in cattle cars from one camp to the next, one brother won’t ever get on a train. Also feared are hospitals and one brother refuses to ever set foot in one — as a result, he won’t even go for a much needed cataract surgery. One brother confesses that he can’t and won’t go anywhere near a BBQ. Going to a bakery is a very scary proposition because of the ovens. Then there are the mental images and sound bytes that assault their senses at any time. You may leave the concentration camp but the camp never leaves you.
I realized that the war had ended in the world but not in people’s hearts. I knew, the war would never ever leave us. Just like putting a boiling iron with a number on the body of a calf. The calf grows older, the number remains unchanged.
In fact, after the war was over, the brothers discovered there was a new “hell.” Safely ensconced in Israel, they faced humiliation and later felt shame.
...you went like sheep to the slaughter and didn’t resist. You didn’t fight like men. There were thousands of you in their trains, why didn’t you revolt. You could have grabbed their guns, at least wiped out a few Germans before the crematorium. Aah. We felt new enemies had risen against us. For the Germans we were garbage, in Eretz-Israel we were sheep.
We should have attacked them. We should have caused havoc, stopped those convoys walking and walking to the crematorium as if they were handing out candies on sticks in there. They’d have fired their rifles, so what, was gas any better? At least we’d have stopped the pace of death, I think about that and go mad.
Before the hunger we could have risen against them. The hunger weakened our minds. A hungry person can’t think about anything, his mind is stupid. The Germans took care to make us stupid in the camps, so we wouldn’t notice the convoys going to the crematorium, is it any wonder that we were silent? People didn’t even have the strength to commit suicide. The mind needs a lot of strength to think it’s better to die.
There seems to be some issue with the translation as what’s written seems “rough around the edges.” Perhaps it will be improved when published but if it’s not, it is still a book that needs to be read.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
We all knew the method at Zeiss. The method: No food, no water, no place to breathe, no shower, no coat, no medication, just work, work fast, until death comes. It takes about three months to come. In the meantime they bring a fresh, healthy consignment and the old-timers get on a train to the nearest available crematorium. Yes. Three months was enough for the Germans to turn healthy young men into a pile of disgusting rags.
There are aspects of being a concentration camp prisoner that I never even contemplated but are on clear display in this book. Yes, it is very difficult to read at times but I feel it is an important book that is worth reading because it brings the experience to life like no other book. There is a marked tension throughout the story that had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put this book down.
This is a story about family, love, the will to survive and above all else, hope. The bond between these two brothers is remarkable and you cannot help but wonder if either would’ve made it through without the other. It is a miracle that they even found each other and were able to stay together.
What really makes this story stand out from all the others I’ve read is that roughly one-third of the way through the book the war ends. It’s the aftermath that we witness up close and the post traumatic stress that the brothers experience for the rest of their lives. Acclimating to civilized life after suffering and struggling to merely survive is no easy task. It is impossible for them to escape the images, memories and even the smells.
Sometimes I have images with sound from life in the camps. The images and sounds come like thieves in the day.
There are so many things these former prisoners had to learn or relearn — not to gulp their food, not to steal food, not to keep food in their pocket or hidden in their bed, to say please and thank you, to wash their hands before a meal, and so much more. There were many newly acquired fears that stuck with them. Because they were shuttled in cattle cars from one camp to the next, one brother won’t ever get on a train. Also feared are hospitals and one brother refuses to ever set foot in one — as a result, he won’t even go for a much needed cataract surgery. One brother confesses that he can’t and won’t go anywhere near a BBQ. Going to a bakery is a very scary proposition because of the ovens. Then there are the mental images and sound bytes that assault their senses at any time. You may leave the concentration camp but the camp never leaves you.
I realized that the war had ended in the world but not in people’s hearts. I knew, the war would never ever leave us. Just like putting a boiling iron with a number on the body of a calf. The calf grows older, the number remains unchanged.
In fact, after the war was over, the brothers discovered there was a new “hell.” Safely ensconced in Israel, they faced humiliation and later felt shame.
...you went like sheep to the slaughter and didn’t resist. You didn’t fight like men. There were thousands of you in their trains, why didn’t you revolt. You could have grabbed their guns, at least wiped out a few Germans before the crematorium. Aah. We felt new enemies had risen against us. For the Germans we were garbage, in Eretz-Israel we were sheep.
We should have attacked them. We should have caused havoc, stopped those convoys walking and walking to the crematorium as if they were handing out candies on sticks in there. They’d have fired their rifles, so what, was gas any better? At least we’d have stopped the pace of death, I think about that and go mad.
Before the hunger we could have risen against them. The hunger weakened our minds. A hungry person can’t think about anything, his mind is stupid. The Germans took care to make us stupid in the camps, so we wouldn’t notice the convoys going to the crematorium, is it any wonder that we were silent? People didn’t even have the strength to commit suicide. The mind needs a lot of strength to think it’s better to die.
There seems to be some issue with the translation as what’s written seems “rough around the edges.” Perhaps it will be improved when published but if it’s not, it is still a book that needs to be read.
Thank you to Harper Collins UK One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
September 5, 2020
Over the years, I have read many books about World War II and the Holocaust. The Brothers of Auschwitz: A heartbreaking and unforgettable historical novel based on an untold true story by Malka Adler touched a part of my heart that not all books about this horrific time had done. I must admit, that I almost gave up on this book near the beginning of the story. The author's style of writing, especially in the beginning, frustrated me. I did not want to give up because any Holocaust story, no matter how it was written, was important to be told and read. As I read on, the writing either improved or I got used to it because I devoured this book, even though it was hard to read about at times, and was so glad that I did.
Few books about the Holocaust have described in such detail the lingering effects survivors experienced so many years after being in the camps as this book did. This was the story of Dov (born Leiber) a boy of sixteen, Yitzhak (born Icho) a boy of fifteen. their sister Sarah and their family who lived in a small village, Tur'i Remety, in the mountains of Hungary who were forced from their home and taken directly to Auschwitz. Not many children survived the atrocities of Auschwitz but by some miracle Dov and Yitzhak had. The two brothers lost each other early in the Holocaust but by some miracle found their way back to each other. Once they found each other, they never lost sight of one another again. What they were made to endure will turn your stomach inside out. Dov and Yitzhak were determined to live and they helped each other to do just that. Without each other they might not have survived.
Before Yitzhak and Dov decided to leave Europe and go to Palestine, Yitzhak wanted to visit his family home once more. On his way, he discovered that his mother's sisters had survived the war and he stayed with them for a while before traveling on to his family home. When Yitzhak arrived in his village, he discovered that his family home was now occupied by a Hungarian family. He was greeted by antisemitism even though the war had ended. Just before he was preparing to leave and go back to Dov, Yitzhak heard from a friend of Sarah's that he had gotten a letter from Sarah that she had survived the war and was in Sweden.
When the brothers, Dov and Yitzhak, decided to make Palestine (Israel) their home they were taken to live on a collective village (moshav) that was about ten years old. They were brought here after spending two weeks at Camp Atlit. The moshav was located in the Lower Galilee near the Sea of Galilee. Life at the moshav was very hard for both Dov and Yitzhak. They did not understand the language but came to realize that the members of the moshav thought of the Holocaust refugees that were living with them at the moshav as sheep. They said, "you went like sheep to the slaughter and didn't resist. You didn't fight like men. There were thousands of you in their trains, why didn't you revolt. You could have grabbed their guns, at least wiped out a few Germans before the crematorium." Dov and Yitzhak heard this criticism and knew that these people were "new enemies". It made them feel, "for the Germans we were garbage, in Eretz-Israel we were sheep." They were made to feel pain during the day by hearing those words and knowing what the people at the moshav thought of them and horrific dreams at night that they could not erase from their thoughts and memories as hard as they tried. When they were given shovels to dig holes for new trees, the brothers saw pits for the dead. Trying to make the new refugees feel welcome and calm, the members of the moshav played classical music for them. This brought back the memories of when they arrived at Auschwitz and heard the orchestra as they exited the cattle cars. Probably the worst trigger was when there was a fire. The smell of smoke and actually seeing it brought back the memories of the members of their families that perished and disappeared into the smoke. There was never enough food to satisfy their hunger. It was common to witness food stealing, hiding and hoarding food during these early days. Fear was exhibited every time a refugee was encouraged to take a shower. These thoughts and fears could not easily be put aside or forgotten.
The author of The Brothers of Auschwitz: A heartbreaking and unforgettable historical novel based on an untold true story, Malka Adler, met Yitzhak when she was a baby. The new refugees, Yitzhak and Dov among them, were eventually assigned to eat with different families. The family Yitzhak ate with had a baby girl. Yitzhak remembered that "it was because of the crying baby I liked going to the family. Her crying reminded me that life exists." The family kept in touch with Yitzhak even after he left the moshav. When that little baby grew and began to learn about the Holocaust in school she contacted Yitzhak and Dov to find out where they had been during the Holocaust. Both brothers refused to talk about their lives during that time. It wasn't until sixty years later that they poured their emotions, memories, nightmares, and horrific experiences out to Malka Adler and she was able to write their story and share it with the world.
Dov and Yitzhak wrote to Sarah in Sweden and she agreed to come to Israel. The brothers no longer traveled. It was a heartfelt, tearful and emotional reunion. The siblings never spoke to each other about their experiences in the camps. They were just elated to have found each other again. Sarah met her husband in Israel but later moved to the United States and had a family.
To this day, Yitzhak, will not step foot in a hospital because of his experience with Dov upon liberation. Yitzhak refused to travel and see his children and grandchildren. Haunted by the ramp at Auschwitz, where families were separated and a trip he took back to his family home in Hungary to find his house was occupied by another family, Yitzhak refused to leave his home for any extended time. Dov had a hard time accepting the idea of marriage in his life. He kept ignoring his brother's pleas for him to marry. Dov's thoughts about family "gave him many sleepless nights, that he'd wake up one morning and there'd be no one beside him, because maybe they'd take everyone to some forest, or that his child would get pneumonia and die and it would make his mother sick and she'd also die, and another brother would die and one Sunday morning I could find myself without anything." Both Yitzhak and Dov eventually got married. Dov did not marry though until he was forty. Yitzhak was twenty-one. Both brothers had children. Sarah, their sister, also got married in Israel and eventually made her home in the United States. She admitted to Malka Adler when she was telling her her story that "I always have reserve bread in the drawer, always. I also have two rows of sliced bread in the freezer." It was hard to forget how hungry she was at Bergen-Belsen. Sarah's other fear was the sight of ambulances. "To this day I can't bear ambulances. Every ambulance in the street makes me want to flee to the underground." An ambulance with the sign of the Red Cross stood in front of the crematorium at Bergen-Belsen. Sarah recalled, "the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes in the morning was my mother's face in our home in Turi'i Remety. I never left home, I always helped Mama with the little ones, and then, in one day, one moment, everyone disappeared on the ramp at Auschwitz, and I didn't know if they were living or dead. I only knew about Mama. I missed my mama." She watched as her mother walked on the line for the crematorium. Sarah also recalled pledging to get revenge. She said, "Revenge will be bringing Jewish children into the world. I have children, thank God, and that's revenge." Dov reflected on what he went through at sixteen and admitted that it still affected him in his present life. "When I see a television program about food in which the chef produces goose with a special spice from Spain, I watch and am eaten up inside. My fingers immediately begin to tap on the table and my coffee spills, and cake crumbs drop on the carpet and I feel like firing a bullet into the middle of the screen because I can't bear talk of special spices. In the camps every stinking rotten peel helped me live for two days." Dov hated to see food that was wasted in any capacity. He had difficulty to going to hotels and being waited on. He said, "as long as I have a tomato and a roof over my head, I'm in paradise."
The three surviving siblings, Dov, Yitzhak and Sarah, suffered immensely while they were in the camps and those experiences affected their lives for many years after. Those dreams, triggers and reminders were hard to erase from their conscious thoughts and dreams. All three siblings must be applauded for their courage and bravery they had to survive and how they were able to proceed and live lives that were meaningful and productive. This was a book that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book.
Few books about the Holocaust have described in such detail the lingering effects survivors experienced so many years after being in the camps as this book did. This was the story of Dov (born Leiber) a boy of sixteen, Yitzhak (born Icho) a boy of fifteen. their sister Sarah and their family who lived in a small village, Tur'i Remety, in the mountains of Hungary who were forced from their home and taken directly to Auschwitz. Not many children survived the atrocities of Auschwitz but by some miracle Dov and Yitzhak had. The two brothers lost each other early in the Holocaust but by some miracle found their way back to each other. Once they found each other, they never lost sight of one another again. What they were made to endure will turn your stomach inside out. Dov and Yitzhak were determined to live and they helped each other to do just that. Without each other they might not have survived.
Before Yitzhak and Dov decided to leave Europe and go to Palestine, Yitzhak wanted to visit his family home once more. On his way, he discovered that his mother's sisters had survived the war and he stayed with them for a while before traveling on to his family home. When Yitzhak arrived in his village, he discovered that his family home was now occupied by a Hungarian family. He was greeted by antisemitism even though the war had ended. Just before he was preparing to leave and go back to Dov, Yitzhak heard from a friend of Sarah's that he had gotten a letter from Sarah that she had survived the war and was in Sweden.
When the brothers, Dov and Yitzhak, decided to make Palestine (Israel) their home they were taken to live on a collective village (moshav) that was about ten years old. They were brought here after spending two weeks at Camp Atlit. The moshav was located in the Lower Galilee near the Sea of Galilee. Life at the moshav was very hard for both Dov and Yitzhak. They did not understand the language but came to realize that the members of the moshav thought of the Holocaust refugees that were living with them at the moshav as sheep. They said, "you went like sheep to the slaughter and didn't resist. You didn't fight like men. There were thousands of you in their trains, why didn't you revolt. You could have grabbed their guns, at least wiped out a few Germans before the crematorium." Dov and Yitzhak heard this criticism and knew that these people were "new enemies". It made them feel, "for the Germans we were garbage, in Eretz-Israel we were sheep." They were made to feel pain during the day by hearing those words and knowing what the people at the moshav thought of them and horrific dreams at night that they could not erase from their thoughts and memories as hard as they tried. When they were given shovels to dig holes for new trees, the brothers saw pits for the dead. Trying to make the new refugees feel welcome and calm, the members of the moshav played classical music for them. This brought back the memories of when they arrived at Auschwitz and heard the orchestra as they exited the cattle cars. Probably the worst trigger was when there was a fire. The smell of smoke and actually seeing it brought back the memories of the members of their families that perished and disappeared into the smoke. There was never enough food to satisfy their hunger. It was common to witness food stealing, hiding and hoarding food during these early days. Fear was exhibited every time a refugee was encouraged to take a shower. These thoughts and fears could not easily be put aside or forgotten.
The author of The Brothers of Auschwitz: A heartbreaking and unforgettable historical novel based on an untold true story, Malka Adler, met Yitzhak when she was a baby. The new refugees, Yitzhak and Dov among them, were eventually assigned to eat with different families. The family Yitzhak ate with had a baby girl. Yitzhak remembered that "it was because of the crying baby I liked going to the family. Her crying reminded me that life exists." The family kept in touch with Yitzhak even after he left the moshav. When that little baby grew and began to learn about the Holocaust in school she contacted Yitzhak and Dov to find out where they had been during the Holocaust. Both brothers refused to talk about their lives during that time. It wasn't until sixty years later that they poured their emotions, memories, nightmares, and horrific experiences out to Malka Adler and she was able to write their story and share it with the world.
Dov and Yitzhak wrote to Sarah in Sweden and she agreed to come to Israel. The brothers no longer traveled. It was a heartfelt, tearful and emotional reunion. The siblings never spoke to each other about their experiences in the camps. They were just elated to have found each other again. Sarah met her husband in Israel but later moved to the United States and had a family.
To this day, Yitzhak, will not step foot in a hospital because of his experience with Dov upon liberation. Yitzhak refused to travel and see his children and grandchildren. Haunted by the ramp at Auschwitz, where families were separated and a trip he took back to his family home in Hungary to find his house was occupied by another family, Yitzhak refused to leave his home for any extended time. Dov had a hard time accepting the idea of marriage in his life. He kept ignoring his brother's pleas for him to marry. Dov's thoughts about family "gave him many sleepless nights, that he'd wake up one morning and there'd be no one beside him, because maybe they'd take everyone to some forest, or that his child would get pneumonia and die and it would make his mother sick and she'd also die, and another brother would die and one Sunday morning I could find myself without anything." Both Yitzhak and Dov eventually got married. Dov did not marry though until he was forty. Yitzhak was twenty-one. Both brothers had children. Sarah, their sister, also got married in Israel and eventually made her home in the United States. She admitted to Malka Adler when she was telling her her story that "I always have reserve bread in the drawer, always. I also have two rows of sliced bread in the freezer." It was hard to forget how hungry she was at Bergen-Belsen. Sarah's other fear was the sight of ambulances. "To this day I can't bear ambulances. Every ambulance in the street makes me want to flee to the underground." An ambulance with the sign of the Red Cross stood in front of the crematorium at Bergen-Belsen. Sarah recalled, "the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes in the morning was my mother's face in our home in Turi'i Remety. I never left home, I always helped Mama with the little ones, and then, in one day, one moment, everyone disappeared on the ramp at Auschwitz, and I didn't know if they were living or dead. I only knew about Mama. I missed my mama." She watched as her mother walked on the line for the crematorium. Sarah also recalled pledging to get revenge. She said, "Revenge will be bringing Jewish children into the world. I have children, thank God, and that's revenge." Dov reflected on what he went through at sixteen and admitted that it still affected him in his present life. "When I see a television program about food in which the chef produces goose with a special spice from Spain, I watch and am eaten up inside. My fingers immediately begin to tap on the table and my coffee spills, and cake crumbs drop on the carpet and I feel like firing a bullet into the middle of the screen because I can't bear talk of special spices. In the camps every stinking rotten peel helped me live for two days." Dov hated to see food that was wasted in any capacity. He had difficulty to going to hotels and being waited on. He said, "as long as I have a tomato and a roof over my head, I'm in paradise."
The three surviving siblings, Dov, Yitzhak and Sarah, suffered immensely while they were in the camps and those experiences affected their lives for many years after. Those dreams, triggers and reminders were hard to erase from their conscious thoughts and dreams. All three siblings must be applauded for their courage and bravery they had to survive and how they were able to proceed and live lives that were meaningful and productive. This was a book that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book.
November 15, 2019
The Brothers of Auschwitz is a powerful book written by Israeli Author Malka Adler, based on the true stories of teenage brothers Dov and Yitzhak’s harrowing (that word seems so weak) experiences during the holocaust in WWII. The brothers and their family were unmercifully removed from their village in Czechoslovakia in 1944, they were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Adler uses their accounts as well as her father’s own experiences in Treblinka and her own research to write this incredible story.
This book is in three, roughly equal parts; the holocaust period, immediate post-war ‘recuperation’ period and finally their lives in Israel. Each chapter alternates between Dov and Yitzhak’s accounts of the same events, this style provides the reader with their different perspectives, it is also an excellent way of following each brother during the times they are separated. The style was so overwhelmingly descriptive, intense, dark and heavy. It was relentless, there was so much matter on each page you could linger for much longer to let the material sink in – it is and should be a long read. It is hard work, really hard work.
Their journey takes in their experiences at several concentration camps, labour camps such as Zeiss, death marches, post-war hospitals, repatriation to their home village and their journey to, and their lives in Israel. I learned so much about the terrible experiences of Jews during this period, it was visceral and unremitting.
Some examples, of the hundreds I could draw on are;
Their lives were determined by the flick of an SS Officer’s white-gloved finger on the train ramp at Auschwitz.
The orchestra.
The smell of the crematorium. I will leave it to you to discover what their physiological reactions were to the smell during captivity.
Forced labour, this was a sure-fire way of slowly killing people, they worked them senseless, didn’t provide anywhere near enough food or water, or clothing – these people lasted no more than three months. Then in comes the next shipment of labour.
The abhorrent behaviour of the Germans was shocking, but also the Hungarians, Russians and many others was just as bad. Even fellow inmates – the depravity was off the scale.
The conditions in the camps were worse than you could imagine, and due to the way this nightmare world was presented by Adler, you had a real sense of place (as much as you can get), it was suffocatingly horrible.
The resilience of people who died and survived was remarkable, the recovery period after the war was equally traumatic, many didn’t survive and those who did were scarred and damaged physically and psychologically and usually both.
The way their neighbours from their home town assumed ownership of their home, livestock, pets and possessions, the silence of their neighbours, and even active complicit actions seemed to come so naturally.
The questioning by fellow Jews in Israel asking, “why didn’t you fight back?” was just too upsetting to put into words. How could they fight back?
Their residual behaviours, such as hiding bread under their pillows, or their pockets, long after the war ended. Their lives in captivity endured.
Yitzhak’s memories of the young German girl with plaits during his forced marches to the Zeiss factory – are so very heart-warming and sad. I’ll leave you to discover the details of that interaction.
A friend of mine recently asked me, “How can you read such a book?”, I think the question must be “How can we not?”. This, and books like this, should be read by as many people as possible. Genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity have occurred since, and still occur to this day.
Aspects of humanity, and the human condition is something we all need to own and be ashamed of in equal measure. I cannot recommend this book enough; this experience will stay with me for a long time to come.
5 Stars
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review – reading this book was a privilege.
Adler uses their accounts as well as her father’s own experiences in Treblinka and her own research to write this incredible story.
This book is in three, roughly equal parts; the holocaust period, immediate post-war ‘recuperation’ period and finally their lives in Israel. Each chapter alternates between Dov and Yitzhak’s accounts of the same events, this style provides the reader with their different perspectives, it is also an excellent way of following each brother during the times they are separated. The style was so overwhelmingly descriptive, intense, dark and heavy. It was relentless, there was so much matter on each page you could linger for much longer to let the material sink in – it is and should be a long read. It is hard work, really hard work.
Their journey takes in their experiences at several concentration camps, labour camps such as Zeiss, death marches, post-war hospitals, repatriation to their home village and their journey to, and their lives in Israel. I learned so much about the terrible experiences of Jews during this period, it was visceral and unremitting.
Some examples, of the hundreds I could draw on are;
Their lives were determined by the flick of an SS Officer’s white-gloved finger on the train ramp at Auschwitz.
The orchestra.
The smell of the crematorium. I will leave it to you to discover what their physiological reactions were to the smell during captivity.
Forced labour, this was a sure-fire way of slowly killing people, they worked them senseless, didn’t provide anywhere near enough food or water, or clothing – these people lasted no more than three months. Then in comes the next shipment of labour.
The abhorrent behaviour of the Germans was shocking, but also the Hungarians, Russians and many others was just as bad. Even fellow inmates – the depravity was off the scale.
The conditions in the camps were worse than you could imagine, and due to the way this nightmare world was presented by Adler, you had a real sense of place (as much as you can get), it was suffocatingly horrible.
The resilience of people who died and survived was remarkable, the recovery period after the war was equally traumatic, many didn’t survive and those who did were scarred and damaged physically and psychologically and usually both.
The way their neighbours from their home town assumed ownership of their home, livestock, pets and possessions, the silence of their neighbours, and even active complicit actions seemed to come so naturally.
The questioning by fellow Jews in Israel asking, “why didn’t you fight back?” was just too upsetting to put into words. How could they fight back?
Their residual behaviours, such as hiding bread under their pillows, or their pockets, long after the war ended. Their lives in captivity endured.
Yitzhak’s memories of the young German girl with plaits during his forced marches to the Zeiss factory – are so very heart-warming and sad. I’ll leave you to discover the details of that interaction.
A friend of mine recently asked me, “How can you read such a book?”, I think the question must be “How can we not?”. This, and books like this, should be read by as many people as possible. Genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity have occurred since, and still occur to this day.
Aspects of humanity, and the human condition is something we all need to own and be ashamed of in equal measure. I cannot recommend this book enough; this experience will stay with me for a long time to come.
5 Stars
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review – reading this book was a privilege.
March 23, 2021
I found the writing style strange and confusing. I didn’t always know who was speaking. Some of the text reads like a transcript.
In the end I found the content ‘raw’ as it is with most books about Auschwitz, but the structure of the story put me off.
In the end I found the content ‘raw’ as it is with most books about Auschwitz, but the structure of the story put me off.
September 28, 2020
The lack of punctuation makes this novel very difficult to read. There are no quotation marks in this book at all.
Father spoke from inside the cupboard, leave the cat, Icho, don't go outside. The father was inside the cupboard?
Poorly written. Attending a creative writing class, an author doesn't make.
Father spoke from inside the cupboard, leave the cat, Icho, don't go outside. The father was inside the cupboard?
Poorly written. Attending a creative writing class, an author doesn't make.
Read
June 19, 2022I can’t read this right now. Too graphic. Violence is too much
August 24, 2020
Thanks to Edelweiss, Harper Collins Publishing and Malka Adler for my copy of: The Brothers of Auschwitz.
Dov and Yitzhak live in a tiny village in the mountains of Hungary during WW II, due to the town being so isolated they believed their Jewish family was safe from the Nazis and they would leave them alone.
In 1944, their lives are change forever when the Nazis arrive in the village; they inform all Jewish civilians they need to be ready to leave their homes in an hour, they are allowed to take only what they can carry and they had no idea they would be stuck on a train for three days and taken Auschwitz. Here the men and women are separated from each other, older people and the young are the first to be sent to the gas chambers.
Sixty years later, Dov and Yitzhak are both in their 70’s and living in Israel, they decide to finally share their stories of what happened to them, I have read many holocaust survivors stories and nothing can prepare you for the absolute horror and inhumane treatment of these two teenage brothers and their families.
At one stage I didn’t know if I could keep reading; or write a review for this book and I felt I owed it to Dov, Yitzhak and their sister Sarah to do so. What was done to them was horrendous, cruel and inhumane and it made me feel sick. It’s a credit and testimony to them, their loves ones and all the brave survivors of Auschwitz for them to share their heartbreaking story. Most people who survived did what Dov and Yitzhak did, they were so traumatized and they could not tell anyone what happened to them.
Malka Adler’s book is based on her interviews with the two brothers, she was the only person who they trusted to share their experiences with, by writing The Brothers of Auschwitz she's made sure no one will ever forget the teenage boy’s story and I gave the book four stars. I have shared my review on Goodreads, Amazon Australia, Edelweiss, Kobo, Twitter and my blog.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Dov and Yitzhak live in a tiny village in the mountains of Hungary during WW II, due to the town being so isolated they believed their Jewish family was safe from the Nazis and they would leave them alone.
In 1944, their lives are change forever when the Nazis arrive in the village; they inform all Jewish civilians they need to be ready to leave their homes in an hour, they are allowed to take only what they can carry and they had no idea they would be stuck on a train for three days and taken Auschwitz. Here the men and women are separated from each other, older people and the young are the first to be sent to the gas chambers.
Sixty years later, Dov and Yitzhak are both in their 70’s and living in Israel, they decide to finally share their stories of what happened to them, I have read many holocaust survivors stories and nothing can prepare you for the absolute horror and inhumane treatment of these two teenage brothers and their families.
At one stage I didn’t know if I could keep reading; or write a review for this book and I felt I owed it to Dov, Yitzhak and their sister Sarah to do so. What was done to them was horrendous, cruel and inhumane and it made me feel sick. It’s a credit and testimony to them, their loves ones and all the brave survivors of Auschwitz for them to share their heartbreaking story. Most people who survived did what Dov and Yitzhak did, they were so traumatized and they could not tell anyone what happened to them.
Malka Adler’s book is based on her interviews with the two brothers, she was the only person who they trusted to share their experiences with, by writing The Brothers of Auschwitz she's made sure no one will ever forget the teenage boy’s story and I gave the book four stars. I have shared my review on Goodreads, Amazon Australia, Edelweiss, Kobo, Twitter and my blog.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
September 21, 2020
This book is about a sad subject, but one that people should be required to read. It's an ugly part of our history that affected so many Jewish families and we should feel honored to read their stories. That’s how I feel every time I read a holocaust story.
I’ve read a lot of WWII era books, especially about the holocaust, and I always seem to learn something new or hear the story from a different perspective. This book takes place in 1944 and is about two brothers, Dov and Yitzhak, who were separated from their family and sent to Auschwitz. The stories they tell are heartbreaking, but they survived the horrors of Auschwitz and can now tell their story in this fictional book based on true events.
It is a book that I won’t soon forget and I recommend that everyone read the story of these two brothers. You will learn about the holocaust, the love of family and the will to survive even when those around you are dying.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/One More Chapter for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
#NetGalley #TheBrothersofAuschwitz
I’ve read a lot of WWII era books, especially about the holocaust, and I always seem to learn something new or hear the story from a different perspective. This book takes place in 1944 and is about two brothers, Dov and Yitzhak, who were separated from their family and sent to Auschwitz. The stories they tell are heartbreaking, but they survived the horrors of Auschwitz and can now tell their story in this fictional book based on true events.
It is a book that I won’t soon forget and I recommend that everyone read the story of these two brothers. You will learn about the holocaust, the love of family and the will to survive even when those around you are dying.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/One More Chapter for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
#NetGalley #TheBrothersofAuschwitz
July 7, 2020
Story itself might have been good, but style of writing was so bad I couldn't read it.
September 11, 2020
Any book that brings to the forefront the horrors of the Holocaust deserves praise. I make it a point to keeping reading them. Not because they are necessarily entertaining but because they are important. The Brothers of Auschwitz is particularly interesting because although it is a work of fiction, it is based on the true stories of brothers Dov and Yitzhak. In 1944, during WWII, their family was forced to leave their town in Hungary and they were transported to Auschwitz. This horrendous place has been written about countless times. This book does not hold back. It takes us very deep into this nightmare. The conditions and the way so many died is presented in a raw and gut-wrenching manner showing the true horrors of what occurred to countless Jews and many others as well as to this family. It’s hard to read. After the war, we learn of the brothers’ lives as they recuperate and ultimately settle in Israel. How do people live their lives when they’ve survived a concentration camp and have lost so much? These two resilient men tell their story.
I am very appreciative to have been given an ARC to read from Edelweiss and One More Chapter / HarperCollins in advance of the book’s September 1, 2020 release (an e-version was released in 2019.) The book I read had been translated into English from Hebrew and I found the way it was translated to be a concern. The prose did now flow well and parts were not in complete sentences. I would have rated this book higher but I struggled through it. Nevertheless, The Brothers of Auschwitz is worth reading as it tells a tragic story that must be told again and again and again. No matter how difficult it is to read.
Rated 3.5 stars.
I am very appreciative to have been given an ARC to read from Edelweiss and One More Chapter / HarperCollins in advance of the book’s September 1, 2020 release (an e-version was released in 2019.) The book I read had been translated into English from Hebrew and I found the way it was translated to be a concern. The prose did now flow well and parts were not in complete sentences. I would have rated this book higher but I struggled through it. Nevertheless, The Brothers of Auschwitz is worth reading as it tells a tragic story that must be told again and again and again. No matter how difficult it is to read.
Rated 3.5 stars.
September 8, 2020
The Brothers of Auschwitz was such a special book that touched my heart, my spirit and my whole being. This book was written so beautifully, in a stream-of-consciousness voice that will feel like you are hearing this story first hand as told by the brothers. Unlike other books in this time frame, this one was just a little different - the writing was clear, raw, real and so visceral.
This is one of those books that we cannot afford not to read. Reading the horrors of what the Jewish people had to go through was so harrowing. Despite all the holocaust books I have read, there is always something more that I learn about, a detail I might have missed to learn about. Each story is a life that needs to be told. The brothers' story is most especially well told - that I could not stop reading this book until i reached the very last page.
Do not miss the Author's note at the end, which I read first prior to reading the first page. It gave me the background I needed in how this story was written and the precious moments the author was able hear first hand, the brothers' stories.
Adler beautifully wrote this novel that moved and transformed me. I highly recommend this book for an amazing historical fiction read that will bring tears to your eyes and take you into a very emotional roller coaster. This is a story needed to be told.
This is one of those books that we cannot afford not to read. Reading the horrors of what the Jewish people had to go through was so harrowing. Despite all the holocaust books I have read, there is always something more that I learn about, a detail I might have missed to learn about. Each story is a life that needs to be told. The brothers' story is most especially well told - that I could not stop reading this book until i reached the very last page.
Do not miss the Author's note at the end, which I read first prior to reading the first page. It gave me the background I needed in how this story was written and the precious moments the author was able hear first hand, the brothers' stories.
Adler beautifully wrote this novel that moved and transformed me. I highly recommend this book for an amazing historical fiction read that will bring tears to your eyes and take you into a very emotional roller coaster. This is a story needed to be told.
August 15, 2020
Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler is about 2 brothers who finally decide to tell their story of their time during and after the holocaust.
This is like a book I have never read before. This filled me with so much sadness and emotions on what happened during this period of time. The stories of the murders of innocent people for no other reason then hatred. I have never read a holocaust book on the happenings of what the survivors had to go through to get back to some kind of normalcy. It was diffently a story that had to be shared.
The Brothers of Auschwitz by Malka Adler is about 2 brothers who finally decide to tell their story of their time during and after the holocaust.
This is like a book I have never read before. This filled me with so much sadness and emotions on what happened during this period of time. The stories of the murders of innocent people for no other reason then hatred. I have never read a holocaust book on the happenings of what the survivors had to go through to get back to some kind of normalcy. It was diffently a story that had to be shared.
October 20, 2019
this book makes your emotions go crazy. The author was so descriptive that you could feel the pain and the hurt that dov and yitzak went through. Even though Dov and Yitak aren’t “ real” the experiences that they went through are very real back in world war 2. The descriptions of people being beat, the hunger, and family’s being ripped apart was common in that time. It is a very sad, book that brings out all your emotions.
May 13, 2021
I could barely get through this book. I was excited to be reading it and had high expectations considering the sore subject, but I'm very disappointed. The sentences were poorly structured and the book jumped around too much to be able to understand what was going on. I hated the onomatopoeia because I felt like I was reading a children's book, and I feel like it took away the heavy emotion I was supposed to get while reading it. Also, I know a lot about the Holocaust, but I feel like if someone read this who didn't have prior knowledge about the event, they wouldn't know what was happening at all.
February 11, 2022
Romanul “Fratii de la Auschwitz”este o marturie cutremurătoare a doi frați evrei, Dov si Yitzhak, supraviețuitori ai infernului din lagărele naziste.
Acestia traiesc modest intr-un mic sat unguresc localizat in Munții Carpați, insa in anul 1944, naziștii ocupa casele sătenilor evrei, si ii îmbarca pe acestia spre lagărele de exterminare naziste.
Astfel familia lui Dov si Yitzhak este separată, insa acestia reusesc sa ramana împreuna, reusind sa lupte cu îndârjire pentru a supraviețui in conditiile cele mai potrivnice.
Nu a fost cea mai buna carte citita avand ca si tema Holocaustul autoarea inserând pe alocuri detalii si Informatii inutile insa, mi s-a parut o carte dura,cutremurătoare, care fiind inspirata din realitate surprinde o fatada terifianta a istoriei si a umanității.
Acestia traiesc modest intr-un mic sat unguresc localizat in Munții Carpați, insa in anul 1944, naziștii ocupa casele sătenilor evrei, si ii îmbarca pe acestia spre lagărele de exterminare naziste.
Astfel familia lui Dov si Yitzhak este separată, insa acestia reusesc sa ramana împreuna, reusind sa lupte cu îndârjire pentru a supraviețui in conditiile cele mai potrivnice.
Nu a fost cea mai buna carte citita avand ca si tema Holocaustul autoarea inserând pe alocuri detalii si Informatii inutile insa, mi s-a parut o carte dura,cutremurătoare, care fiind inspirata din realitate surprinde o fatada terifianta a istoriei si a umanității.
September 5, 2020
My review has nothing to do with the actual story. I was looking so forward to it. It has to do with the writing. I CAN NOT STAND books with no quotation marks. My ADD brain felt like I had 20 people talking to me at one time. I would not have wasted my money on this book had I know that. I skimmed through much of the book and it appeared it was like that throughout. Won't do it to myself. This is a DNF. That rarely happens but when a book is that much work....no thanks.
August 13, 2020
The best word to describe this book for me is difficult. It was a difficult subject due to its content, a difficult to read due to the manner it was written, and difficult for me to review based that this as someone's life. The manner in which it is written I feel will pose the most nuisance for some readers, the abrupt sentence structure and choppy wording took some getting used to, I can't say I really enjoyed reading this way. However, the content although horrifically graphic is where this book really puts things into perspective. I have read numerous WWII books and this by far has been the most shocking and powerful, emotionally.
Although a fictional story, The Brothers Auschwitz is based on real accounts of brothers Dov and Yitzhak. It follows their journey from when they were teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their family, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their separation, reunion, and survival in the camps, and ultimately their life that follows after.
Nauseating, deplorable, nightmarish, and abhorrent are just some words that come to mind that I felt while reading this, but also words like endurance, passion, impactful, and tenacity. This is an impressive recollection of the horrors of the Holocaust both during and even more important, often looked over, the after.
I do have some mixed emotions on this book although it impacted me in some very emotional ways, I almost gave up with how it was written. Looking at other reviews this seems to be a common complaint. I pushed through but I think it would have been a 5 Star read if written in complete thoughts and sentences. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher at HarperCollins for the digital ARC.
Although a fictional story, The Brothers Auschwitz is based on real accounts of brothers Dov and Yitzhak. It follows their journey from when they were teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their family, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their separation, reunion, and survival in the camps, and ultimately their life that follows after.
Nauseating, deplorable, nightmarish, and abhorrent are just some words that come to mind that I felt while reading this, but also words like endurance, passion, impactful, and tenacity. This is an impressive recollection of the horrors of the Holocaust both during and even more important, often looked over, the after.
I do have some mixed emotions on this book although it impacted me in some very emotional ways, I almost gave up with how it was written. Looking at other reviews this seems to be a common complaint. I pushed through but I think it would have been a 5 Star read if written in complete thoughts and sentences. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher at HarperCollins for the digital ARC.
October 21, 2019
"The Brothers of Auschwitz" by Malka Adler is an emotional roller coaster. I have read dozens of books similar to this one, but none has ever made me feel the way this one did. The writing was so descriptive, it was almost like reading a stream of consciousness where you are sitting across from Dov or Yitzak and they are just letting their stories come out. Even though the brothers are fictional characters, the events they lived through and the experiences they had were very real for millions of people, and they became very real to me as well. This book does not hold anything back and it is really hard to read at times. The author has an amazing talent for painting a picture of the camps that you can't help but feel the raw tangles of emotion, terror, helplessness...and courage that the real victims must have felt. Unlike most books that deal with this subject, this book did not end when the camps were liberated; instead the author described the lingering PTSD effects on the characters after they were safe. I think this is an important aspect that is missing from many similar books-the horrors did not end for the victims just because the war ended. This book should be required reading in history class. Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it and I fear that the real horrors of this period of history are being whitewashed and trivialized.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this important book.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this important book.
September 4, 2020
This book was translated for Israeli Author Malka Adler .
Based on true accounts of teenage brothers Dov and Yitzhak and their experience during the holocaust in WWII. Living in a remote village in the mountains of Hungary the Jewish family thought they were safe from Nazis and they would not be bothered.
What transpires next is only the start of nightmare they could not even begin to imagine.
They have one hour to be ready to leave their home and ride on a train for days to reach Auschwitz .
I have read many books on this subject but this one will really stay with me and not fade from memory.
The descriptions are so painful you can even after all this time you can feel the strong emotions these brothers and their sister went through.
The author is the only one the brothers granted an interview to to talk about their harrowing experience and through this book she makes sure their time there is not forgotten.
It really brings tears to your eyes wondering how people can be so cruel and vicious to another human being.
The book is heartbreakingly raw and harrowing, very well written.
Unflinchingly realistic is how it was written and this tragedy never should have been able to happen.
My heart aches for all who were affected by this.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Based on true accounts of teenage brothers Dov and Yitzhak and their experience during the holocaust in WWII. Living in a remote village in the mountains of Hungary the Jewish family thought they were safe from Nazis and they would not be bothered.
What transpires next is only the start of nightmare they could not even begin to imagine.
They have one hour to be ready to leave their home and ride on a train for days to reach Auschwitz .
I have read many books on this subject but this one will really stay with me and not fade from memory.
The descriptions are so painful you can even after all this time you can feel the strong emotions these brothers and their sister went through.
The author is the only one the brothers granted an interview to to talk about their harrowing experience and through this book she makes sure their time there is not forgotten.
It really brings tears to your eyes wondering how people can be so cruel and vicious to another human being.
The book is heartbreakingly raw and harrowing, very well written.
Unflinchingly realistic is how it was written and this tragedy never should have been able to happen.
My heart aches for all who were affected by this.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
November 25, 2021
,,(...)mi-am dat seama că războiul s-a terminat in lume dar nu și în sufletele oamenilor"
November 2, 2021
The emotions in this book are so raw. The horrors of the Holocaust, the betrayal of the Jewish families by their neighbors who pretended to be friends. The PTSD that continues for a lifetime for the survivors of the camps. There were times I needed to step away from this book, yet I needed to pick it back up and continue to read the accounts of these brothers, their experiences with surviving in the camps and the continuing struggles they had to move on with their lives while still living in their minds in the camps. I have read many books on the Holocaust and have to say that this is one that deals so much with the emotional struggles of the survivors. A true horror story for the ages and one that those who throw around the hoax that the Holocaust did not exist or compare their meager struggles to those who lived through this horror should read. We need to learn about history so as not to repeat its horrors.
November 8, 2019
First and foremost, please let me start by saying this book took me longer to read than most. It’s quite emotional and I had to take breaks every so often because I needed to process what I was reading. This book is also very graphic, as it should be. It definitely paints a vivid picture of what life was life for these characters before, during and after the war.
I originally was going to give The Brothers of Auschwitz 4 ⭐️’s because I didn’t like the way the story itself was cut into at random times by the person to whom the story is being told. And then, I read the authors notes and that changed my thinking. I CANNOT stress enough how important reading the authors notes is when it comes to historical fiction. In most cases, it lays the foundation for the story that you are reading. It gives you insight into how the author pieced the story together and what research and traveling they did to accomplish their goal.
The Brothers Auschwitz is a fictional story based on the very real Dov and Yitzhak. From their days as teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their parents, brother and sister, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their time in the camps and their life after. I don’t have to go into great detail about what things were like for them in the camps except to say it was hell on earth. But together, the brothers managed to take one day at a time, one piece of bread at a time and love to see liberation. They lost so much during the war but were stunned to find out that their sister survived as well.
The strength and resilience of these three amazing people got them through the toughest of times but as most Holocaust survivors are...they are scarred beyond belief by their experiences and again as many survivors do...they refused to talk about life in the camps. At advanced ages, this changed and their story comes spilling out.
As with so many stories, the life in the camps is horrendous but what got to me the most is what life was like just after liberation and the first few years following. It’s a vantage point of WWII that you don’t come across every day. Yes you hear about the survivors that immigrate and begin new lives but what about the ones that don’t. Getting their physical and mental health back took years for some survivors. The PTSD that these people endured and some still do is unreal. The need to keep their freezers stocked with bread...just in case. A fear of trains. Fire. It’s intense. This book painted such a vivid picture for me and once I finished...I was numb for a bit.
So in honor of all survivors, I encourage you to read this book. Read it with an open mind and heart. Take breaks when you need to. Think about how it relates to the world today.
The Brothers of Auschwitz begins with the line:
In the darkest part of the sky The light breaks through.
Read this and remember to always find the light.
I originally was going to give The Brothers of Auschwitz 4 ⭐️’s because I didn’t like the way the story itself was cut into at random times by the person to whom the story is being told. And then, I read the authors notes and that changed my thinking. I CANNOT stress enough how important reading the authors notes is when it comes to historical fiction. In most cases, it lays the foundation for the story that you are reading. It gives you insight into how the author pieced the story together and what research and traveling they did to accomplish their goal.
The Brothers Auschwitz is a fictional story based on the very real Dov and Yitzhak. From their days as teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their parents, brother and sister, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their time in the camps and their life after. I don’t have to go into great detail about what things were like for them in the camps except to say it was hell on earth. But together, the brothers managed to take one day at a time, one piece of bread at a time and love to see liberation. They lost so much during the war but were stunned to find out that their sister survived as well.
The strength and resilience of these three amazing people got them through the toughest of times but as most Holocaust survivors are...they are scarred beyond belief by their experiences and again as many survivors do...they refused to talk about life in the camps. At advanced ages, this changed and their story comes spilling out.
As with so many stories, the life in the camps is horrendous but what got to me the most is what life was like just after liberation and the first few years following. It’s a vantage point of WWII that you don’t come across every day. Yes you hear about the survivors that immigrate and begin new lives but what about the ones that don’t. Getting their physical and mental health back took years for some survivors. The PTSD that these people endured and some still do is unreal. The need to keep their freezers stocked with bread...just in case. A fear of trains. Fire. It’s intense. This book painted such a vivid picture for me and once I finished...I was numb for a bit.
So in honor of all survivors, I encourage you to read this book. Read it with an open mind and heart. Take breaks when you need to. Think about how it relates to the world today.
The Brothers of Auschwitz begins with the line:
In the darkest part of the sky The light breaks through.
Read this and remember to always find the light.
August 5, 2020
The best word to describe this book for me is difficult. It was a difficult subject due to its content, a difficult read due to the manner it was written, and difficult for me to review based that this is someone's life. The manner in which it is written I feel will pose the most nuisance for some readers, the abrupt sentence structure and choppy wording took some getting used to, I can't say I really enjoyed reading this way. However, the content although horrifically graphic is where this book really puts things into perspective. I have read numerous WWII books and this by far has been the most shocking and powerful, emotionally.
Although a fictional story, The Brothers Auschwitz is based on real accounts of brothers Dov and Yitzhak. It follows their journey from when they were teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their family, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their separation, reunion, and survival in the camps, and ultimately their life that follows after.
Nauseating, deplorable, nightmarish, and abhorrent are just some words that come to mind that I felt while reading this, but also words like endurance, passion, impactful, and tenacity. This is an impressive recollection of the horrors of the Holocaust both during and even more important, often looked over, the after.
I do have some mixed emotions on this book although it impacted me in some very emotional ways, I almost gave up with how it was written. Looking at other reviews this seems to be a common complaint. I pushed through but I think it would have been a 5 Star read if written in complete thoughts and sentences. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher at HarperCollins for the digital ARC.
Although a fictional story, The Brothers Auschwitz is based on real accounts of brothers Dov and Yitzhak. It follows their journey from when they were teenagers in a small Hungarian village with their family, to their deportation to Auschwitz, their separation, reunion, and survival in the camps, and ultimately their life that follows after.
Nauseating, deplorable, nightmarish, and abhorrent are just some words that come to mind that I felt while reading this, but also words like endurance, passion, impactful, and tenacity. This is an impressive recollection of the horrors of the Holocaust both during and even more important, often looked over, the after.
I do have some mixed emotions on this book although it impacted me in some very emotional ways, I almost gave up with how it was written. Looking at other reviews this seems to be a common complaint. I pushed through but I think it would have been a 5 Star read if written in complete thoughts and sentences. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher at HarperCollins for the digital ARC.
September 16, 2020
I enjoy reading historical fiction books that are set during World War II, so I was really looking forward to reading this book! I, however, was disappointed with the way the story was written. It was really hard for me to read because it was like reading someone's interview notes. There was not a flowing storyline. Just random thoughts written in simple sentences. The story also jumped between the present and past which was confusing. The details of the brother's experiences are very graphic and blunt, so reader beware! If you are a true history buff and don't mind reading detailed notes, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
November 21, 2021
Graphic, painful and extremely well written. The author has known one of her subjects since childhood, and shares their culture if not their experiences, thus very convincingly tells their stories in their own voices.
March 24, 2022
Deși este bazată pe experiența reală a celor doi frați care au reușit să supraviețuiască Holocaustului, Yitzak și Dov, povestea este destul de haotic scrisă.. mi-a luat ceva să mă obișnuiesc cu stilul de scriere și vocabularul folosit. Începutul este destul de derutant iar felul direct și uneori vulgar de a scrie al autoarei nu a fost neaparat pe placul meu..
Cei doi frați și sora acestora nu reușesc să depășească traumele suferite in lagăre și trăiesc mereu cu spaimă. Nu reușesc să se mai încreadă in oameni și se se adaptează cu greu vieții de după Holocaust.
Cei doi frați și sora acestora nu reușesc să depășească traumele suferite in lagăre și trăiesc mereu cu spaimă. Nu reușesc să se mai încreadă in oameni și se se adaptează cu greu vieții de după Holocaust.
June 13, 2024
Incredibly heartbreaking! What makes this book different from all the other WWII books that I have read is that about two-thirds of the book is post war. Rarely have I read anything about what happened after the prisoners were freed and the extent of their mental struggle to feel some safety in post war society.
October 14, 2019
This book is so moving. It is harrowing and stunning, really well written and heartbreakingly raw. The author writes this book with such compassion but take you into the pages of the book with an unflinching rawful truthfulness. I can’t fathom what these people went through. It should never have ever been able to happen and i am so sorry to each and everyone of the people who have been hurt by these awful historical events.
June 1, 2021
I have read many books about the Holocaust. This one by far was the most raw, heart-breaking truth. This book also discussed what happened to these two brothers after the war, where others always end at the end of the war. The author’s writing style was hard for me at first, but then I could not put the book down. These brothers (and their sister) will stay with me always.
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