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Holocaust: A History
Unrivaled in reach and scope, Holocaust illuminates the long march of events, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, which led to this great atrocity. It is a story of all Europe, of Nazis and their allies, the experience of wartime occupation, the suffering and strategies of marked victims, the failure of international rescue, and the success of individual rescuers. It alone in Holocaust literature negotiates the chasm between the two histories, that of the perpetrators and of the victims and their families, shining new light on German actions and Jewish reactions.
No other book in any language has so embraced this multifaceted story. Holocaust uniquely makes use of oral histories recorded by the authors over fifteen years across Europe and the United States, as well as never-before-analyzed archival documents, letters, and diaries; it contains in addition seventy-five illustrations and sixteen original maps, each accompanied by an extended caption. This book is an original analysis of a defining event.
No other book in any language has so embraced this multifaceted story. Holocaust uniquely makes use of oral histories recorded by the authors over fifteen years across Europe and the United States, as well as never-before-analyzed archival documents, letters, and diaries; it contains in addition seventy-five illustrations and sixteen original maps, each accompanied by an extended caption. This book is an original analysis of a defining event.
464 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
15 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Dwork
17 books20 followersA renowned historian of Holocaust, Dwork is the Rose Professor of Holocaust History and Director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Department of History, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 25, 2021
This may be one of the finest history of the Holocaust I have read.....the author covers all aspects of the genocide of the Jewish people, from the history of antisemitism to the actual horror of the extermination of a race. She explains the Aryan myth put forward by different philosophers, especially Nietzsche's ubermenschen and untermenschen separation of civilization and how the German's ascribed to that idea as a basis for what was to become one of the most horrific events of the modern world. The chilling words of Himmler in a 1943 meeting with SS leaders indicate the total fantasy of the German superman...."I am referring to the evacuation of the Jews, the annihilation of the Jewish people.....In our history, this is an unwritten and never-to-be-written page of glory".
We are shown the transit camps, the slave labor camps, and the "gassing" camps which were all part of the "final solution". And once the war ended and the horrors were visible to the world, the denying began. It was not until the Mossad of Israel grabbed Adolph Eichmann off the streets in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to trial in Israel, that people began to study the Holocaust seriously. That study continues today and if you wish to learn or add to your learning of the Holocaust, this book is the one to have. Highly recommended.
We are shown the transit camps, the slave labor camps, and the "gassing" camps which were all part of the "final solution". And once the war ended and the horrors were visible to the world, the denying began. It was not until the Mossad of Israel grabbed Adolph Eichmann off the streets in Argentina in 1960 and brought him to trial in Israel, that people began to study the Holocaust seriously. That study continues today and if you wish to learn or add to your learning of the Holocaust, this book is the one to have. Highly recommended.
June 26, 2013
Excellent comprehensive coverage of the historical details while still giving the victims agency and individuality.
July 19, 2025
dang!! this lowkey took me an embarrassingly long time to read, but in my defense, i annotated every single page to make sure i was absorbing the information and not skimming. this book was informative, captivating, and an important read for me; a major part of my job is managing tours at a holocaust memorial.
i knew my holocaust education was lacking (we read “number the stars” in elementary or middle school and had a one-day holocaust unit sophomore year), but i still learned more than i expected to. i didn’t realize how much of the torture and murder occurred way before the extermination camps— through ghettos, concentration camps, labor/satellite camps. i also obviously knew that more than “just” the jews were targeted, but i didn’t realize how other groups were “guinea pigs” for the methods of judeocide— like how the gassing was initially developed to kill disabled people. i was surprised that this book didn’t mention the forced medical testing put upon jews by mengele, but i also understand that not everything can fit into a 386-page book.
a crucial part of this book is how much it focuses on what led up to the holocaust; the extermination camps aren’t mentioned until around the last quarter of the book. it is integral understand that the holocaust didn’t happen in a vacuum. part of its “uniqueness” is the long history of anti-jewish hate and antisemitism (religiously and racially motivated) across the globe.
an added bonus of this book is how enjoyable (well, as enjoyable as a book about the holocaust can be) it was to read prose-wise. debórah dwork and robert jan van pelt are wonderful writers. i read nonfiction because i want to learn more, but sometimes it can feel like like a slog to pull myself through a book. this did not.
i plan to read anne frank’s diary next. i also have “lily’s promise,” “finding myself in the holocaust,” and “maus” on my bookshelf. i seem to have accumulated quite the collection.
in the future, i’d like to read more about what the aftermath of the holocaust looked like for its survivors. that’s a topic i know very little about, though the epilogue did touch upon it.
i definitely recommend this book to people looking to learn more about the holocaust and how it came to be.
i knew my holocaust education was lacking (we read “number the stars” in elementary or middle school and had a one-day holocaust unit sophomore year), but i still learned more than i expected to. i didn’t realize how much of the torture and murder occurred way before the extermination camps— through ghettos, concentration camps, labor/satellite camps. i also obviously knew that more than “just” the jews were targeted, but i didn’t realize how other groups were “guinea pigs” for the methods of judeocide— like how the gassing was initially developed to kill disabled people. i was surprised that this book didn’t mention the forced medical testing put upon jews by mengele, but i also understand that not everything can fit into a 386-page book.
a crucial part of this book is how much it focuses on what led up to the holocaust; the extermination camps aren’t mentioned until around the last quarter of the book. it is integral understand that the holocaust didn’t happen in a vacuum. part of its “uniqueness” is the long history of anti-jewish hate and antisemitism (religiously and racially motivated) across the globe.
an added bonus of this book is how enjoyable (well, as enjoyable as a book about the holocaust can be) it was to read prose-wise. debórah dwork and robert jan van pelt are wonderful writers. i read nonfiction because i want to learn more, but sometimes it can feel like like a slog to pull myself through a book. this did not.
i plan to read anne frank’s diary next. i also have “lily’s promise,” “finding myself in the holocaust,” and “maus” on my bookshelf. i seem to have accumulated quite the collection.
in the future, i’d like to read more about what the aftermath of the holocaust looked like for its survivors. that’s a topic i know very little about, though the epilogue did touch upon it.
i definitely recommend this book to people looking to learn more about the holocaust and how it came to be.
July 30, 2018
This work provides a comprehensive history of the Holocaust. Beginning with the history of Judaism and ending with mention of deniers in recent history, this book covers much content. Full of many thought-provoking passages, accounts, statistics and facts, it reveals the horrors of the Holocaust. It details ghettos, the refugee crisis and story of the Holocaust in all nations of Europe. I highly recommend this book. This is sobering history that everyone should know and that we must never forget.
March 4, 2021
I gave this book a different 5 stars than I would any other book. I have given Dwork and Van Pelt 5 starts because they have achieved something incredibly important. Understanding the past, no matter how unspeakable, is crucial, in my opinion, to fully understanding what it means to be a human. The places we inhabit, the people we talk to, the society we take part in, has been shaped by the events that transpired before us. Only by reading, thinking, and talking about those past events and putting yourself in another's shoes, can we have empathy for others in similar situations. The Holocaust was an event which displayed the most evil version of humanity possible. The Nazis and their collaborators murdered 6 million defenseless, peaceful Jews, not because of what they believed or had done, but because of who they were. The book described the horrors and dehumanization of Jews from 1939-1945, and at times, the personal accounts included by the authors drove me to tears and sickness. Presented here is not a textbook reporting the perspective of victorious Allies saving the defenseless Jews from the clutches of the Nazi hun. The true story written in this book depicts an unprecedented genocide of an entire people while the rest of the great world powers watched. They saw their own smoldering "isolationist" antisemitism and justified themselves in light of the roaring flames in Germany, Austria, and Poland. Dwork and Van Pelt tell the stories of the brave few who helped their Jewish neighbors, but acknowledge that it was just that--the few. The narrative for the Holocaust must be changed. It must be taught. I should not have had to specifically enroll in a "History of the Holocaust" course in college before I learn anything more than a number--6 million-- and the name "Auschwitz." Is this lack of proper education complacency? Is it flat out denial of the facts? Is the subject too graphic? No. This is a 5 star book because it does not simply entertain your Sunday afternoons, but it will open your eyes, like it did my own, to a part of history that should be understood by everyone.
August 10, 2020
A leftover from Shannon's college Holocaust classes, this is undeniably a masterfully researched and written history of the holocaust, from its roots in the Middle Ages to 21st-century deniers. Unfortunately, I couldn't read more than a few chapters, not because it lacks quality or I lack interest, but because I am sick of Trump and the Republican Party's destruction of civil rights and the rule of law in America today, and their general incompetence, greed, and cruelty. It will be years, or even decades, before we can reverse the damage they have caused to America, and until then, I can't read about other civilizations that were destroyed by people just like them, and from which we have learned nothing.
Read
September 2, 2019Exceptionally good account, well-researched and fascinating. Even if you have read a ton of Holocaust material as i have, you feel there is never enough to read, so i was pleased to find this and another book by the same authors. Reading about the same process and events from slightly different perspectives through the eyes of others is a valuable experience. The whole history of the Holocaust is so vast that many details and people can be forgotten unintentionally, so it's worthwhile to be reminded in books like these.
June 23, 2022
A very good historical outline of the events surrounding the Holocaust. Includes many personal stories as well as quotes from survivors, political leaders of the war years, and world news reporters, etc. Well done!
December 26, 2022
Very good book if your interested in this subject. Easy to read and very informative
March 18, 2021
Nationalism & The Blame
Nationalism needs an enemy. In the United States of America, this blame has almost always fallen on the shoulders of immigrants. In Nazi Germany, the blame fell primarily on the shoulders of the Jewish people. Once an enemy has been created, a powder keg for extreme violence and cruelty is set to blow. In this book, I found it both heartbreaking and fascinating to watch Hitler couple this hatred with economic populism and then to follow the cascade toward concentration camps and genocide.
The Swiftness of It All
Germany’s surrender to authoritarian rule gave birth to concentrated power which led to ghettos, mass deportations, annexations, mass genocide, a war in Europe, a world war, and finally Hitler’s death by suicide. As I read this book, I was floored by the swiftness of it all. In a little over a decade, the decisions of a few and the complacency of millions changed the course of human history for eternity.
Cruel
It is impossible to experience something about the Holocaust and not be struck by the cruelty of it all. Beginning with laws meant to punish and isolate Jewish people, the Nazi’s dangerous worldview soon morphed into ghettos, concentration camps, mass executions, and demented forms of punishment. Reading the stories of families torn apart and lives lost because of this genocide made a profound and life-altering impact on me. After reading these stories, I will never be the same again.
Lingering Impact
After discovering the damage done by the Nazis, the world promised to never let this happen again. Yet, it has occurred again. Rwanda, Burma, Yugoslavia, and China, we have allowed this to happen again. For fear of starting another massive conflict, we, as the United States, have relegated ourselves to sanctions, official press releases, and media stunts. The rest of the world has followed suit and people have continued to die.
Nationalism needs an enemy. In the United States of America, this blame has almost always fallen on the shoulders of immigrants. In Nazi Germany, the blame fell primarily on the shoulders of the Jewish people. Once an enemy has been created, a powder keg for extreme violence and cruelty is set to blow. In this book, I found it both heartbreaking and fascinating to watch Hitler couple this hatred with economic populism and then to follow the cascade toward concentration camps and genocide.
The Swiftness of It All
Germany’s surrender to authoritarian rule gave birth to concentrated power which led to ghettos, mass deportations, annexations, mass genocide, a war in Europe, a world war, and finally Hitler’s death by suicide. As I read this book, I was floored by the swiftness of it all. In a little over a decade, the decisions of a few and the complacency of millions changed the course of human history for eternity.
Cruel
It is impossible to experience something about the Holocaust and not be struck by the cruelty of it all. Beginning with laws meant to punish and isolate Jewish people, the Nazi’s dangerous worldview soon morphed into ghettos, concentration camps, mass executions, and demented forms of punishment. Reading the stories of families torn apart and lives lost because of this genocide made a profound and life-altering impact on me. After reading these stories, I will never be the same again.
Lingering Impact
After discovering the damage done by the Nazis, the world promised to never let this happen again. Yet, it has occurred again. Rwanda, Burma, Yugoslavia, and China, we have allowed this to happen again. For fear of starting another massive conflict, we, as the United States, have relegated ourselves to sanctions, official press releases, and media stunts. The rest of the world has followed suit and people have continued to die.
November 17, 2018
4 STARS
"Unrivaled in reach and scope, Holocaust illuminates the long march of events, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, which led to this great atrocity. It is a story of all Europe, of Nazis and their allies, the experience of wartime occupation, the suffering and strategies of marked victims, the failure of international rescue, and the success of individual rescuers. It alone in Holocaust literature negotiates the chasm between the two histories, that of the perpetrators and of the victims and their families, shining new light on German actions and Jewish reactions.
No other book in any language has so embraced this multifaceted story. Holocaust uniquely makes use of oral histories recorded by the authors over fifteen years across Europe and the United States, as well as never-before-analyzed archival documents, letters, and diaries; it contains in addition seventy-five illustrations and sixteen original maps, each accompanied by an extended caption. This book is an original analysis of a defining event." (From Amazon)
I read this for my History course on the Holocaust. It is a great text for anyone who is wishes to get started on knowing or knowing more about the Holocaust.
"Unrivaled in reach and scope, Holocaust illuminates the long march of events, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, which led to this great atrocity. It is a story of all Europe, of Nazis and their allies, the experience of wartime occupation, the suffering and strategies of marked victims, the failure of international rescue, and the success of individual rescuers. It alone in Holocaust literature negotiates the chasm between the two histories, that of the perpetrators and of the victims and their families, shining new light on German actions and Jewish reactions.
No other book in any language has so embraced this multifaceted story. Holocaust uniquely makes use of oral histories recorded by the authors over fifteen years across Europe and the United States, as well as never-before-analyzed archival documents, letters, and diaries; it contains in addition seventy-five illustrations and sixteen original maps, each accompanied by an extended caption. This book is an original analysis of a defining event." (From Amazon)
I read this for my History course on the Holocaust. It is a great text for anyone who is wishes to get started on knowing or knowing more about the Holocaust.
April 25, 2014
Deborah Dwork and Robert Jan van Pelt helps us see the true terror behind the mass extinction of Jews during the 1930’s. Holocaust: A History gives full detail on the terrible crime of the Holocaust. This historic non-fiction book will have you on the verge of tears as you read this memorable tragedy.
The Holocaust was a terrible time when Nazi Germany ruled Eastern Europe and had one goal: Kill all the Jews. This novel goes into great detail about the lives of the Jews and even the Germans. Holocaust: A History helps us remeber the dark times during the Nazi reign and how America helped stop the crime.
I didn’t enjoy Holocaust: A History very much, but it would be a great book to learn more of this terrible time during World War 2. Any history teacher or history teacher or history-loving student would enjoy this book. Holocaust: A History will rip you back to the past to witness this historic tragedy during the 1930s.
February 25, 2016
I read this a number of years ago but I remember that it was extremely good. This is a well researched, in-depth look at the horrific treatment of the Jew, the Gypsies, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and any others deemed weak by the Nazis. The systematic destruction of a population throughout Europe and parts of Asia by the maniacs of the Third Reich is still shocking 70 years later. If you want to know more about the Holocaust this is a book for you.
February 25, 2009
This book layers many different narratives. For a more 'textbook' kind of book, I had a hard time putting it down. It's an easy read, and lacks any academic jargon. The authors interweave personal narratives with more historical/documentary accounts of the Holocaust, making one take note of both the massive scale, and the intensely personal nature of the crimes.
January 17, 2016
An incredibly informative account of the Holocaust without all of the victimization, guilt, and blame. I learned things about the Holocaust I'd never known before, and now I feel like I understand the time period, the cause of the event, and the people who caused it even more. My teacher was right - this really is one of the best accounts out there.
June 18, 2008
A concise, yet thorough, introduction to all of the major political, social, and historical aspects of the Holocaust.
June 27, 2009
Incredible findings from many years of intense, cutting edge, shcolarly research. A must read for anyone who has an interest in the Holocaust.
February 1, 2014
Extremely well researched.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews