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Auschwitzin sabotööri - Auschwitziin vangitun brittisotilaan uskomaton tarina

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Auschwitzin sabotööri valottaa keskitysleirin toimintaa uudesta näkökulmasta ja kertoo vielä tuntemattoman palan sotavankien historiaa Auschwitzissa.

1942 saksalaiset sotilaat vangitsivat nuoren brittiläisen sotilaan Arthur Doddin ja kuljettivat hänet Oswiecimiin Puolaan. Saksalaiset olivat nimenneet paikan uudelleen, he kutsuivat sitä Auschwitziksi. Nimestä tuli sittemmin synonyymi yhdelle ihmiskunnan kaikkien aikojen synkimmistä ajanjaksoista.

Arthur Dodd joutui kovaan pakkotyöhön, näki nälkää ja hänet hakattiin huonoon kuntoon – Arthur luuli elämänsä päättyvän siihen. Saksalaisten vangitsema nuori brittisotilas päätti sabotoida natsien teollisuustuotantoa pakkotyölaitoksessa, josta harvat selviytyivät elävänä pois. Hän laittoi elämänsä alttiiksi yrittäessään helpottaa juutalaisten vankitovereidensa kohtaloa ja auttoi partisaaniryhmän pakoyritystä.

Vangitusta brittisotilaasta kertova järkyttävä tositarina on Sunday Times -bestseller. Kirja ilmestyi englanniksi vuosi sitten ja sitä on myyty tähän mennessä yli 70 000 kappaletta. Kirjan oikeudet on myyty kahdeksaan maahan.

251 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

204 people are currently reading
2900 people want to read

About the author

Colin Rushton

17 books8 followers

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5 stars
879 (32%)
4 stars
916 (33%)
3 stars
708 (26%)
2 stars
178 (6%)
1 star
36 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
Profile Image for Sengagh Hill.
166 reviews2 followers
November 3, 2020
I actually ended up DNF this book which is the first time I’ve ever done that with a book. For me it just wasn’t what I was expecting. It felt very much like someone had just done a load of research and shoved it into a book without adding the storytelling element or any of the personability. I felt so removed from the main person Arthur and just didn’t get a feel for who he was. What really highlighted this for me was the fact that the author dropped in events and details that were so far removed from Arthur’s experience. A key example of this was the fact that Anne Frank’s arrival was mentioned in the book when Arthur never met her or knew of her or anything and so it left me questioning why it was even in this book.
Profile Image for Sam Herbert.
339 reviews6 followers
April 18, 2020
This is a harrowing read: the sheer brutality, cruelty and violence shown to POWs and the Jews at Auschwitz shown by fellow humans is shocking and hard to comprehend. This book follows the journey of one particular British POW, Arthur, and the obstacles he had to face and overcome in order to be free. He's strong and resilient and showed kindness to others throughout his time as prisoner. It's written by the author telling Arthur's story and, although it is well researched, it could have been more personal. I feel it lacked the passion and emotion needed to really deliver this story with an impact.
Profile Image for Milan Trpkovic.
298 reviews65 followers
June 14, 2020
Ispričaću vam utiske o ovoj knjizi iz najmanje tri ugla. Prvi ugao mog gledanja se odnosi na to da volim da čitam knjige sa tematikom Drugog svetskog rata. Drugi ugao se odnosi na to da sam neko ko se bavi proučavanjem Holokausta i ko je pohađao studije o Holokaustu po licenci centra Jad Vašem (Yad Vashem) iz Izraela. Treći ugao gledanja je krajnje empirijski i dolazi iz toga što sam pre skoro 10 godina posetio Aušvic i vlastitim očima video ono što me je nateralo da tih 5 sati ne progovorim ni jednu reč... Sa takvim iskustvom i čitalačkim navikama sam pristupio knjizi „Saboter Aušvica” u izdanju Miba books.
▪️Ova knjiga nije roman, već je spoj biografije i istorijskog pregleda dešavanja u jednom od najozlogašenijih i najvećih logora smrti u celokupnoj istoriji. Oko ovog mesta se nadvio veo tame i užasa pod pokroviteljstvom nacističke ideologije. Obično je Aušvic prvi sinonim za stradalu Jevrejsku zajednicu (što i jeste činjenica i neoborivi fakat), ali važno je dodati da su u ovom logoru (a činilo ga je tri kompleksa) bili i pripadnici drugih naroda. Među njima i Poljaci, Rusi, Jugosloveni, ali i Britanci. Glavni protagonista priče je Artur Dod, britanski vojnik koji je preživeo epopeju stradanja u ovom ozloglašenom logoru.
▪️Prvi i najveći deo knjige se odnosi na njegovu priču i kako je preživeo pakao, dok je istovremeno bio i „saboter”, koji je svojim delanjem u logoru i fabrici Farben zadavao glavobolje onima koji su upravljali logorom i i fabrikom i zarobljenike iskorišćavali kao besplatnu radnu snagu. Drugio deo knjige se sastoji od dodatnih svedočenja Arturovih savremenika ili njihovih potomaka, a koji se nadovezuju na celokupnu priču. Veliki deo javnosti nije znao da su i britanski vojnici bili deo zarobljenika u ovom logoru.
Prikaz knjige na blogu: https://knjigosaurus.com/2020/06/14/s...
Profile Image for ReadWithAbi.
57 reviews5 followers
September 25, 2020
Themes:
Historical, Non-fiction, Holocaust, War, Biography, British Government, Survival, Prisoner of War, Courage, Bravery


Plot:
Arthur Dodd was a British Soldier during WW2. Whilst serving, he became a Prisoner of War (POW) and imprisoned at an Auschwitz sub-camp (Monowitz). POWs are protected under the Geneva Convention rules, however this was not generally followed.

Many British POWs were forced to do hard labour, starved and savagely beaten. Determined to go down fighting, he sabotaged Nazi industrial work, risked his life to alleviate the suffering of the Jewish prisoners and aided a partisan group planning a mass break-out.

This shocking true story sheds new light on the operations at the camp, exposes a hierarchy of prisoner treatment by the SS and presents the largely unknown story of the military POWs held there.


Opinion:
I am still in shock at how recent the Holocaust was, WW2 only ENDED 75 YEARS AGO! I have now learnt what a 'Prisoner of War' is and how they were treated cruelly; to think that Jews were treated worse is unthinkable.

I appreciated how this book was informative and split into sections which also included other survivor's stories. I am rating this book five stars because it is well researched and an important read.
Profile Image for Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice).
1,163 reviews166 followers
April 12, 2020
3.5 stars!

I got a copy from the UK discount chain The Works way back in the New Year or at the end of last year. I've read quite a few WW2 memoirs and history books in my lifetime, so going into reading The Saboteur of Auschwitz, I knew that most of the information and facts wouldn't be new to me. The real experiences of a soldier called Arthur Dodd, who is captured and taken as a POW (Prisoner of War) to the concentration camp called Auschwitz. He is held there along with other POWs for nearly two years during which many others lose their lives due to the cruelty and horrible conditions. I generally thought that the book would be just Arthur's story. However, it is actually split into other parts with even more historical information. That did take up a chunk of the book and took away some of the interest I had as a whole. It was an OK read.
Profile Image for Becky Lockyer.
266 reviews
August 27, 2020
I feel awful giving this book such a low rating, but the truth is that I skimmed the final third because it became repetitive and wordy.

The first half of the book is excellent. It is in equal measure both moving and shocking. I believe this account should absolutely be read by all, to enlighten us to the horrors of our not-so-distant history. I think this is where the book should have concluded.

The final third of the book became a little boring. It was unnecessary and, I feel, added nothing to the incredible account of which the book was supposed to focus. Overall, an important read which should have been done to a much higher standard.
89 reviews
May 15, 2022
Hard not to give 5 stars considering the content and stories told, however I only felt half of the book was actually Arthur's story and very little around the sabotage and the rest, although interesting just felt was padding out the book.
Profile Image for Mr Michael R Stevens.
476 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2020
I have just finished this book and I feel, moved, saddened and educated. This book covers the surprising story of Allied and other POW’s held at the Auschwitz camp.
Put to work by their captors as labourers on the construction at of German chemical works and other factories it tells of their deliberate sabotage of the work they were allocated at the risk of their own lives.
The book is centred around one soldiers story- Arthur Dodd and his experiences but also has input from other survivors of the camp who contacted him, their input only adds to an already remarkable story.
The additional short accounts following Arthur’s account make the story more compelling.

Although people may be familiar with British SOE agents such as Odette Samson being held in the concentration camps few people know of POW’s being held in these camps.

They endured further hardship in their match across Europe to escape the advancing Soviet forces.

Following their repatriation and discharge their treatment by the British authorities beggars belief.

A remarkable story.
14 reviews
August 19, 2020
Interesting to read a British POW's account of being aushwitz, I forget it was not only Jews sent there.
Profile Image for Liv Brooks.
9 reviews3 followers
September 9, 2020
This book is absolutely incredible. It has to be a must read along with the Diary of Anne Frank.

Rushton does an amazing job at enlightening his readers through Arthur Dodd’s accounts of the less publicised atrocities that took place at Auschwitz. I’m ashamed to say that, even as a university history student, I had no idea that there were British POWs at Auschwitz.

Thank you Colin Rushton for writing such a beautifully constructed piece of writing. And thank you to Arthur Dodd for being brave enough to share your story so that it could be used to educate thousands and thousands of people.
Profile Image for Lisa.
22 reviews
January 6, 2020
Haunting

I've read a lot of books relating to the horror of Auschwitz. The sheer spirit, and courage and bravery of all those who played their part in overcoming such evil is nothing short of incredible. I'm left with the knowledge that while humans can be pure evil, there is always light & goodness to eventually overcome it. I feel everyone should read this book & be aware of the hell that was inflicted by other "humans"
Profile Image for Jessica Dobson.
19 reviews
September 3, 2020
Okay so.. I feel bad giving this book a low review as everyone else seems to have loved it!:(
I read the part 1 about Arthur’s story and although it was a good account of his time there, I have read much better books about auschwitz!
I could not carry on reading the other parts as I was quite bored if I’m honest.
Quite a dull book!
Profile Image for Kim Peach.
90 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2021
I feel the title of this book does not reflect the contents of the book, a more appropriate title would be, 'The Saboteurs of Auschwitz.' This book is not just the story of Arthur Dodd, but of all of the British POW's that were held captive at Auschwitz.

After reading some reviews, there seems to be a common theme of people saying that the first half of this book is good, but then it becomes repetitive and contains quotes of documents. I understand what those people mean, but by saying that, I feel they miss the point of the book.

This book contains 5 parts:
1. Arthur's Story
2. Other Accounts
3. Snapshots From Affidavits Given Under Oath At Nuremberg
4. Responses to Authur's Story
5. The British Government's Treatment of Survivors

There is a very important reason for each of these parts. Arthur Dodd's story had already been told as the novel, 'Spectator in Hell' - which is the Aurthur's Story part in this book. The issue this book had was that not many people were aware that Auschwitz contained British Prisoners of War and many did not believe this experience to be truthful, a perfect example for those that argue that Holocaust did not happen. This book has been expanded upon to prove that Arthur did experience what he did. Other accounts is the words of other POW's that experienced what Arthur had experienced, people who can corroborate what Arthur is saying to be true. Snapshots is to show proof that British POW were there in Auschwitz. Responses is letters from family members of those who had also been there. That had read 'Spectator in Hell' and even though, they themselves could not speak of their experiences, Aurthur's story had helped them in some way. British Government is to explain that yes, they knew about British POW's being held in Auschwitz and did practically nothing to help them then or after, once home.

What is different about this book compared to others that I have read before, is the perspective of Auschwitz. Most books that are written are explaining the experience of a Jewish person. We know how they were treated, but having this story from someone in the same place, looking in and describing the treatment of the Jews and just how different and more brutal it was for them, really puts it into perspective just how horrifically they were treated.

There are moments in this book that are difficult to read and I found myself having to put it down to have a break. The hardest being what happened to some of the Jewish children. I do not know what was worse, what I was reading or the fact that this was not the first time I was reading it, which made it incredibly real and even more horrific. It is not just one person saying they saw this, they could have made a mistake, seen something different, but multiple people saying the same things means it was very real. The people that did it saw little to no repercussions for their actions. This is why books like this are so important, to never forget and to never repeat.
Profile Image for Tom Platt.
1 review
October 16, 2020
Upon purchasing this book I knew what I was in for. However the title of “The Saboteur of Auschwitz” gave me an added angle of interest. Keen to know about what kind of skulduggery a British POW got up to, I thought and was told exactly what these brave and enduring British soldiers did to frustrate and slow down the Nazi war machine and its industrialized mass murder factory.

Arthur’s story was one of endurance. He suffered great physical and mental abuse as did every human at that hell hole who wasn’t a Nazi. I acknowledge his story.

However in part two of the other people’s accounts I could not continue. Extremely disturbing, and it is not out of a lack of respect to the victims. Absolutely not, I am aware of such depravity they had to endure but reading this for me was too difficult. I know from many examples from this book and others what happened there. But reading it in this book was too stressful. Particularly when it came to children I had to stop or skip parts. In the end it became too much. Mentally prepare yourself for this one, particularly part 2.

One cannot understand how human beings can behave in such a way to each other. Lost for words.
Profile Image for milsbookcorner.
11 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2020
I don’t know where to begin or what to say about this book. I have to admit shamefully that this is my first auschwitz read however there is a few that I do want to read! I’m so pleased I chose to read this because it’s opened my eyes in ways I never knew were possible, I thought I had somewhat knowledge on the place however after reading this I truly felt I’ve learnt more from this single book than 18 years of learning! because the book is an account of Arthur’s time pre, there and post auschwitz meant that you got a very personal and raw view which I don’t think you can get anywhere else. As I said I know I haven’t read a book like this before but I can not imagine reading anything ever as well as this was put!
Profile Image for Holly.
253 reviews84 followers
October 24, 2022
I enjoyed this book it was good.

I think i would of enjoyed it more if i was more familiar with the history of the war and my understanding of it so my rating was not reflected on a poor book it was more my personal lack of knowledge of the war but this was a heartbreaking story of what happened to Arthur and many others during war and their time at the Auschwitz camp.
Reading how inhumanely people were treated made it a tough read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marta Alexandra.
3 reviews
August 2, 2024
I ended up DNF at 60%.
Felt more like I was reading a report as I’ve seen other reviews mentioning, specially on part II and onwards.
There was not much of a story telling in my view and that made it really hard to continue to enjoy the book. Compared to other books that I’ve read about Auschwitz and the holocaust this was one of my least favorite so far.
Profile Image for Christina.
143 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2024
Like others I did not finish this book. I read Arthur’s story and the first 3 chapters before I gave up with it. Wanting to like it because of what it’s about but I found it very jumpy and parts of stories sort of mashed together.
Profile Image for Isobel Edwards.
44 reviews3 followers
May 31, 2023
I feel awful rating this book so low because obviously the story is so important for everyone to read. However the writing made it so hard to engage with and I felt so disconnected from Arthur
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,067 reviews5 followers
Read
August 14, 2020
Haunting. I appreciated the multiple sections of the book, especially people who wrote letters.
Profile Image for Claire Brown.
32 reviews
February 3, 2021
A tricky read. I expected a "true story", but this is more of a factual account. In some ways, therefore, it makes it a more horrifying read in the sense that there is no exaggeration or flowery language - it is very matter-of-fact in its delivery. However, I felt that certain moments lacked the emotion necessary to be as impactful as they are in other similar accounts.
Having said that, I think it is an important story and hits home more due to the fact that Arthur is British - not much is known about Auschwitz from that perspective. The added accounts and reactions from readers are also an added bonus.
Profile Image for Tracy.
18 reviews
July 26, 2022
Enjoyed this book, was about a young British soldier captured and eventually ended up in Auschwits , forced to do hard labour and also witnessed all the atrocities of how the Jews were treated and also how he survived himself on the march to Freedom when liberation came, of all the holocaust books I have read never knew British soldiers were also at Auschwits, a really good read.
16 reviews
May 1, 2025
Great insight into the experiences of British POW’s and their mistreatment by the Nazis during their incarceration, and then the UK government after the War. Absolutely shocking, and I have no doubt that the same would happen today.
Profile Image for Björn.
126 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2024
Helvetet på jorden.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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