Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah

by Milton J. Nieuwsma

Draws on interviews with three women who recount their experiences as child survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi death camp.

Genres: Nonfiction

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2001

Reviews

[Laren · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of books about personal Holocaust experiences. What made this one different to me was not only that the memories were from young children, but also that they went beyond liberation to describe the initial mess of having nowhere to go, no idea who lived or died, and rebuilding their lives amid the confusion.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah is the story of some of the youngest survivors from Auschwitz. The stories are told in the women's own words and include photographs of their families and others that are from this time period. The fact that all three of the women were natives of the same small Polish town of Tomaszow Mazowiecki is amazing. The writer for this book does an amazing job of capturing each woman's distinct voice.

[Yassemin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always been interested in this period of history, I decided to pick this up.

Similar to Anne Franks diary in that it recounts through memoir form, the stories of three holocaust and more specifically Auschwitz survivors. Not a book to enjoy by any means but an interesting look at further perspectives into the war against the Jews.

Also serves as a horrible reminder as to the true extent of the ability for humans to act in a truly horrific and evil manner.

If you are interested in this period of history, I would recommend you pick this book up but it is certainly not a light or easy read by any means.

[Quim Sanmarti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it explains the lives before being captured by the Nazis and after the liberation by the Soviet Union in 1945. Also I liked this book because it has pictures where you can see and know the faces of the family in this case. However I would've liked to read more about the experience in the concentration camp but I still think it's a great book.

[Rosemary Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because of its message and the importance of remembering the Holocaust and the depths of depravity to which humans can sink. Evil exists and to ignore it can be fatal.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can one really rate a book like this? It's horrible in its way (one star) and very moving and sad (five stars) in another. The three girls (now old ladies) tell their stories in a matter of fact way, which makes them all the more moving, but no one who wasn't there can really imagine the way it must have been.