Return to Auschwitz

by Kitty Hart

Describes day-to-day life in the Auschwitz prison camp, where, as a teenager, the author and her mother spent eighteen months, until a forced march across Germany ended in liberation

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Kitty Hart-Moxon, OBE (born Kitty Felix in 1926) is a Polish-English Holocaust survivor. She was sent to the Auschwitz labor camp in 1943 at the age of 16, where she survived for two years, and was also imprisoned at other camps. Shortly after her liberation in April 1945 by American soldiers, she moved to England with her mother, where she married and dedicated her life to raising awareness of the Holocaust. She has written two autobiographies entitled "I am Alive" and "Return to Auschwitz."
A Yorkshire Television documentary, "Kitty: Return to Auschwitz," won international awards and was seen by millions. In 2003, she worked with the BBC to make a second documentary, titled "Death March: A Survivor's Story," in which she retraced the death march from Auschwitz-Birkenau back to Germany.

Reviews

[Mary Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman's remarkable story of survival during Germany's occupation of Poland, one of the darkest times of WW2. Kitty and her family survive the Lublin ghettos and attempt to cross into the Soviet Union only to be turned back. They must plan another way out of the ghetto. Bravely posing as laborers inside the Reich, Kitty and her mother are identified as Jews and subsequently imprisoned in Germany where they receive a death sentence. Forced in front of a long line of machine guns, she and her mother stare death in the face when a laughing team of Nazi assassins reveals the firing squad is a ruse. The women are immediately transferred to Auschwitz. Kitty and her mother survive eighteen horrifying months inside one of the most feared concentration camps. They survive a death march across an icy, freezing Germany before being liberated by American troops.Haunting. Gut wrenching. True!

This is a story of survival when odds of surviving are stacked. Kitty endures, often times barely escaping extermination herself. She pushed herself to live day after day - through hunger, mental torture, brutal whippings, illness, and some of the most unspeakable acts of brutality so she could live to tell the story of those that died. How some claim this genocide never took place boggles the mind! Kitty Hart wore the number 39934 to prove it. This is her tale of terror inside Auschwitz. She returned to Auschwitz as a free woman with her grown son in 1978. It is an amazing story that moved me to tears. Many, many tears.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re interested in the history of the Holocaust, Kitty Hart’s memoir should definitely be on your to-read list. It’s a candid personal account that holds nothing back and offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a resourceful inmate who did anything possible and impossible to survive. What truly earned my utmost respect was the fact that Kitty had never lost her morals or stooped to the level of the SS collaborators (Kapos and block elders, for instance) in order to curry favor. She refused to steal from the living and only “organized” what could be “organized” from the dead or from the riches of the Kanada - a sorting detail where the inmates’ possessions were processed and disinfected before being shipped to Germany. Her loyalty to her friends and her refusal to lose her humanity even in such horrific circumstances is worth admiration, just like her resourcefulness and spirit. Kitty was fortunate enough to eventually land in a “privileged” detail where one could “organize” food, clothes, whatever daily items (such as toothbrushes or soap), where inmates had their own barracks that weren’t overcrowded and where there was real bedding; they had access to showers and were permitted to grow out their hair and wear “pretty dresses.” However, Kitty’s experiences before the Kanada and after can only be described as hellish. Through her frank account, the horrors of the extermination camp come alive: back-breaking work in the outside work detail, beatings, abuse, widespread disease, friends and relatives dying before one’s eyes, and hope slowly slipping away along with one’s strength. Kitty’s memoir is a reminder to all of us that hatred and nationalism has gone nowhere and is merely dormant, waiting for a chance to rear its ugly head if we don’t stay vigilant. For that reason, we constantly need to read more of such accounts and educate younger generations to ensure that the horrific past doesn’t repeat itself.

[Judith Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

What words do you use to describe such a book. It is brilliantly written and doesn’t attempt to shield the reader from the horrors. If you’ve never read anything about the Holocaust read this book. If you’ve read a lot about the Holocaust read this book. Kitty has brought the book up to date in the final chapter, which is horrific in its own way re what is happening today. It is obviously a very difficult book to read which is more reason to read it. I was born 11 years after the end of the war and as I grew up in England I new but didn’t know about the Holocaust. As there are fewer and fewer survivors of this horrific genocide the responsibility lies with the rest of us to ensure no one ever forgets. Particularly as there are a group of deniers that this ever happened. Not only deniers but there seems to be a resurgence of antisemitism which is happening in Britain and I guess by some all over the world. So read this book then pass it on to others to read and fight against all racism.

[19AdamsB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely for year 8/9+
I think everyone should read this book or one like it at some point in their lives. Tragic, depressing, and completely true. It really made me realise how valuable life was and how lucky I am to be able to live and express who I am without the threat of death hanging over me constantly. The subject matter is very sensitive and should be treated very seriously but it is essential to learn about. The only way to stop history repeating itself is by facing it head on. We must learn about the atrocities and violence people have committed. We must remember that any ordinary person could be destroyed in seconds by the fires of war. We must vow that we will stop anything like this happening ever again. Because, if it does, who's to say you wouldn't be the first to die? Or worse, the first to kill...

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly well written. Kitty Hart has the heart of a lion and the soul of a saint. She tells her story with bravery, literary intelligence and truth. I could only read a bit at a time because of the depth and atrocity of the story that so fatally played out durng the holocaust, most notably at Auschwitz. Though it is a difficult read, as Kitty says several times during the book, of how she kept up the faith, the truth must be told and known. Let that horrific period in history never be forgotten and by no means EVER repeated!

[Jokrcon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, shocking and inspiring story of survival.

[skketch · Rating 5 out of 5]

***NOVEL THOUGHTS***

An absolutely stunning memoir of Kitty Hart's ordeal as a prisoner of the Holocaust and her perseverance to survive the horrendous years in Auschwitz at the hands of the Nazi regime. As Polish Jews, she and her mother must struggle to live in the ghetto set up by the Germans after Poland was invaded, their home and possessions taken leaving them to scrounge with her father and brother for any way to stay alive. After making a lifechanging and desperate decision to go their separate ways in order to have a chance to live, Kitty and her mother are rounded up as political prisoners and sent to the deadliest example of a Nazi death camp where gassing and crematories are used daily over the 4 years of her internment there. If it could be considered lucky, she and her mother's label as political prisoners give them a bit more protection and better "jobs" within the camp. It is through her mother's language skills and Kitty's clever ways to work the system, they both manage to survive until liberation though it is not without being near death many times through starvation, disease, severe beatings and exposure to the elements.
This book was written in 1982 and while most of us are familiar with the outrages of the Holocaust through a variety of mediums throughout the decades, reading this written by someone who had lived it, the devastation takes on a deeper and fresher meaning because it is the telling of someone's own suffering, pain and losses. But, it is also someone who is has my respect. Kitty and her mother were so brave. They somehow found a way to prevail over such evil and outlast the horrors so they could be the voices that could tell the world the story. Though she goes on with her life, to marry, have children, fulfill her dream for an education, she obviously remained scarred from this forever.
We all have said that this could never happen again, we are too smart to allow it. But thinking this was a one-off, think again. She writes (pg 171) "It's over and done with....Anyway, it could only have happened in Germany." "That's not true. It could have happened anywhere. It can still happen anywhere if conditions are right. There are awful signs, in fact of it beginning to happen in various parts of the world yet again, and getting worse.... When you hear someone saying 'That Jewish lot down the road' or 'It's high time those bloody blacks were rounded up and sent back where they belong', you are listening to the very people whose prejudices can so readily be inflamed by cunning propaganda at the right moment. And, just as guilty as their predecessors in Hitler's day, there will be those who take no active part, yet allow it all to happen thorough selfish indifference." <-----quoted from a book written in 1982!!

[Annaleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

My History teacher was kind enough to lend me this book, and the documentary that went through it. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it would have been for Kitty to write this, but I commend her for doing so, and for doing it ever so skillfully.

The maain message that Kitty was trying to get across in this book was that to is so very important that we remember the horrific event that was the Holocaust, for in, say another 20 years there will be no other survivors.

That Is why I would recommend this book to everybody, so that everybody will know how fearless she was, and how courageous she was through moments of absolute terror.

Thank you, Kitty, for sharing your story.

[Ginger Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty Hart spent almost 3years in Auschwitz and lived to beat witness. No one wanted to hear what she had to say but she spoke anyway. She survived as did her mother. This book is about her first return to Auschwitz in the company of her son, David. What an amazingly brave, beautiful,person. A strength of character so often missing in today's world.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everbody should read. Gripping and yet truly shocking. This can never happen again. I am full of admiration for the author - I could not have withstood this - she has so much fight and strength and is an inspiration...

[Manjula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching and inspiring

[Donna Tarver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty intense. The writing was good, and the story was compelling. It took me a long time to read because I could only read a little at a time, and I did put it down for other books a couple times. I am glad I finished it, and I did learn quite a bit, but it was very hard to read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and fast read. Could not put this down. Told from a survivors view, and what happened to her after being liberated. Highly recommend.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible account of surviving Auschwitz and a reminder of what can never happen again.

[Jessica Cleghorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving memoir of Kitty's experiences during the holocaust. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to know more about the holocaust and/or Auschwitz.

[Tanvir Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most gripping holocaust books. This is a must read and a heart-wrenching story from an atrocity that should never have happened.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who dares to learn the cruel capacities of your fellow human beings. Descriptive. Eye-opening. Educational.

[Mr Keith Malda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mum gave me her copy of this when I was a young teenager (maybe 12 or 13?) and this was how I learned about the holocaust. I’ve thought about this book regularly ever since

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having had the greatest pleasure in meeting Kitty Hart-Moxon at a Holocaust Educational Trust 'Lessons From Auschwitz' project, I decided that I simply had to read her book (which is easily my most prized book as she signed it for me). Upon finishing her testimony I was simply blown away by the courage of this amazing woman, who was only 17 when liberated. Her survival seems nigh on miraculous having survived selections in the medical block by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, beatings and starvation and the sheer amount of jobs that she had when in Birkenau means that her account is one of the most thorough about spending time in Auschwitz. I would recommend this to everyone as a moving and awe inspiring account of a young woman and her mother's survival in the harshest of conditions and it is a testament to the spirit and vigour of Kitty herself whom I have boundless respect for.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a very difficult book to read, because what happenned in Auschwitz is truly unfathomable. The fact that it is a memoir and that Kitty Hart is telling her true story of what really happenned makes it all the more real. Parts are gruesome and grotesque, but it was almost like a history lesson because what could be a myth by a person who has no realization of what happenned becomes the truth. On the other hand, some of what we consider the truth, is really a myth.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently visited and been deeply moved by a visit to Auschwitz during a trip to Cracow, I wanted to find out more about life in the camp. Kitty Hart's story is a hearftfelt, searing and devastating account of the dehumanising effects of the brutal realities of the constant battle for survival in a concentration camp.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly scary...

I once met a lady who had been in Auschwitz (I was about 12 and with my Mum who worked with her)

She cried all over me when my mum introduced us as she had been experimented on in the camps and could not have kids..

So I have read all I can about the Holocaust.

This is the best one that I have read.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was basically "I am Alive" with an added beginning and ending. While I quibble with some details concerning Dr. Mengele (after finishing "Children of the Flames"), this is an extraordinarily well-written book. Kitty Hart really is a remarkable person.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who can find it.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember a documentary about Kitty Hart being my introduction to the Holocaust, many years later I finally came around to reading the book. This inspired me to visit Poland and see for myself this terrible place. This is the brave tale of one survivor whose tattooed number was so low many couldn't believe she could be still alive. Thanks Kitty for a book we didn't deserve.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely remarkable memoir of her experience with the Holocaust... She refused to give in to the hatred that threatened to envelope her heart due to the way she was treated. Many blessing upon Kitty Hart. A must-read.

[Simon Zohhadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a teenager. Recommended to anybody who needs to understand the full horrors of Nazi Germany. Incredibly there are some who do not believe this historical truth. A very sad book about the worst crime against humanity.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book written by a survivor of the Holocaust. In the book she describes the time she and her mother spent together in the Auschwitz camp. I read this when I was a teenager and couldn't put it down. I really want to get this book again.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be compulsory reading. Beautifully and touchingly told, sometimes very uncomfortable, but if you want to know the truth, told first hand, this is the book. I had the privilege of meeting Kitty on holiday this year, which made reading her story so much more poignant.

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very important book. And I bought it for 30p at a car boot sale. Anyway, this book is so important as it is a vital lesson from history, one that we should all learn to avoid it ever happening again. A vivid, shocking, unique tale.

[Nick Mahieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een ontluisterend verslag van een Poolse tiener die in Auschwitz 'verbleef'. Ze is een van de weinige gelukkigen die het overleefd heeft en die kan getuigen over de pure horror en waanzin die daar plaatsgevonden heeft.