What do you think?
Rate this book
Because of Romek: A Holocaust Survivor's Memoir
This is a nonfiction, personal narrative that tells the true story of a young boy's courage in the face of Nazi attrocities during WWII. Born in Poland, David Faber as a teenager survived eight concentration camps, witnessed the murder of his family, and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945, at the age of 18, weighing only 72 pounds. Because of Romek fulfills David's promise to his mother to tell the world what happened to his family.
216 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 1990
30 people are currently reading
2266 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
December 3, 2009
I was lucky enough to borrow a signed copy of this book from a co-worker whose daughter had heard David Faber speak at her school. Never in my life have I had to stop reading a book multiple times because it was too intense or emotionally difficult to get through until I read this book. One of the most detailed and horrific accounts of one boy's experience in not only nine different concentration camps, but also his experiences in the ghetto before, and what tragic things happened out on the streets everyday. It's incomprehenisble what Faber witnessed and went through and how many different times he narrowly escaped death. This is one of the most raw, detailed and heart-wrenching accounts of life under Nazi rule I have ever read. I think everybody needs to read this book to really understand what millions of people went through. It's an honest testimony of what the human spirit can endure, and what lengths people have gone to survive the unthinkable.
Read
October 18, 2008I decided to read this book since I am very drawn to personal accounts of the holocaust. Wow, this book was sad, what an injustice! I can't believe how these people were treated. I was able to learn more about some of the other camps as he was only in Auschwitz for a short time. A very sad account, but I also appreciate the acts of kindess that were pointed out in the book, it's reassuring to see some good in the midst of so much evil.
I have one small complaint about the book, during each chapter certian words or events were referenced or noted, but the additional information wasn't at the end of each chapter, rather it was all compiled in the back of the book. It would've been nice to have it a bit more accessible as I was reading.
I have one small complaint about the book, during each chapter certian words or events were referenced or noted, but the additional information wasn't at the end of each chapter, rather it was all compiled in the back of the book. It would've been nice to have it a bit more accessible as I was reading.
September 18, 2022
I loved the writing and the story. Why 2 stars? It begins with people asking questions about his brother, then David's journey, then that was it. I wanted more explanation about why people were looking for his brother. It just seemed the story went a different direction. But it was a good story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2012
How have I not added this to my read list already?! David Faber came to my high school when I was in 11th grade. He told us about his childhood and life story in the camps, ghetto, and during the Holocaust. I specifically remember that at one point he had to stop to take a break and drink water. He was so upset (after telling us most of his story) that he shook as he drank his water, so much that he couldn't actually sip from the bottle. I remember crying as well and then deciding to spend my birthday money, right then and there, on his book that he had brought with him. His story might not be as well known as Elie Wiesel's or Anne Frank's, but it is just as horrific and important. This is a must read.
Read
September 23, 2010Because of Romek is a memoir written by Holocaust survivor, David Faber. David wrote the book about his brother Romek. The young David Faber survived the horrors of the Holocaust because of Romek and a promise he had made. Romek, is part of the Jewish Resist, he was killed and tortured in front of his younger brother. The promise David made was to his mother, he promised her he’d “stay alive.” He fulfilled that promise, and this book tells us how. With great support and optimism, David Faber never gave up, and because of it he lives today to tell the story.
In the mid-1960s, the FBI and CIA contacted David Faber to testify against Nazi war criminals, expressing the importance of it to the American and German governments. Until then, he did not know that his older brother, Romek, whom he watched the Nazis torture to death many years earlier, had been involved in a Resitance plot to avert the Nazi’s ability to create an atomic bomb. When David testified, he relived all the horrors of his experiences during the war - concentration camps, murders, tortures, starvation, and disease. When David Faber was 13 years old, he had witnessed the murders of his parents, his brother Romek, and five of his six sisters. He survived nine concentration camps between the ages of 13-18.
Simply written, but powerful, is the best way to describe the writing behind the book. For example, “I turned and started back, then tripped and fell, spilling the flour. I lay across the wife’s plump body. Hurriedly, I got up. I had to get more flour” (Page, 90). David writes as though he is making conversation, it’s so natural and easily written that the feelings and memory behind the story is riveting. Because of Romek pulls the reader into the story, illuminating the past and clearly showing the readers the devastation of which he went through. “I followed close behind him as we dragged the bodies a few hundred feet. I kept my eyes looking down and tried not to see what was sliding along the ground in front of me, not to think about what I was doing” (Page, 187).
With great support and optimism, David Faber never gave up, and because of it he lives today to tell the story. Today Mr. Faber is a speaker for San Diego Middle and High Schools. His book tells the story of his survival, of which would not be possible without Romek, a promise, a family, the support of others, and the optimism he kept during his horrific experiences.
In the mid-1960s, the FBI and CIA contacted David Faber to testify against Nazi war criminals, expressing the importance of it to the American and German governments. Until then, he did not know that his older brother, Romek, whom he watched the Nazis torture to death many years earlier, had been involved in a Resitance plot to avert the Nazi’s ability to create an atomic bomb. When David testified, he relived all the horrors of his experiences during the war - concentration camps, murders, tortures, starvation, and disease. When David Faber was 13 years old, he had witnessed the murders of his parents, his brother Romek, and five of his six sisters. He survived nine concentration camps between the ages of 13-18.
Simply written, but powerful, is the best way to describe the writing behind the book. For example, “I turned and started back, then tripped and fell, spilling the flour. I lay across the wife’s plump body. Hurriedly, I got up. I had to get more flour” (Page, 90). David writes as though he is making conversation, it’s so natural and easily written that the feelings and memory behind the story is riveting. Because of Romek pulls the reader into the story, illuminating the past and clearly showing the readers the devastation of which he went through. “I followed close behind him as we dragged the bodies a few hundred feet. I kept my eyes looking down and tried not to see what was sliding along the ground in front of me, not to think about what I was doing” (Page, 187).
With great support and optimism, David Faber never gave up, and because of it he lives today to tell the story. Today Mr. Faber is a speaker for San Diego Middle and High Schools. His book tells the story of his survival, of which would not be possible without Romek, a promise, a family, the support of others, and the optimism he kept during his horrific experiences.
March 3, 2012
11,000,000 to 17,000,000 people were murdered in cold blood. Why??? Hate is the answer to so many deaths from 1933-1945 in Europe. Forced work, the smell of death, ink involuntarily engraved into their arms, food that doesn't look or taste like food, acid pools, swamped cattle cars with no windows, and beatings. The suffering was insane, crazy, and ridiculous. This is all unimaginable to most of us except the few who survived this hell. David Faber is one of these survivors.
David Faber at the age of 13 moved with his family all around Poland because of the Nazis. At one of the places David stayed at, when in hiding, he was walking to the store to buy milk and on his way there he was picked up by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. He was somehow able to escape and on his way home he met up with a group of Soviet partisans and he worked for them until a fire burned their camp. He was able get home from a kind lady who drove him home. Not long after David returned, he and his family were forced into a ghetto. During the time in in the ghetto his whole family was murdered in cold blood except for his sister who was living in England. Soon after his mother and five sisters were killed he was shipped off to Szebnia. He was later moved to Auschwitz where he became known as number 161051. He was moved again to Jawiszowice and from there was forced on a death march to Buchenwald. After Buchenwald David was forced to Dora-Mittelbau. He was then moved to Krawinkel. David's final concentration camp he went to was Bergen- Belsen where he was liberated at age 18 and at 72 pounds. David now lives in the United States and gives talks on his experience.
World War 2 and especially the holocaust are big interests of mine to read about. I recently listened to a holocaust survivor. It was very interesting to see the many different responses from those who listened to her story. Some of the younger audience were asking questions on the basics of the holocaust and some of the adults were crying. I had to take a step back and realize that because of hate from the Nazis this book was written and this lady shared her story, and because these survivors of the horrors of that time, we can make better choices not to hate.
David Faber at the age of 13 moved with his family all around Poland because of the Nazis. At one of the places David stayed at, when in hiding, he was walking to the store to buy milk and on his way there he was picked up by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. He was somehow able to escape and on his way home he met up with a group of Soviet partisans and he worked for them until a fire burned their camp. He was able get home from a kind lady who drove him home. Not long after David returned, he and his family were forced into a ghetto. During the time in in the ghetto his whole family was murdered in cold blood except for his sister who was living in England. Soon after his mother and five sisters were killed he was shipped off to Szebnia. He was later moved to Auschwitz where he became known as number 161051. He was moved again to Jawiszowice and from there was forced on a death march to Buchenwald. After Buchenwald David was forced to Dora-Mittelbau. He was then moved to Krawinkel. David's final concentration camp he went to was Bergen- Belsen where he was liberated at age 18 and at 72 pounds. David now lives in the United States and gives talks on his experience.
World War 2 and especially the holocaust are big interests of mine to read about. I recently listened to a holocaust survivor. It was very interesting to see the many different responses from those who listened to her story. Some of the younger audience were asking questions on the basics of the holocaust and some of the adults were crying. I had to take a step back and realize that because of hate from the Nazis this book was written and this lady shared her story, and because these survivors of the horrors of that time, we can make better choices not to hate.
September 7, 2023
... allegedly this isn't agreed to be true...
June 17, 2011
Because of Romek is a true story about the Holocaust, written from the main character's perspective, David Faber. He starts out the book as a thirteen year old boy, and ends it as an eighteen year old young adult. The book is a documentation of his life in and out of nine different concentration camps in Germany. David watched his whole entire family die before his very eyes, and was left to survive on his own. However, before they passed, he made a promise to them that he would live long enough to tell the world about the awful events that happened during the Holocaust. That's exactly what he did.
Throughout the story, David very clearly explains all of the tortures and dehumanization that took place within the concentration camps. He provides the reader with raw information, which helps to provide a better visual. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in the Holocaust, as long as they have high tolerance for disturbing scenes. Aside from that, the book is really powerful and emotional. I loved the way it was written, because every emotion that David felt, I felt too. He has a way of provoking emotion within the reader, which I really enjoyed.
Overall, it was a sad, but moving book. The Holocaust is clearly a sad topic to read about, but I think it's important so we can never allow something like this happen in history again.
Throughout the story, David very clearly explains all of the tortures and dehumanization that took place within the concentration camps. He provides the reader with raw information, which helps to provide a better visual. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in the Holocaust, as long as they have high tolerance for disturbing scenes. Aside from that, the book is really powerful and emotional. I loved the way it was written, because every emotion that David felt, I felt too. He has a way of provoking emotion within the reader, which I really enjoyed.
Overall, it was a sad, but moving book. The Holocaust is clearly a sad topic to read about, but I think it's important so we can never allow something like this happen in history again.
March 4, 2022
The book I borrow from the library is called “Because of Romek” by a Holocaust survivor David Farber and Anna Vaisman. This book is the second edition which he got the help of his granddaughter Anna to write book together in 2006. When David got a letter from the German government to ask him to testify the war crimes and he agreed to testify against the Nazis. He began to tell his story about the horrors of his experience. He survived 9 concentration camps. He had witnessed his brother died in front of him by the Gestapo, his parents and 5 of 6 sisters were murdered. He was only 13 years old at the time and when he was 18 years old he was liberated. He went to find his old sister who stayed in England during the war. He made his promise to his mother, he would survive and he did. A powerful, simple written book. David and Anna provide the reader with raw information, which helps to provide a better visual picture in the book. He started the book as a 13 year old boy, and ends as an 18 year old young adult. It is also beautifully written with photos, historical references and questions for any age readers will learn something new to educate them in schools and I think the book should make to convey into movies. David died peacefully in 2015.
June 18, 2012
This is a horrific account of Faber's experience in 9 different labor and death camps. I do not know how he survived. I would have liked to hear more about how he met his first and second wives and how he has dealt with PTSD. I was so sad for him, his family, and all of those who went through the horrors of the Holocaust. May it never be repeated - anywhere. This account is as sad as Wiesel's Night.
November 2, 2012
3. I just finished the book and at the end He was sent to a concentration camped for some years and later on he then was saved by the Americans coming to try to end the war.
5.I honestly had to stop and think about things because of all the old sayings and terms that they used but luckily sometimes it had a foot note sometimes or else i wouldn't be able to understand it.
13. Not at all because i am Mexican and they speak differently and do things differently.
5.I honestly had to stop and think about things because of all the old sayings and terms that they used but luckily sometimes it had a foot note sometimes or else i wouldn't be able to understand it.
13. Not at all because i am Mexican and they speak differently and do things differently.
May 1, 2015
I really liked this book. I liked how it have you an inside on what the Holocaust really was like and how horrible it was. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I really liked how David Faber, the main character and author used a lot of imagery to make it seem like you were there and to feel their pain. I would highly recommend reading this book, it really opened my eyes up to what it was like.
May 1, 2015
Overall, this book was really good. It was hard to read, but I still enjoyed it. Some of the parts in this book were really hard to read. It really effected the way I see the Holocaust. I knew the Holocaust was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad. This book was really good, and I didn't want to put it down but I had to. Overall, this book was an amazing story and I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes history.
May 1, 2015
This book is a great book but be very cautious when reading it.This book is very gruesome but at the same time it is an awesome thing, it is an awesome book it gives you a bigger view on world war 2 and everything they went to.
October 5, 2011
AWESOME!
February 12, 2014
An incredible story of strength...David Faber survived one situation after another. I could not put it down!
Read
March 9, 2015The best book I have ever read! The book always left you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. It is truly an emotional roller coaster!
May 1, 2015
I thought this book was really good! It always kept me on the edge of my seat. It taught me new things about the holocaust I never knew. I would totally recommend this book!
October 20, 2019
Although this is a very readable book, I just can not believe the story to be true. Being true would mean that the author would have been in all the bad places in the war.
In the remainder of my review I will discuss where I base my beliefs on. Please note that it includes some things that happened in the book. I did it in a way that prevents it to spoil the reading experience.
The first thing that I do not understand is that the main person (David Faber) states on page 154 of the version I read, that he was admitted to Auschwitz in January 1941. He states he has a tattoo with prisoner number 161051. I do not understand this “high” number because this range of prisoner numbers were only tattooed around November 1943. That is 34 months later (!) than he states he was admitted to Auschwitz. This just does not make sense.
What I further hard to believe is that the author twice survived a so-called selection in which he was sent to be gassed. And on top of that, he would have been part of the “Sonderkommando”, the group of prisoners that worked in the crematoria. The Sonderkommando witnessed the worst war crimes and only ONE PAGE of the book was spent on it...
I becomes even way more remarkable when he was sent from a Sonderkommando to another work camp. Just by asking for it. In the many Holocaust books that I have read, I learnt that the people in the Sonderkommando were always kept separate and were murdered each two to three months. The Nazis never let go of the members of the Sonderkommando in order to prevent leaking out information of the what happened in the crematoria. But remarkable also here the author was able to get away...
Off course, after Auschwitz he ended up in the worst satellite work-camp. Again a coincidence?! I just find it hard to believe at this point.
The book is further full of spelling mistakes and incorrect words. A “whip” is for instance a “cable”. A “block-elder” is called a “kapo”... The latter is strange because there is a huge difference between a block-elder and a kapo.
And many German words are incorrect either. Also the titles of the german SS soldiers are incorrect. It is quite irritating actually.
I do not deny that the main character has been in Auschwitz and/or other work camps, but I doubt that he experienced everything that was said in the book. I regard this book more as a work of fiction than that it is a true story. Due to this, I decide to give this book only three stars.
In the remainder of my review I will discuss where I base my beliefs on. Please note that it includes some things that happened in the book. I did it in a way that prevents it to spoil the reading experience.
The first thing that I do not understand is that the main person (David Faber) states on page 154 of the version I read, that he was admitted to Auschwitz in January 1941. He states he has a tattoo with prisoner number 161051. I do not understand this “high” number because this range of prisoner numbers were only tattooed around November 1943. That is 34 months later (!) than he states he was admitted to Auschwitz. This just does not make sense.
What I further hard to believe is that the author twice survived a so-called selection in which he was sent to be gassed. And on top of that, he would have been part of the “Sonderkommando”, the group of prisoners that worked in the crematoria. The Sonderkommando witnessed the worst war crimes and only ONE PAGE of the book was spent on it...
I becomes even way more remarkable when he was sent from a Sonderkommando to another work camp. Just by asking for it. In the many Holocaust books that I have read, I learnt that the people in the Sonderkommando were always kept separate and were murdered each two to three months. The Nazis never let go of the members of the Sonderkommando in order to prevent leaking out information of the what happened in the crematoria. But remarkable also here the author was able to get away...
Off course, after Auschwitz he ended up in the worst satellite work-camp. Again a coincidence?! I just find it hard to believe at this point.
The book is further full of spelling mistakes and incorrect words. A “whip” is for instance a “cable”. A “block-elder” is called a “kapo”... The latter is strange because there is a huge difference between a block-elder and a kapo.
And many German words are incorrect either. Also the titles of the german SS soldiers are incorrect. It is quite irritating actually.
I do not deny that the main character has been in Auschwitz and/or other work camps, but I doubt that he experienced everything that was said in the book. I regard this book more as a work of fiction than that it is a true story. Due to this, I decide to give this book only three stars.
October 11, 2021
Because of Romek is a book about David Faber when he was young about surviving the holocaust and is pretty simplistic for a holocaust story all things considered. It almost is unreal how it is explained and how the book is written in such a way that will make it interesting. The story starts in Poland with David, his 3 sisters, and his parents. It starts with David as an adult in the prologue and the FBI trying to get him to comply with them, he does, nd then the plot goes back in time to when he was a kid. then the first third of the story is about David and his family running from the Nazis and hiding in houses with friends, and gradually throughout the first third of the story David's family is slowly killed off, making him the responsible man of the family when dad died. He is then taken to several concentration camps and relocated several times until the end of the book, when he is finally freed by the American and the British soldiers.
Several parts of this book were interesting, but aside from a few parts, its pretty serious. the one part that was hilarious was when David was stolen from a Nazi labor camp by a Russian camp, then David was dressed up as a girl, and then blew up a Nazi train bridge. A consistent pattern throughout the book is several of the Nazi camp managers and Revolutionaries treat David like a son. The Russian who rescued David from the labor camp treated him like a son. David's determination to stay alive and take on the responsibility of a man becomes greater and greater throughout the book, and he makes many friends, some short term, throughout the book. The author wrote it really well, but some problems lie in the lack of explanation why some of the Nazi guards were polite to the prisoners, however it probably would be assumed its because they were forced into that position and probably is acting cruel but actually isn't. Another thing not really well explained was why did the FBI care about Romek, and how would they benefit from it. Things to take from this book would include that just because someone is doing a bad cause doesn't mean that they are a bad person. It also teaches that you can accomplish something you strive for if you just persevere the hazards. The last thing to take from this book is that family is important.
Several parts of this book were interesting, but aside from a few parts, its pretty serious. the one part that was hilarious was when David was stolen from a Nazi labor camp by a Russian camp, then David was dressed up as a girl, and then blew up a Nazi train bridge. A consistent pattern throughout the book is several of the Nazi camp managers and Revolutionaries treat David like a son. The Russian who rescued David from the labor camp treated him like a son. David's determination to stay alive and take on the responsibility of a man becomes greater and greater throughout the book, and he makes many friends, some short term, throughout the book. The author wrote it really well, but some problems lie in the lack of explanation why some of the Nazi guards were polite to the prisoners, however it probably would be assumed its because they were forced into that position and probably is acting cruel but actually isn't. Another thing not really well explained was why did the FBI care about Romek, and how would they benefit from it. Things to take from this book would include that just because someone is doing a bad cause doesn't mean that they are a bad person. It also teaches that you can accomplish something you strive for if you just persevere the hazards. The last thing to take from this book is that family is important.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2023
One day, David Faber received a letter from the German Consulate, asking for his assistance regarding his brother's death. He couldn’t understand what they wanted and why now, the year was 1966 and David’s brother Romek had died in 1942, a horrible death that, unfortunately, David had witnessed. He had tried to put all the terrors of the war behind him, and was reasonably distrustful to meeting with the Germans. Soon the FBI, the CIA, and even a Senator contacted asking him to please comply. When he finally met with them, he discovered his brother had been tortured and murdered by the Nazis because he was part of the resistance. This revelation, along with the memories that came flooding back, compelled David to write about his dreadful experience. His heartache, his treatment and how he willed himself to survive when so many others perished and succumbed to the awful fate forced upon them.
A horrific and sorrowful account of a young boy's life and how he survived WW2. Though the details are very gruesome, I appreciate the author sharing his story. I cannot imagine the pain and horrors he endured, but understand how important it is. David Faber’s memoir never wavers from the truth, no embellishment-just pure facts which are then verified at the end of the story so that there is no question of his records. Highly recommended reading for adults and mature teenagers.
A horrific and sorrowful account of a young boy's life and how he survived WW2. Though the details are very gruesome, I appreciate the author sharing his story. I cannot imagine the pain and horrors he endured, but understand how important it is. David Faber’s memoir never wavers from the truth, no embellishment-just pure facts which are then verified at the end of the story so that there is no question of his records. Highly recommended reading for adults and mature teenagers.
May 29, 2020
As someone with a Jewish background, this true story touched and hurt me in many ways. The first time I read this story, I was 13, and I still remember exactly how I felt starting and finishing this book. It will break your heart in the best and worst ways possible. David's strength, struggles, pain, and hope throughout the book will leave a lasting impression on your soul. It will create a sense of appreciation for a man who was brave enough to relive his trauma and share it with the world. Reading David's memoir reminds the world of why we need compassion and understanding, and that we should never forget the Holocaust.
David's story is one I think of daily, because of survivors such as him, the Jewish faith will continue to grow stronger and stronger.
Rest in peace to David Faber, who passed away in 2015.
David's story is one I think of daily, because of survivors such as him, the Jewish faith will continue to grow stronger and stronger.
Rest in peace to David Faber, who passed away in 2015.
September 1, 2023
I met David Faber when I was a senior in high school. He came to speak with the students about his life during the Holocaust. Before I read the book, I was given the task of showing him around the school and we had great conversations. Mr. Faber was so kind and easy to talk to. I read his book after his visit, and I was shocked and devastated over the horrors he witnessed and endured during his life. The fact that someone who had literally been to hell and back could be so kind and easy to talk to was both inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. Davis Faber passed away years ago, but I will never forget him. I have read this book so many times and I think of him when I am in need of perspective. Rest in peace, Mr. Faber.
April 15, 2019
This was an amazing book written by a Holocaust survivor. The stories he tells and the way that David Faber survived the Holocaust is truly an amazing story and is definitely worth a read. I would not recommend for those who are young and easily disturbed by violence and graphic scenes (there are no pictures, just vivid descriptions). This is a hard to find book, as the author only sold the books to people who listened to his lectures that he often did at schools. Since his death, the books have quit being produced and it is hard to find them for a class or book club. I still would recommend this book, it is well worth the trouble finding it for the amazing experience of reading it.
July 14, 2020
David Faber’s personal story of his young life living in nazi overrun Poland, is one of extreme courage, spiritual and mental strength. I am at awe with the courageous decisions David made that saved family members and his ability to focus on others needs around him.
His life, although atrocious, was filled with so many miracles; his life spared many miraculous ways, and the many people that entered into his life at the right time in the right place.
His story spares no detail, it is hard to read and beyond comprehension, the evil that can live in and be acted out by a human being against another.
His life, although atrocious, was filled with so many miracles; his life spared many miraculous ways, and the many people that entered into his life at the right time in the right place.
His story spares no detail, it is hard to read and beyond comprehension, the evil that can live in and be acted out by a human being against another.
July 30, 2025
Really sad, for obvious reasons. It was more descriptive of some of the horrors than a lot of the other books I read (the hiding place, the ballerina of Auschwitz, all but my life, and the diary of a young girl) those mostly had one or two each boom where I was taken aback by the depth of evil. This book had I think about five times I just cried about how horrible people can be. So good because my goal is not to shy away from the reality and to understand what really happened. But I would recommend the adult reading it before or at least with a teen reading it for school. Very worth the read. I enjoyed his writing style and had no complaints about the flow of the account.
March 1, 2023
This memoir of David Faber's experiences during WWII is sad and horrific. At 13 years old, David and his family are confined to a ghetto. By the time David is 18 years old, he has been held in nine different concentration camps and witnessed the deaths of many family members, including the torture death of his older brother, Romek. This memoir mentions several graphic torture methods that I have not read about in the numerous other memoirs I have read previously. I HIGHLY recommend this book for EVERYONE to read.
February 8, 2017
I read this book in 7th grade, 4 years ago. I grew up in a German school, so my entire grade read either this or Anne Frank. We had silent reading time where we read our books during class, and every day, without fail, people cried during class. Including me. I would read it during our car ride home, and during the depressing parts, cried silently over my book in the car, holding it far away so I wouldn't get it wet. This book is amazing, one of the best books I have ever read.
May 21, 2019
I love love loveeeeeed reading this book. I recently visited the Auschwitz camp in Poland and this book really helped put things into perspective. Because I visited the camp i was able to imagine the streets, the barracks and even the towns that David travelled to and through. It’s so pure and real. Sometimes I cant believe the world is so cruel and this book really shows how cruel it used to be. love love loveee!
April 10, 2021
I first read Beacuse of Romek when I was about 13 and ever since, David's memoir has stayed with me. It is tragic, traumatic, heartbreaking, frustrating, and encouraging. By 13, David had lost both parents, 5 sisters and a brother and witnessed all of their deaths. I can't imagine living through that on top of the horrors of concentration camps at such a young age. Yet, like David's story, there millions more. Their stories are important and must continue to be told and remembered...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews