Auschwitz

A mixed bag

Any additional comments?

This was not a bad book. It read more like a journal than a story. It is simply about one man's experience in a Nazi camp. He witnessed some terrible things while in Auchwitz, and this is a detailed account. This book is not for the squeamish. The doctor is a forensic pathologist who was forced to do autopsies on people who were put to death in Auchwitz. He himself took no part in the killings. Some reviews have referred to him as a war criminal, but honestly, the man had a choice of dying in the gas chambers or working under Mengele doing autopsies on prisoners that were already DOA. The author choose the latter path, and was in constant fear for his life the whole time he was under captivity. Through a series of bribes, he was able to move about the camps more freely than others, but I do not see this as a point of pride for him, especially when you realize what his purpose for moving about the camp was. The book shows what a monster Mengele was and explains his demented ideas that led to the autopsies. This book is a grim reminder of the evil that exists in the world. We owe it to the fallen to hear these stories and remember them. One point of note: I was appalled at the prologue, which, if I understood it correctly, suggested that the plight of the Jews was, in part, brought upon them by their own doing. It was suggested that they were to blame in part for the atrocities that occurred due to their compliance and passivity. This was a different era, and a different people. Naive as they may or may not have been, you do what you are told when a gun is pointed at you. I was very displeased with the opening, and I think it did the book as a whole an grave injustice. As a matter of fact, it was insulting. Narration was average.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Just wow.

I have searched for books that tell about how things were inside the camps, and I have searched for books about the experiments, and the gas chambers.

While most books skirt around those topics - this one hits the full horror head on. First rate account

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great book. Very dark.

Would you listen to Auschwitz again? Why?

I will likely listen to this again. I think the seriousness in the voice of the narrator really underscores the gravity of what's happening throughout. A few have complained about the monotone voice but I think it was necessary for it to sound serious and not playful or overly dramatic. This stuff actually happened after all.

What other book might you compare Auschwitz to and why?

Hmm. I'm not sure what to compare this too. It's probably the most detailed book about Auschwitz that I've ever read.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't want to say. Because it's a very dark, depressing part of the book and I don't want to ruin it for potential readers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was upsetting. I mean you hear about things that happened during this time in history, but to hear a first hand account of what was going on in this camp is so depressing.

Any additional comments?

Read this book. Everyone on the planet should read this. It's so hard to believe that evil like this existed less than 100 years ago. Very detailed and very well written and read.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Riveting.

Astonishingly candid details of such monstrosities. An epic personal account of humanities inhumanity to man.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Most difficult book I've ever read...

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Noah Michael Levine?

He was far too manly and brash to read this book...

Do you think Auschwitz needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes. It ends too abruptly.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Bad Narration

It’s hard to criticize the content of someone’s personal recollections of what they experienced in harrowing times. It's interesting, I'm interested.

I think these things are important to learn about and remember. In some itsy bitsy way it’s giving meaning to their lives.

The narration of this audiobook however was so poor that sadly it’s about all I am taking away from it. Monotone, staccato, no emotion, unvarying in pitch, no intonation, mechanical… such a shame; it ruined the book for me.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

a must read......

I see why this book is so important it grabs you like fish hooks and doesn't let go books almost 7 hours long feels like 40 minutes, and yet being placed in Auschwitz by this story feels like an eternity. the thing that grabbed me the most was a father and son with deformities was chosen their bodies to be boiled and their skeletons sent back to the Third Reich Museum as a deficiency example of their race and when the skeletons were removed from the iron tubs the prisoners thought it was meat being prepared for them and ate the Flesh not realizing it was flesh of the to humans until they were told later on I'll never forget that.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

couldn't get through it

it's a great idea and part of history that MUST be told but listening to it was to difficult. it was harder than listening to a college professor teach quantum physics. I WANTED to finish it. I got to chapter 10 but despite the historical importance, it was written and narrated too boring.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Book

Well written and easy to read. Very difficult to hear some of the things contained in this book but a must read and certainly a NEVER FORGET!

Impressive

The book is amazing in describing the life and death in Auschwitz with impressive detail. However I must point out that, as a German speaker, I haven’t heard a worst pronunciation of German phrases in my life. (There are very few Which is good)