By Olga Lengyel
I always seem to be drawn to books on the Holocaust. Whenever I find a new one, it is difficult for me to pass it up. I think that I am continously mystified by the hate and loathing that can be present in a single person. It is even more devistating when that hatred is present in a large group of people who are in power.
This book was difficult for me to read. I have not read a Holocaust book since becoming a mother. I found it even more difficult than ever before to read stories about what happened to infants and children. I almost put the book down to read another time, but I really wanted to know how this woman's story ended. The author spoke of atrocities that I have not heard or read before, and I have read my fair share of eyewitness accounts of the concentration camps. Some were almost hard to believe, but I dont doubt they happened.
This book is definately not for everyone. If you like to read stories and accounts of the Holocaust, then you will find this book intriguing. If not, then this book may be a bit too heavy.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz
Posted by Holly at 5:50 PM
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If you are interested in the Holocaust then this is the best book to buy because; it was written by an adult, mature and well educated person who was also an extremely good writer. What you find with Holocaust books is that they are mostly a very poor read indeed, they all contain mention of pre-war life, the Nazi round up of Jews, the ghettos, the food and housing problems, then the final train journey to a camp, there to be assessed for slave labour fitness, for 90% of these unfortunates they were unknown to them lining up to be gassed, discarded under the Germans useless mouths are not to be fed policy.
What these books don't tell you is how many guards there were, how many guns and dogs, how many strands of barbed wire, whether the barracks had fires or heating, was the camp lit at night and how, whether you could hear gunshots from afar, or trains arrive and depart during the night. Few fellow prisoners knew that there was 432 escapes from Auschwitz, that if you escaped asking a Priest for help was as bad as walking into your local Police station to complain about your treatment in the camp. The list of little details is 2500 pages long, and most survivors know just enough to make a good 2 page article in the local newspaper. Whats noticeable about Holocaust books is none of the survivors mention just how poor European Jews were. Because of anti-semitism they were unemployed, housed in the poor sections of town, more often than not dressed in rags and hand-me-downs, and a Jewish child with one good coat and a pair of shoes was a rarity. How the rumour started that all Jews have money and possesess wealth is mystery, a untrue myth, it's also a myth that they are all intelligent, clever, shrewd, wise and good parents, suffice to say they are no different to anyone else, nor better. Hitler was a madman, unable to assess people accurately, maybe if he had visited Auschwitz and examined the arriving Jews in great detail he could have seen for himself that the Jews he was ranting about were the poorest of the poor - still wearing Josephs rag-doll coat and using safety pins and gents ties to hold up there trousers. Rich Jews - no, simply a there but for the grace of God go I TRIBE.
I read this book several years ago, and it has stayed with me. It is a hauting book. It is crucial reading for anyone interested in the Holocaust.
Very interesting history, thanks for share!!!
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