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I Shall Live: Surviving The Holocaust Against All Odds (1987)

by Henry Orenstein(Favorite Author)
4.31 of 5 Votes: 3
ISBN
0825305977 (ISBN13: 9780825305979)
languge
English
publisher
Beaufort Books
review 1: In this stark, unadorned memoir of the holocaust experiences of a family of Polish Jews, author Henry Orenstein states, "In the brutal atmosphere of concentration camps, there could be no pretense, no concealing one's true nature; it was there for anyone to see." As Orenstein relates his experiences of the many aspects of human nature in the concentration camps, he draws his reader in not through eloquent narrative, but rather by simply telling his story. It's brutal reality makes this book difficult to read at times and leaves the reader with haunting reflections, but it should be required reading. It is one of the most gripping memoirs I've read.
review 2: How much evil is in our hearts?  I can't stop thinking about this book.  Its the story of holocaust
... moresurvivor, and it's absolutely heartbreaking.  I'm fascinated by WWII Germany.  I've lived in a sheltered bubble. The worse violence I've seen was on the middleschool playground.  The greatest injustices in my life are people driving too slowly in the passing lane.  Yet here we have an entire country spearheading the most depraved possible agenda, and the rest of the world looks on with apathy.  Yet, there are some pockets of goodness.  Really, the courage some of the folks in this story showed was every bit as good as the Nazis were evil.  It's a real contrast.  Anytime I read something like this, I can't help but put myself in their shoes.  What would I do if someone took everything from me, beginning with my dignity and then my family?  My health and then my life?  What evils am I blissfully ignorant of even now.  Convicting stuff.   less
Reviews (see all)
natalia
What an incredible story of survival and hope in the face of incredible odds.
tab
Heart wrenching, but so good. Great story of overcoming.
martha
Wow! Amazing story!
Anader
Riveting. Wow.
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