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4 comments about Letters from a Nazi Jail.

1. This is a very unusual book: a collection of family letters which spans the final two years of World War II, with comments/clarifications by the author. There were surely not many American families who spent the war years in Germany, and survived. It is an amazing account of just what can become routine in wartime: having a father in prison who writes affectionate letters to a homesick son; children dispersed by bombardments; coming home for Christmas on a train strafed by enemy bombers; music and the arts in spite of air raids -- all kinds of day-to-day experiences one never hears about. Highly readable text!



2. "Letters from a Nazi Jail" is a welcome addition to our understanding of the experience of ordinary people in Germany during World War II. While Hamburg is undergoing relentless bombing by the British, a mixed American-German family strives to maintain a semblance of normality in their family life, helped and encouraged by a coterie of loyal and generous friends..

   One of the sons, a sensitive, musical child, is sent off to unsympathetic relatives when his school is closed. Meanwhile his father, an American citizen, is imprisoned in a local detention facility. The bulk of the book consists of translations of letters the father sent to the son (the author, Dr. Norman Budde). Gradually a touching double portrait emerges: of the boy, miserable in his exile, and of the father, equally miserable but trying to set an example of optimism and courage.

   Missing from the letters is any discussion of the political situation and any comment on Hitler's policies. Almost certainly the father feared to commit himself on paper. However, there is more than a hint that his loyalties were deeply divided after an adult lifetime as a proposperous member of the German bourgeoisie.




3. What was it like to live in Hamburg, Germany, a city of one million people, after one of the largest air raids of World War II destroyed over 50,000 buildings and killed 100,000 people? Goebbels diaries (as quoted by Shirer) described the raid as a "real catastrophe" and noted 800,000 homeless people walking the streets not knowing what to do.

   The beautifully written letters in this book reveal an entirely different view of what was happening to this family's city. Loving relationships, solid friendships, inventive measures for overcoming idiotic governmental actions, and ingenuity sustained it as it dealt daily with events that could have killed. It is lucky enough when a collection of letters like this becomes available to historians. To have the letters annotated by the person receiving them is a find of the highest order. By the end of the book I felt was a member of the family looking out over my own city.




4. Usually histories are written in retrospect and in the fog of lost memories. In contrast Dr. Budde has somehow kept a series of letters he received from his father over a period of almost 2 years during the declining years of the Nazi era. These letters have been preserved for 50 years and bring to life the struggle of an American family to remain united in Nazi Germany despite the perils of a decaying society. The insightful comments of Dr. Budde brings to life a dimension of the war otherwise lost. In the persons we meet, we see the spectrum of human nature reflected in warm friendships, courageous support,love, frustration,impersonal hatreds, and bureauocractic oppression.

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2 comments about Memoirs of a Holocaust Survivor: Icek Kuperberg.

1. Unlike other somber books about the holocaust, I found this one to be more uplifting. The author, who details his survival in ten concentration camps, chronicals how he used his wit and intelligence to overcome the obstacles the Nazis put in his way, seeking to degrade and humiliate their victims. This personalized story makes this difficult period of time more understandable. It was something I could identify with and imagine myself being a part of.



2. I found this holocaust memoir book both inspirational and uplifting. Against heavy odds, Icek Kuperberg survives several work and death camps using his wits and his good luck. He manages to keep his spirits high and does not succumb to the horror that surrounded him during the time of the WWII concentration camps. I found this an easy read and recommend this book to others.

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