5 comments about Holocaust Memoirs.

1. I found this both educational and a fast read - but given the authors are my father and sister-in-law, I'm highly biased! For what its worth, I read about 2/3 of this in one day.



2. Holocaust Memoirs By Bert Lewyn:
   
   Many books have been written about the second world war. Most have given the reader many dates and facts and details about many battles. Also many books have been written about the evil deed's of Hitler and the death of so many Jews. So why read another?
   This book is remarkable in the way it takes you on a day to day journey of a young man left alone to deal with his cruel fate. Without praise for himself, and with much humility the story describes in detail, what his days were like. Some humor and a lot of suspense keep the story moving. It would be a great novel of fiction, but no this is a true story written by the now much older man, from his long ago memories of that past.
   Berlin could not have been an easy place to be while trying to hide from Hitler, but he did! How? That is all revealed in this exciting book. I am an avid reader of fiction, so for me to get excited about such a book is unusual. Anyone who buys this book and reads it will be pleased for the experience it brings.
   I highly recommend this book.
   -



3. I had the extreme pleasure of dining with the author and his sweet wife before a speaking engagement about the Shoah on the Day of Rememberence. The strength, warmth, and humor that this man was able to maintain even through a childhood of unimaginable horrors is very life-affirming.
   The book is written without self-pity or added drama; Mr. Lewyn is simply telling his story. He's doing it for his children, grandchildren, and his parents. Whenever I re-read this beautiful story, I think of my pride in having shaken this man's hand and broken bread with him. He is a survivor in every way and I hope that more people get the opportunity to meet him, or if not, at least read his story.



4. I just heard this gentleman speak at a Holcaust Memorial, He is very soft spoken but you can truly hear how his life was threatened by the littlest detail. It is truly amazing that this man escaped death three times. This is a true story that must be heard and the events spoken of in this book must never be forgotten.



5. This is a truly awe-inspiring story of a man whose courage, determination and cleverness helped him to personally overcome the atrocities of a war-time Germany. These wonderful traits also enabled him to somehow survive a most horrible period in history. This book is well written, holds your interest throughout, and forces one to put into perspective his/her own life's difficulties. It will undoubtedly become a best seller before long.

1 comments about Hanna's Diary, 1938-1941: Czechoslovakia to Canada.

1. As a child of the seventies, I know not of the turbulent times that so many lived through during the War. To hear in Hanna's own words the pain of discrimination, and being labelled as subhuman, and to hear the sadness, fear and longing for her true love Hans (who she can no longer associate with as he is a Christian, she a Jewish descendant)...to hear these things in her own words from that time, transported me to that time in history. I almost felt as if I was there, sharing in her pain and not knowing the uncertain future...even though I knew what history had brought, and I was indeed using my will and hope for it not to happen (even though I knew War would be there, as well as the persecution of so many innocent people). I wished I could erase history...but from reading this story, I hope many people will learn from it. I learned that strength and faith, can see us through many hard times.

   This book was an amazing journey and I feel richer for hearing Hanna's words.

No comments about A Life Of Triumph: A Story Of Survival.

4 comments about 100 Cigarettes and a Bottle of Vodka: A Memoir.

1. I have read this twice now, and its power has not diminished. I give it four, not five, stars only because the writing does not quite match that power. The title comes from the fact that the reward in German occupied Poland for turning in a Jew was just that - 100 cigarettes and a bottle of vodka. Absolutely marvelous memoir of a young teenage boy who managed to survive, all on his own, by smarts, courage and sometimes, sheer luck. His music saved him more than once, and I was astonished, that once he reached Canada, he did not continue in that vein. The kindness of strangers, and the fact that he was blond, helped him many times. And the facts he learned about cows are amusing and interesting. They are not so dumb as we think, it seems.



2. I'm not a reader, and I was working one day and started reading this book. If it's not a good book, I'll put it down and never pick it up again. That wasn't the case with this book. I couldn't put it down and finised reading it within 2 days. WWII and the Holocaust have always interested me, and this book really made me understand more about it and what times were like for the Jews having to endure that horrible time. I strongly recommend this book to anyone.



3. 100 Cigarettes And A Bottle Of Vodka: A Memoir is the true story of the life of a young Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied Poland, when the reward for turning in a Jew was indeed 100 cigarettes and a bottle of vodka. Arthur Schaller lost his mother to the Nazi extermination camps, and was forced to embark on a long odyssey, hiding and passing as a Catholic orphan, to escape annihilation. A powerful story of faith in dark times, and coming of age in a world no child should ever have to live in, 100 Cigarettes And A Bottle Of Vodka is a singularly compelling life remembrance and a welcome contribution to the growing library of eye-witness Holocaust Studies.



4. I read this book the summer i was fourteen. I had just begin to become interested in the Holocaust and WWII. Well, it's a year later, and I still vividly remember how interesting this book was. This is an incredible memoir. I won't spoil it or say too much, but Schaller tells us of the events of his young life as a Jew in Warsaw when the war broke out. I found myself marveling at the fact that when the story begins, he is around my age, and how courageous he is stunned me. This book really set off my fascination for what happened to those 6+ million during that dark time for humanity. Well, it's a great book, just see for yourself.

No comments about Against All Odds (Radcliffe Press).

No comments about Wiesenthal File, The.

No comments about Defying the Fates: The Remarkable Story of a Jew Who Survived in Nazi Europe.

No comments about Earrings in the Cellar.

1 comments about I Dared to Live, 4th Revised and Illustrated Edition.

1. An excellent first hand story of a woman determined to survive the Holocaust. A true pioneer in her day! A story you will not want to put down.

No comments about Mona Parsons: From Priviledge to Prison, from Nova Scotia to Nazi Germany.