PDF Auschwitz: A New History by Laurence Rees in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A painful but necessary readBy David O'LearyAs many can imagine; some of the things you read in this book change you in one way or another. Though I think everybody who would be looking into this topic has some idea of what occurred at the Nazi Death and Concentration Camps; nothing can really prepare you to look at the topic in such detail. It actually took me awhile to read this book; not necessarily due to it’s length; but having to take a break a couple of times emotionally. The in depth examination of Germany’s world renowned industrial efficiency being twisted and perverted to help bring about the destruction of an entire people is nothing short staggering. The stories of death; survival; resilience; and sometimes of outright luck have to be read a few times to really comprehend. One such story is of a woman who is guided to a room with the promise of warm clothing; only to be chased out of the room by a female guard after a long wait. She returns to her barracks feeling cheated; she showed up for new clothes and barely got her old ones back in the chaos of being chased out of the room. Later did she realize she had been standing in one of Auschwitz’s gas chambers; about to be gassed. Only a prison uprising at that exact moment saved her life. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered in the gas chambers; and somehow this woman managed to be one of a relative handful to leave the chambers alive.The author does a great job in differentiating the types of camps; something I haven’t really seen done. Before reading this book; I thought the terms “concentration camp” and “death camp” were interchangeable when speaking about the Nazi’s; wherein reality the camps had two different functions; at least initially. The recounting of personal testimonies from former Nazi’s and camp survivors gives the book a guiding narrative that authentically and painfully recounts the appalling and horrifying things the victims were subjected to. A few times when reading about how the Nazi’s planned their “Final Solution”; it became painfully real how even in the planning stages; an entire people- men; women; children; families - were reduced to numbers as if they were spare machine parts or an industrial component to be collected; used if possible; then simply discarded without a thought. The scale of human destruction leaves the reader at a total loss; it is simply impossible to comprehend the level of devastation.In regards to the writing style; the book is written very well and as I said previously; is packed with personal testimonies and information. Sometimes the narrative jumps around in a way that can be difficult to follow. It seems like in one chapter the narrative will jump from 1942 to 1939 to 1933 to 1944. It just makes it hard to follow some times. Otherwise the book is well written; and should be read by anyone who wants to better understand the pure evil of the Nazi’s “Final Solution”.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Compelling and Disturbing; As One Would ExpectBy Dash ManchetteSome things are hard to describe because they are both large in scope and extreme in condition. What can one say to truly convey them? Auschwitz is an example of this; and for all the wrong reasons. Large in scope because of the sheer numbers of people who were there for whatever period of time; and extreme in condition for the almost indescribable horror that existed there.Almost indescribable; but not quite. We should be very thankful that author Laurence Rees was up to the task of describing it. This book on Auschwitz; the most notorious of camps run by the Nazis; is a phenomenal piece of non-fiction about one of the worst places to have ever existed; and is as compellingly readable as it is informative.Rees places Auschwitz in context; describing step by step how it came to occupy such an important role in the Nazi’s quest to rid Europe of Jews. Although Rees makes so many good points that any review cannot even touch upon most of them; allow me to focus on two.The first; that although Nazis wanted Jews out of Europe; they did not initially intend to exterminate them. Relocation was the preferred method; which became untenable when the war with the Soviet Union went disastrously wrong. The space into which the Jews were to be relocated simply did not open up as planned; requiring more radical methods to reach the desired goal.Even then; when killing Jews became the goal; logistics got in the way. It just was not that easy killing large numbers of people; and even harder when a specific goal was to distance the Nazi killers themselves from their actions in order to lessen the psychological damage they suffered. Rees takes us through each innovation; often obtained through trial and error; which finally allowed the killings to take on such assembly-line efficiency; with Auschwitz playing an integral part of a much larger whole.Second; Rees points out the distinction; unknown to many in the general population; between a concentration camp and a death camp. The former were work camps; with very high fatality rates due to hunger; disease; cold and industrial accidents; but in which people were not summarily executed. Death camps; by contrast; were specifically constructed to exterminate large numbers of people. Auschwitz had the distinction of being the only camp that blended the two; producing one of the more horrifying aspects of the camp: the initial selection; either to work or; for most; to the chimney. How Auschwitz developed in such a way reflects much about the Nazi mindset towards Jews and other undesirables; which Rees reports in intense and captivating detail.Needless to say; the people behind the camp; from its commandant Rudolf Hoss to his superior; Heinrich Himmler; architect of the Holocaust are all given the limelight to some degree or another. To say the least; they do not look good under scrutiny. It is for that reason that scrutiny is needed; and again; Rees does the job well. In all; I strongly recommend this book.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The most accurateBy Catherine LewisThis is the most accurate accounting of what happened during the Holocaust in a hellish German concentration/death camp I have ever read. The reason it is so accurate is that the author went to primary sources rather than secondary sources--he went to those who were there; not to those who merely wrote about it. Laurence Rees' book is a history book rather than a novel based on history. I would recommend this book as the definitive book on the Holocaust and Auschwitz.One word of advice: If you read historical fiction; check the history contained in the book. In my opinion; even in a work of fiction; when writing about an historical event such as the Holocaust; the history must be correct. Characters may be real or fictional; actions and interactions may be real or fictional; however; the actual history must be accurate.I am in the process of writing my own book on the Holocaust. Since it is in its infancy; I cannot predict when it will be completed and published; but I can give you the title; "Grandfather's Legacy." Yes; the book is historical fiction and I am doing a LOT of research so my history will be accurate. The Holocaust is a very difficult story to tell. The book will not only contain my words; it will also contain my heart. This is one historical fact that MUST NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!Catherine Lewis; Writer/Editor