Ginette B. (Niteowl7) reviewed on 10/30/2005 + 242 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This well-known book, written by a Holocaust survivor, still packs a punch many decades after World War II. There is a certain detachment in the book, almost as if Weisel finds it too painful to write about his experiences, dredging up memories I'm sure he'd rather forget. Weisel lost both parents and 3 siblings in the camps as well as his faith. He was starved, beaten and humiliated by the SS throughout his imprisonment. Yet, despite his losses, Weisel moved to the United States, became a professor at a university and won the Nobel Peace Prize. He became a spokesman for the Holocaust and those murdered. It was through his writings that Weisel wanted to make the world know about the Holocaust so that history would never repeat itself. Unfortunately, as the intervening decades demonstrate, mankind continues to spread the evil of genocide in many parts of the world. Yet I believe his work was not in vain. He gave us a better understanding of the Holocaust and insights into the evils of groupthink when it is directed towards destruction. For good people who desire world peace, a knowledge of mankinds' propensity for evil under the right conditions is imperative.

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