I love holocaust memoirs. This wasn't one of the better ones. It was good, and I'd say, once you've read one, you've read them all, but that's not true.
Some I've read go into great detail of the horrid events they had to face. This one was very, um, non-descriptive? Not that I want to hear all the gory details, but it's almost like she sugar-coated her experience. Perhaps, though, her experience wasn't as awful of some others I've read. Either way, it was a little on the boring side.
That sounds like I'm totally down-playing what she had to go through - I'm not. She was of strong mind and quite determined and it was obvious that that's how she did survive. I can't imagine going through something like that, let alone surviving it.
I found it interesting how, during the whole of it, she seemed like things weren't fazing her, like she was detached from anything happening to and around her, like she's seriously emotionally detached herself from it, all. It didn't seem, until the end, that she was being effected by it, mentally. I think I do remember reading, though, that there was a lot left out; that there were things she didn't want to talk about or include. Perhaps, even remember.
I've noticed there are two types of survivors, when it comes to beliefs: They are either made stronger from this experience or they abandon all they've clung to before the holocaust. I've read about Christian survivors and Jewish, alike. She was one who didn't seem as prone to remain passionate about her religion. She said something along the lines of, I've proved I'm a good Jew, time and time, again, I shouldn't have to keep doing it. I think she was more bitter than she let on.
It was a good read, not necessarily one I'd recommend, though. I'm sure it was a very difficult story for her to tell.
2 comments:
This has been on my reading list forever.
It's good, don't get me wrong. I hope I didn't sound like I was making her story out to be nothing - she certainly suffered as much as anyone who's been through this.
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