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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
The rating system for this kind of book is completely inadequate. This is not the kind of book you think of in terms of "I liked it" or "I loved it" - it's more like "It took me two weeks to read all 180 pages of this book because I had to put it down and cry like a baby between each gut-wrenching story." I feel bad giving it three stars, because it's incredibly well-written, and it's such an important story to be told. But I just can't reconcile this collection of short stories with the words, "I loved it." Because it's frightening just how banal and everyday Borowski made the most hideous war crimes sound to the prisoners in his stories. And the reason it's so alarming is because everything gets immeasurably bleaker in your mind as you start to realize that it's true - there were no heroes in Aushwitz or Dachau or any of the other camps where millions suffered. There were only people doing what they were told they had to do to survive, whether that meant stealing shoes off a dead man's body or removing the masses of human corpses from the incoming transports. There was no glimmer of hope or comfort to be found.
From "The January Offensive:"
This is an important piece of literature - one that takes a while to get through and requires many breaks in between. I'm glad I read this, but know that the images from these pages will continue to haunt me.
From "The January Offensive:"
The four of us became involved in a heated discussion with the poet, his silent wife and his mistress (the philologist), by maintaining that in this war morality, national solidarity, patriotism and the ideals of freedom, justice and human dignity had all slid off man like a rotten rag. We said that there is no crime that a man will not commit in order to save himself. And, having saved himself, he will commit crimes for increasingly trivial reasons; he will commit them first out of duty, then from habit, and finally - for pleasure.
This is an important piece of literature - one that takes a while to get through and requires many breaks in between. I'm glad I read this, but know that the images from these pages will continue to haunt me.
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gut wrenching first hand perspective of the horrors of Auschwitz. A must-read piece for all those visiting the camps, or with an interest in the history of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation
Throws no punches and gets right to the deepest depths of the cruelty of the Holocaust. Not to be taken lightly.
challenging
dark
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced