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33 reviews for:
An Interrupted Life: The Diaries, 1941-1943; and Letters from Westerbork
Eva Hoffman, Etty Hillesum
4.4 AVERAGE
33 reviews for:
An Interrupted Life: The Diaries, 1941-1943; and Letters from Westerbork
Eva Hoffman, Etty Hillesum
4.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
The meaning of staying alive had become utterly perverted, and perhaps the only way for her to save meaning was by accepting death.
Etty Hillesum's "An Interrupted Life" is an evocative historical account of the Holocaust in the Netherlands. In her diary, she chronicles her decision to refuse to go into hiding and instead chooses to face her fate head-on.
She wasn’t trying to die—she was trying to live meaningfully within a system that was designed to strip meaning away.
A poignant revelation (for me) within Hillesum's diary lies in the unsettling realization of the extent to which Jews were coerced into becoming instruments of their own destruction. The Nazis, with calculated precision, orchestrated this through various means: assigning jobs, establishing the Jewish Council in Amsterdam, and creating specialized roles within the Westerbork transit camp. These machinations were deliberately designed to instill a false sense of hope, leading people to believe that survival and exemption from deportation were possibilities.
Jews were even compelled to make agonizing choices, selecting fellow Jews for deportation, to save themselves. In reality, the Jewish prisoners in Westerbork had no real power to stop deportations, they could only decide who went first. The moral burden was therefore placed on the victims, not on the perpetrators.
Etty Hillesum, acutely aware of this moral crisis, resolved that survival at such a dehumanizing cost was an unacceptable price to pay. She refused to participate in this morally bankrupt "game." Her conviction led her to voluntarily enter Westerbork, often actively resisting her friends' attempts to secure her exemptions from deportation.
Etty's dairy signifies a unique account of spiritual resistance during the Holocaust. It showcases her almost unbelievable ability to confront the imminent threat of annihilation with unwavering dignity.
Her last letter ends here: Etty and her family, heads held high, singing as they walk towards the awaiting cattle cars (destined to Auschwitz).
This is an absolutely unbelievable narrative. And it's not a book - it's a collection of her real diaries and letters. I have never read anything quite like this diary. Etty takes you through her journey of total romantic, sensual, and psychological chaos at the beginning - I found it very difficult to read about her abortion - to the peace and order she begins to carve out thanks to the intervention of Julius Spier - to the beacon of hope, peace, and profundity she becomes to all around her when she is eventually confined to the transport camp Westerbork for over a year before she herself dies in Auschwitz. Transformation seems too petty a word for what Etty undergoes in between the covers of her collected diary entries and letters. I drew great strength and consolation from some of her reflections when she goes to Westerbork - absolutely incredible. What a soul, and what a writer. Her nuanced depiction of what Westerbork is like is the absurdity and tragedy of humanity, but also the heights that someone like her can rise to. The postcard she wrote to her friend Christine right before she was shipped off to Auschwitz is remarkable. To have been her friend.
Etty was a very intelligent young woman with a vast interest in psychology and sociology, the world in general and faith in God. It was very fascinating to read her writing and very inspiring.
Amazing insight into Etty, her life, and life during WWII. After being engrossed in her thoughts from her diary and then from letters she sent out of Westerbork, it was chilling to read the transcript of the last postcard she threw out of a transfer train on her way to Auschwitz and then end with the date of her death a few short months later. Silence from those months still lingers with me.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
I read this while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I personally do not like holocaust books, and am more into fantasy/sci-fi books. However, the countless messages and growth you will find by reading this book is actually a bit crazy to think about.
I was craving a holocaust-era book, and stumbled across this on one of my bookshelves. I don't remember ever seeing it before. Clearly I have too many books. Or just enough?
Most of the book is Etty's diary while living in Amsterdam during the war. If you're not into spiritual struggle, you'll probably find it a little repetitive and perhaps even melodramatic at times. (I'm deeply interested in spiritual struggle, and even I found myself wanting to skip over a few pages.) But after all, it is a diary. I'm sure she would have edited it if she'd had the chance. Her writing is heartfelt and often beautiful. I've never been much for bios or diaries, but there is something special and haunting about witnessing the journey of this extraordinary young woman into someone who can find freedom in the tree outside her window, even as Jews are no longer allowed to visit friends, shop at grocery stores, and on and on.
The letters are stunning. I knew almost nothing of Westerbork and the historical documentation is fascinating, but nothing is as compelling as the ability of Etty Hillesum to find love and beauty and to sacrifice of herself in order to help others in the midst of her own suffering. All with her eyes wide open.
Most of the book is Etty's diary while living in Amsterdam during the war. If you're not into spiritual struggle, you'll probably find it a little repetitive and perhaps even melodramatic at times. (I'm deeply interested in spiritual struggle, and even I found myself wanting to skip over a few pages.) But after all, it is a diary. I'm sure she would have edited it if she'd had the chance. Her writing is heartfelt and often beautiful. I've never been much for bios or diaries, but there is something special and haunting about witnessing the journey of this extraordinary young woman into someone who can find freedom in the tree outside her window, even as Jews are no longer allowed to visit friends, shop at grocery stores, and on and on.
The letters are stunning. I knew almost nothing of Westerbork and the historical documentation is fascinating, but nothing is as compelling as the ability of Etty Hillesum to find love and beauty and to sacrifice of herself in order to help others in the midst of her own suffering. All with her eyes wide open.
Loving this book. A friend from high school wrote a great play called The Wrestling Patient inspired by Etty's life and diaries. She was thoughtful, introspective, and remarkably hopeful about the state of the world and state of mankind considering the times in which she lived.