Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland

5 reviews

cullsy7820's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Violence, Antisemitism, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Death

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, War, Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Confinement, Death of parent, Deportation, and Antisemitism

Minor: Cancer, Abortion, Suicide, and Cannibalism

znvisser's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.75

This is not labelled as horror, which it - despite its nonfiction properties- definitely is. Even though the events described in this book are things we rationally sort of know happened, there is still something so utterly horrifying and bone chilling about actually going through it all in such detail (as is later pointed out as well). And since this is a second-hand account, part of that credit goes to the well-researched author. Even if it feels weird to use the word ‘luck’ here, I was stricken by how much luck Walter/Rudi was able to find within all horrors designed to be a death sentence.

However, despite this books title and its marketing, the author appears a bit unsure of whose story he's telling, leaving him to resort to odd narrative choices in al three parts of this story (before, around, and long after the escape). In the first part of the book, Walter/Rudi isn’t really an individual with a personality but rather a vessel through which the horrors of Auschwitz are described; which means the story goes into details into the parts of Auschwitz he witnessed, but then additionally - and surprisingly so - also into some separate incidents the author deemed particularly interesting himself, while neglecting some more structural offences after a brief mention.

What exactly happened in block 11, with the selected twins or the separated pretty women? Of course you have some idea but it still felt weirdly abandoned compared to other mentions, so for an evening I got distracted from this book by Wikipedia.

The second part of the book, covering the escape, begs the question why this is merely a book about Walter/Rudi, rather than the duo that he formed with Fred Wetzler. And in the final part, the author has finally decided on his main character and we are offered an overview of Rudi’s life after the war. This bit is however distant, incoherent and makes massive leaps in themes and years; furthermore, the glimpses we get of Rudi’s character do not paint him in a good light at all - and after all this information that he had to learn after all that he had already been through, how could anyone expect this severely traumatised man to not be bitter or angry? I didn’t really understand why the author went there, especially because after this entire book it is one of the fewer pieces of his personality we’re shown and it did appear he had a loving relationship with several family members eventually

(some of whom where spoken to in Freedlands research, as I discovered in the acknowledgements. To me that did not shine through the impersonal approach to the story)

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As the book went on, all this made me wonder what this books purpose was and whether it was really adding anything to the used source material already out there, including Rudi’s own book and interviews  (which admittedly I have not read/seen). Despite its faults however, the author definitely captivated my interest quickly and I did learn a lot from this, so despite its narrative structure I am certainly glad to have read it. Therefore, perhaps this books value lies in its ability to reach a new, broader audience rather than shining a new light on known events or insight into its titular character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Genocide, Hate crime, Body horror, Child death, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Confinement, Deportation, Torture, War, Blood, Death, Murder, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Excrement, and Medical content

Minor: Suicide

lilybear3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a very emotional and heavy read, but incredibly important.  Every person who is able, should read it.  It is heartbreaking, infuriating, and painful to read Rudi and Fred's accounts.  I don't know the right words to properly talk about this book other than we should continue to learn from those who have experienced things first hand.  We also see the how vital the bridge between knowledge and belief is.  Those combined spur action.

Rudi and Fred's accounts should be added among those of Primo Levi, Anne Frank, Elie Weisel, and more.  Their commitment to remembering every little detail gives us a glimpse of the horrors.  Their story, among the millions of victims, should be remembered and honored.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Bullying, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Genocide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Vomit, War, Ableism, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, Suicide, and Sexism

Minor: Abortion

joyfulfoodie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

4.75

Most of what I have learned about the holocaust previously has been from a German or Danish perspective. I have read and seen very little from southern regions or directly from Jewish experience. I spent most of this book feeling like I was learning it all fresh for the first time. It is deeply horrifying - the details, dates, near misses, disbelief, apathy, and inaction. 
A critical viewpoint and masterfully presented history, this reads as both narrative and textbook. It flows steadily and easily; though by no means easy content it is easy to lose yourself in it and read extensively… I finished it in 5 days.
If you have any interest in biographies, Jewish history, or understanding the events of the holocaust, then this is a must read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Antisemitism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Deportation, Classism, War, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Vomit, Abortion, Excrement, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail