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78th out of 402 books
—
1,449 voters
Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account
When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientific research" on his fellow inmates under the supervision of the man who became known as the infamous "Angel of Death" - Dr. Josef Mengele. Nyiszli was name...more
Paperback, 222 pages
Published
September 1st 2007
by Arcade Publishing
(first published 1946)
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To say that Aushwitz is an interesting read would be a gross understatement. Aushwitz is a historical document. A memoir. A brilliant commentary. And most importantly an insider's tale of the horrors that the captives of one of the most dreadful concentration camps in history underwent. As a result, an attempt to rate the book on its literary value is not only a useless exercise but also a disrespectful one.
Dr. Nyiszli's account portrays the terrible crimes and the injustice meted out to the Jew...more
Dr. Nyiszli's account portrays the terrible crimes and the injustice meted out to the Jew...more
When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientific research" on his fellow inmates under the supervision of the man who became known as the infamous "Angel of Death" - Dr. Josef Mengele. Nyiszli was named Mengele's personal research pathologist. In that capactity he also served as physician to the Sonderkommando, the Jewish pr...more
Despite the incredibly difficult subject matter, this book was a surprisingly fast read. Equally horrifying and compelling, both my roommate and I read it cover to cover within 24 hours. Nyiszli's story is remarkable, as a man who survived certain death by systematically aiding in the killing of his own people, bringing into question the true cost of survival. His narrative is invaluable, as it preserves a virtually clinical dictation of what truly transpired from within the ranks. This preserva...more
Unfortunately, it seems to me that Holocaust memoirs can at this distance in space and time become something they were not meant to be, something disreputable, something akin to the torture porn of modern horror movies like Saw or Hostel. If you read a number of these memoirs you get to be a connoisseur of atrocities. When you find yourself being able to explain why Mauthausen was worse than Dachau, and how Treblinka and Chelmno differed from Stutthof and who Irma Grese was, and you are not your...more
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So my Dad was clearing out his book collection in the garage and asked me to pick out anything I wanted. I chose to take upwards of fifteen books, one of them being Auschwitz by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli. It was one of the few titles my Dad said I couldn’t have, but that I could borrow it. This moved it up my reading list. So I started reading it a few days ago to see if it was worthwhile, and I can quite assuredly say that it was.
It has been some years since I’ve read a book about World War II Germany...more
It has been some years since I’ve read a book about World War II Germany...more
This book, like many others before it, gives a little insight into life in a Nazi concentration camp, because it is not possible to completely convey in language the horrors of such a place. People in today's society who question the existance and stories of the Holocaust should read such books to try and understand the atrocities that were visited on fellow human beings, but also to gain a little insight into the minds of those who are enjoined to commit such unfathomable horrors, in order that...more
4.5 Stars!!
As expected, this book was heart wrenching and disturbing. An insightful account into life at Auschwitz written by a doctor who unfortunately had first hand experience there.
Nyiszli's writing was great, which I didn't really expect as I thought this would be more of a documentary about his position as a doctor. Although the book did describe some of his work (which I'm sure would have been more greatly appreciated by someone who knows about the subject) was explained effectively, but...more
As expected, this book was heart wrenching and disturbing. An insightful account into life at Auschwitz written by a doctor who unfortunately had first hand experience there.
Nyiszli's writing was great, which I didn't really expect as I thought this would be more of a documentary about his position as a doctor. Although the book did describe some of his work (which I'm sure would have been more greatly appreciated by someone who knows about the subject) was explained effectively, but...more
This book was an account written by a Hungarian Jewish doctor who assisted Dr Mengele at the Auschwitz death camp. I personally ended up disliking the doctor who wrote this very much. He worked directly for the butcher Mengele but seemed rather glib about the whole thing and didn't go into depth of the horrific experiments actually preformed. I guess I just don't understand how you could stand by and assist those who are systematically destroying your entire race. There is more than one account...more
Miklos Nyiszli Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account
Plot:
Auschwitz was one of the first books to bring the full horror of the Nazi death camps to the American public; this is, as the New York Review of Books said, "the best brief account of the Auschwitz experience available."
When the Nazi invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientifi...more
Plot:
Auschwitz was one of the first books to bring the full horror of the Nazi death camps to the American public; this is, as the New York Review of Books said, "the best brief account of the Auschwitz experience available."
When the Nazi invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientifi...more
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This isn't a literary masterpiece, and it makes no claims to be. It is a rehashing of one man's experience working in the worst part of the concentration camp. These are not the kinds of books that you enjoy, but I believe they must be read and committed to memory and nothing infuriates me more then when they are dismissed as depressing or unnecessary.
Holocaust deniers use Nyiszli's account to poke holes in his story and bolster their claims while others criticize the coldness with which he rela...more
Even though the events in this book are gruesome, they need to be told, and read, so that no one ever forgets what happened at Auschwitz or anywhere else during the Holocaust. The fact that it's an eyewitness account of a Jewish doctor and prisoner makes the book extremely important. Dr. Nyiszli volunteered himself, thus sparing his life, and became the research pathologist to Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous "Angel of Death," to carry out medical experiements and autotopsies on twins and dwarfs....more
I find it hard to write an accurate review of this book. The topic of the book does not lend itself to be titled a "good book", but the story was gripping and detailed and it was hard to walk away from the book, regardless of the topic.
While the book was written clearly in the style of someone who is used to detaching themselves emotionally and sticking with facts, I think it helps in getting across the points he wished to accomplish. The facts and numbers are so staggering that it sometimes fe...more
While the book was written clearly in the style of someone who is used to detaching themselves emotionally and sticking with facts, I think it helps in getting across the points he wished to accomplish. The facts and numbers are so staggering that it sometimes fe...more
Really, I probably need a few days to digest this book before I review it, but here are some of my thoughts:
1. I've read many books about the holocaust, but this is the first personal account of life directly within a death camp that I've read. Though I knew some of the horrors that went inside, I had no idea how atrocious they were, or that they were committed in the name of science. I'm sure there was much omitted from Dr. Nyiszli's account, but this book gives the reader a fairly good idea of...more
1. I've read many books about the holocaust, but this is the first personal account of life directly within a death camp that I've read. Though I knew some of the horrors that went inside, I had no idea how atrocious they were, or that they were committed in the name of science. I'm sure there was much omitted from Dr. Nyiszli's account, but this book gives the reader a fairly good idea of...more
Written by one of the only surviving members of the Sonderkommando, the author was a Jewish pathologist who was hand-picked by Mengele to be his number one assistant. Although this gave him unimaginable privileges and luxuries compared to the majority of the camp's inmates, the actions he was forced to take in assisting Dr. Mengele and the things he witnessed first-hand makes his position of prestige a questionable one. In other words, it is difficult to decide whether his duties were, in a way,...more
This was a short and gripping read, and tells a story that must never be forgotten.
I am writing this review not to comment on the story itself, but in response to some of the criticisms I have read about the book.
Criticism #1: Dr Miklos Nyiszli was at Birkenau rather than Auschwitz, and there are several inconsistencies in the book between Auschwitz and Birkenau.
Response: Auschwitz and Birkenau were part of one larger complex collectively called Auschwitz. I believe that perhaps the colloquia...more
I am writing this review not to comment on the story itself, but in response to some of the criticisms I have read about the book.
Criticism #1: Dr Miklos Nyiszli was at Birkenau rather than Auschwitz, and there are several inconsistencies in the book between Auschwitz and Birkenau.
Response: Auschwitz and Birkenau were part of one larger complex collectively called Auschwitz. I believe that perhaps the colloquia...more
Probably the most comprehensive first person look at the goings on at Auschwitz told through the eyes of not only a survivor, but a survivor of the Sonderkommando who had access to the deepest, darkest secrets of the concentration camp. Dr Nyiszli spent many months basically as Dr Mengele's right-hand man, and so his experiences differ vastly from those of typical survivors. He offers one of the only eye witness accounts of the behind the scenes action, and while it can be incredibly difficult t...more
There are some books that you just can't comment on. Not because you have nothing to say, but because there simply are no words to express how you feel about what you've read. If I could propose a review in images only, they would be the following:
-shocked gaze of a brown eye
-faces, bleak with despair
-clouds of black smoke
-a flash of stainless steel
-shimmer of gold on bone
-orange flames streaming from chimneys
I read this account because I had studied bits of the holocaust in University, and hav...more
-shocked gaze of a brown eye
-faces, bleak with despair
-clouds of black smoke
-a flash of stainless steel
-shimmer of gold on bone
-orange flames streaming from chimneys
I read this account because I had studied bits of the holocaust in University, and hav...more
Great personal account of the horrible atrocities that took place at Auschwitz. This account is provided by a Jew that was forced to help the Germans with their medical experiments they preformed on the prisoners. The most intriguing part of this book is the way that you feel about the author as you read. For example, Nyiszli documents step by step how the Jews (and others) were butchered in the gas houses and crematoriums right before saying he had to take a nap. It is hard to feel sorry for so...more
While I'm no stranger to either books about war or about WWII in particular, this was a tough read. I've read my share (and more than likely yours, too) of books about the 'jewish question', as well. From 'The Nazi Doctors' to 'Survival at Auschwitz', I've read a few. Still, this one was written, not just by an eyewitness, but by a jewish doctor working for Mengele - the Angel of Death.
Still, this could be a book that just tells a tale. Except that somehow, the doctor also becomes a writer. His...more
Still, this could be a book that just tells a tale. Except that somehow, the doctor also becomes a writer. His...more
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This is a true story written by a Jewish doctor taken to Auschwitz. Upon arrival, the trainload of Jews were asked if there were any doctors amongst them; the author raised his hand and thus became the primary doctor to Dr. Mengele (Doctor Death). This is a first person account of what really went on in the dissection room at the infamous death camp. The horrors of what man did to man as the world looked away are described. There were questions raised: why did the Jews (and Gypsies, and Greeks a...more
Oct 26, 2011
Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011
Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account by Dr. Miklós Nyiszli is a non-fiction memoir of a Jewish Hungarian medical doctor who performed “research” on other Jews with the evil Dr. Josef Mengele aka "Angel of Death". This is not an easy book to read, but an important one.
Dr. Miklós Nyiszli, a Jew as well as a medical doctor, was sent to Auschwitz when the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944. Dr. Nyiszli — No. A8450– was picked by the monster himself, Dr. Josef Mengele, to perfor...more
Dr. Miklós Nyiszli, a Jew as well as a medical doctor, was sent to Auschwitz when the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944. Dr. Nyiszli — No. A8450– was picked by the monster himself, Dr. Josef Mengele, to perfor...more
I have read a number of books about the holocaust, mainly from those who were imprisoned in Auschwitz or several of the other concentration/death camps. This was the only book from the perspective of a "prisoner" who received special treatment because he was selected to assist Dr. Joseph Mengele.
The emotion didn't hit home with me. Although Nyiszli explained what happened in the camp, he didn't impart a personal feeling of terror. What's more, he sanitized his role in medical experiments, indica...more
The emotion didn't hit home with me. Although Nyiszli explained what happened in the camp, he didn't impart a personal feeling of terror. What's more, he sanitized his role in medical experiments, indica...more
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An incredible tale of survival by a pathologist who served the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele and lived to tell about it.
When I finished the book I admit I harbored a certain skepticism about the author, mostly because in the online promotions for it (I read the Nook book and paid only $1.99 for the privilege) emphasized that the author was a doctor and not a professional writer. But as it happens the book is not only well written but artfully assembled -- its chapters cohere and it presents a well-...more
When I finished the book I admit I harbored a certain skepticism about the author, mostly because in the online promotions for it (I read the Nook book and paid only $1.99 for the privilege) emphasized that the author was a doctor and not a professional writer. But as it happens the book is not only well written but artfully assembled -- its chapters cohere and it presents a well-...more
I've read a lot of memoirs and accounts of the Holocaust, but this was by far one of the most compelling I've read on the subject. Dr. Nyiszli, his wife and teenaged daughter, were sent to Auschwitz from Hungary in May 1944. Because of Dr. Nyiszli's background as a pathologist and his impeccable German, he is selected from the moment he gets there to be the infamous Dr. Mengele's pet. In other words, Dr. Nyiszli was forced to perform autopsies on hundreds of murdered Jews and Gypsies, many of th...more
The other day I heard Terri Gross talking to Eric Larsson about his latest book. I haven't read that one but, I gather from the interview that it is set during the build up to WWII in Nazi Germany. At one point Larsson mentioned Josef Mengele. I had heard his name before but never really knew what his role was for the Nazis. After a quick wikipedia consultation and my discovery that Mengele was responsible for the human medical experiments perpetrated at Auschwitz I decided I should go read a bo...more
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É uma lição da história que não deveremos esquecer. O catálogo de atrocidades incomensuráveis cometidas em Auschwitz, narradas aqui pela pessoa de um médico judeu que teve a dúbia sorte de ser escolhido pelo famigerado Dr. Mengele para o auxiliar nas pesquisas pseudo-científicas que são, em si, um marco negativo na história da ciência médica, não tem paralelo nas épocas históricas.
Internado no mais famoso dos campos da morte nazis, Nyiszli salva-se graças à pouco grata tarefa de dissecar cadáve...more
Internado no mais famoso dos campos da morte nazis, Nyiszli salva-se graças à pouco grata tarefa de dissecar cadáve...more
Generally, I dislike non-fiction. Which sounds insane when you think that my major in college is history, but there it is all the same. I tend to avoid reading non-fiction unless I have to for school, which is how the reading of this book around. I am currently enrolled in a World War II class and for our mid-term exam we are to write a paper over a book on some aspect of the war and how it has changed our understanding of the subject.
Now I have read quite a lot about the Holocaust and have eve...more
Now I have read quite a lot about the Holocaust and have eve...more
He tells it like it was and doesn't pretend to be innocent himself. He did what he had to do and probably was instrumental in what little compassion for holocaust victims there was, however, he really gives with the information about what went on and how. He reveals a lot about the eccentricities of Mengele and about the bizarre choices in studies and research and the godlike decisions about who suffered the unbearable and who didn't. It all sort of numbed me, but I am glad I read it.
I thought the book was very detailed and explained all of the situations in the book very clearly. It was an easy read right from the beginning of the book. The opening statements in the book had already caught my attention which made me read more the 50 pages the first night I bought the book. I love the book because it was so descriptive and gave so much detail to where you could imagine a scene in the book perfectly. My favorite character in the book was a Jewish doctor by the name of Dr. Mil...more
A story that is unimaginable and heart wrenching to the very end. Dr. Nyiszli gives a direct look from his arrival at Auschwitz through the day to day events. It is most fascinating to read all the things that he went through and the way he kept his sanity as not many of us could do in that situation. He worked for the most sadistic being and I will not judge his position as I cannot say that I wouldn't have followed his same choice path. No one can knows what one's feelings or actions will be w...more
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| Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff pick -- Auschwitz | 1 | 3 | Jun 23, 2012 07:10pm |
Miklós Nyiszli (June 17, 1901 in Szilágysomlyó, Hungary – May 5, 1956) was a Jewish prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Nyiszli, along with his wife and young daughter, were transported to Auschwitz in June 1944. On arrival, Nyiszli volunteered himself as a doctor and was sent to work at number 12 barracks where he operated on and tried to help the ill with only the most basic medical su...more
More about Miklós Nyiszli...
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