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149th out of 386 books
—
1,416 voters
Treblinka
Nearly a million Jews were consumed by the ovens of Treblinka before August 2, 1943. On that day 600 prisoners armed with stolen guns and grenades attacked the Nazi guards, burned the camp, and fled into the nearby Polish forests. Of these, forty survived to bear witness to man's courage in the face of the greatest evil human history has prdouced.
Paperback, 415 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Plume
(first published 1966)
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It's hard to know what this book is. It reads like a novel, with internal thoughts and great swaths of dialogue. However, it is presented as a history, though it lacks bibliography and notes. Perhaps it's in the mold of Keneally's Schindler's List, which told a true story but was labeled a novel.
It doesn't really matter, in the end. For Treblinka is an incredibly powerful, harrowing book; whether it is true, or only based on the truth, it tells an overwhelming story. More than that, in its very...more
It doesn't really matter, in the end. For Treblinka is an incredibly powerful, harrowing book; whether it is true, or only based on the truth, it tells an overwhelming story. More than that, in its very...more
Mar 26, 2011
Eva Leger
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
b-non-fiction,
holocaust-wwii
It never fails to amaze me that after all I've read on tis period in history I can still be shocked. This is shocked. I've read other Holocaust stories that mention the Treblinka revolt but none have come anywhere near the detail this has. That alone is a reason this is a must-read for anyone interested in the Holocaust.
I have a little trouble saying this because obviously I wasn't there and can hardly imagine any of the feelings, thoughts, etc. that would come with actually being there but I d...more
I have a little trouble saying this because obviously I wasn't there and can hardly imagine any of the feelings, thoughts, etc. that would come with actually being there but I d...more
1 like · like · see review
Oct 30, 2007
Suzy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who is willing to stretch their view of the world
If you want to take a look at what it might really be like in a place of living hell, this book paints a very vivid picture. You are able to see the hardships and dehumanizing things that happened in the Treblika concentration camp as well as seeing the day to day workings of the camp. This book is stretching, overwhelming and haunting. It is not to be read lightly; however, I do think that it is important to really begin to try to understand the Holocaust and the people that were in the Holocau...more
There are no words for books like these. I remember when i first picked it out thinking it would just be a restatement of the facts of Treblinka.
No. This book was more than just a memoir. IT was a reflection on how the concentration camp was more than just the continuous destruction of life, it was a cataclysm in the never-ending cycle of jewish belief. That their people group never gave up on life even faced with assured destruction and constant debasment and humiliation is so bewildering.
Tre...more
No. This book was more than just a memoir. IT was a reflection on how the concentration camp was more than just the continuous destruction of life, it was a cataclysm in the never-ending cycle of jewish belief. That their people group never gave up on life even faced with assured destruction and constant debasment and humiliation is so bewildering.
Tre...more
This book is a powerful piece of "creative nonfiction" in the best sense of the term. Steiner interviewed the 40 people who survived the killing machine of Treblinka to reconstruct the story of the camp and the prisoner revolt that all but destroyed the it. The book is very well-written and is easily as gripping as any novel. Treblinka, which existed as an extermination camp, was responsible for the deaths of 800,000 (or more) people. That these prisoners survived the conditions there, and were...more
Oct 25, 2012
Rebecca
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
changed-my-life
This is a slim little paperback, less than 300 pages. Normally I could finish something like that in a matter of days, but this took me three weeks. I had to take each page a bit at a time, absorb it and reflect on it before taking on the next page. My world has been rocked by this book, my foundation shaken. I've read literally dozens of books on World War II, with special emphasis (I thought) on the Holocaust, but I have never come across this tory. That is a shame, a crime against the survivo...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 21, 2008
Bythedeed
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anti-Facists, Anarchists, Holocaust, Nazism, Prisoners, Judaism
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
and then i figured out why i hadn't read it before - a certain amount of historical fiction is involved. however, it does tell a story that should be heard. the riot in treblinka was incredible.
the thing that struck me most about the book, however, which was written in the early 60s, was how many times he set out to basically answer the question of why the jews went like lambs to the slaughter. when we are taught the holocaust now, we don't assume that they went complacently, we learn of all th...more
the thing that struck me most about the book, however, which was written in the early 60s, was how many times he set out to basically answer the question of why the jews went like lambs to the slaughter. when we are taught the holocaust now, we don't assume that they went complacently, we learn of all th...more
Treblinka, Jean-Francois Steiner:
A story about a horrendous episode in human history, the Holocaust told in a rather banal way. Like any book that brings light to the Holocaust, it is a should read for anyone interested in understanding the human capacity for brutality and suffering. Though written in a sometimes awkward manner, author Steiner does convey the message he wants to deliver, and that is that this unbelievable horrible thing did happen and the world needs to know that it happened.
A story about a horrendous episode in human history, the Holocaust told in a rather banal way. Like any book that brings light to the Holocaust, it is a should read for anyone interested in understanding the human capacity for brutality and suffering. Though written in a sometimes awkward manner, author Steiner does convey the message he wants to deliver, and that is that this unbelievable horrible thing did happen and the world needs to know that it happened.
Mar 16, 2010
Dan
added it
Horrifying and inspiring.
The Nazis murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews at the Treblinka extermination camp.
The Nazis kept about 1,000 Jewish inmates alive to run the camp. This is the story of how they formed an underground organization, planned a revolt, killed their guards, and burned the camp to the ground.
The book is in novel form, but it was pieced together from interviews with the survivors of the revolt.
Don't read the foreword by Simone de Beauvoir until you've finished the book--s...more
The Nazis murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews at the Treblinka extermination camp.
The Nazis kept about 1,000 Jewish inmates alive to run the camp. This is the story of how they formed an underground organization, planned a revolt, killed their guards, and burned the camp to the ground.
The book is in novel form, but it was pieced together from interviews with the survivors of the revolt.
Don't read the foreword by Simone de Beauvoir until you've finished the book--s...more
Jean-Francois Steinerin "Treblinka : tuhoamisleirin kapina""(Weilin+Göös, 1968) on todistusarvoltaan kiistelty dokumenttikirja pahamaineisesta tuhoamisleiristä ja siellä elokuussa 1943 syttyneestä juutalaisten kapinasta. Lukukokemuksesta saanee eniten irti, mikäli Steinerin tekemiin haastatteluihin pohjautuvaa, osin dramatisoitua kirjaa vertailee samanaikaisesti muihin Treblinkaa käsitteleviin kirjoihin.
I have read countless memoirs revolving around WWII death camps and still didn't get it - until I read Treblinka. The shocking descriptions and raw emotion is not something I will forget any time soon. More than once I felt as if I was sitting in the barracks with the committee planning a revolt.
If you are not moved by the courage displayed by these men, you do not have a soul.
If you are not moved by the courage displayed by these men, you do not have a soul.
I don't know why I never finished reading this book.
I got at least half way, maybe three quarters of the way through it. And it's really good, really inspiring. But for some reason I let it sit on my night stand until it became obvious that I was simply not going to finish it.
If I get my hands on another copy, I will read it all the way through.
I got at least half way, maybe three quarters of the way through it. And it's really good, really inspiring. But for some reason I let it sit on my night stand until it became obvious that I was simply not going to finish it.
If I get my hands on another copy, I will read it all the way through.
I had never known the history of the uprising in Treblinka before. The author's approach is interesting: Since there are so many unknowns given how few people survived, he's more or less invented dialogue of what may have been said. It gives a Homer-esque feel to the book, with speeches that aim to instruct on life -- in this case, how to be Jewish.
Not a cheery read, obviously, but very dramatic and suspenseful. It read a lot like fiction (as much of the dialogue was necessarily supposed--a little "creative non-fiction"), which helped propel me along, but even so, it wasn't a book to read quickly because the subject matter was just so awful. I also found the translation (from French) to be a little weird at times, but overall, I'm glad I picked this up from my bookshelf--yet another inherited book I would never have thought to seek out.
Started this book on a Saturday at 9:00am and finished at midnght. Couldn't put it down. Fascinating story interwoven with the historical research. These Trblinka escapees helped WWII and Holocaust historians fill in many gaps.
I read this book as a teen - the edition I read isn't listed in GR. This was a book that stuck with me - the images in the story and the terrible sense of loss amid the horror of the Treblinka camp are very disturbing.
This book was very sad. The only heroic part of the book is when there was a reolt, when the Jews burned down a gas chamber. The plot is awesome though. It was a little hard to undeerstand though. IOtherwise, it was a great book.
I found this book hidden in the back of a class room when I was in 8th or 9th grade. Perhaps it was because of my age, but this was one of those books that has the power to change you.
I have read many books on the holocaust. This was one of the few books that I read that was so powerful I had to close the book and really think about what I read before I could go on.
I know we read this in high school, but I don't remember the specifics. It would be good to reread it. I'm sure I'd get a whole lot more out of it the second time.
If you're a history buff interested in the Holocaust, this story about a concentration camp is a "must read."
Because of the recommendation by GoodReads, I've since added Treblinka Survivor: The Life and Death of Hershl Sperling to my Amazon Wish List.
Because of the recommendation by GoodReads, I've since added Treblinka Survivor: The Life and Death of Hershl Sperling to my Amazon Wish List.
This book recounts the uprising and revolt of the Jews in the Treblinka extermination camp in Poland. The author took some liberties with testimonials as nearly all of the people involved in the revolt perished. He had met with the 40 or so survivors at the time of the writing of the book (1966) and formed the book from these interviews.
"Treblinka" is an intriguing look into the slow, systematic degradation that the Jews suffered at the hands of the "Technicians" (SS), beginning in the ghettos...more
"Treblinka" is an intriguing look into the slow, systematic degradation that the Jews suffered at the hands of the "Technicians" (SS), beginning in the ghettos...more
Great topic, bad writing. A historical non-fiction account of the Nazi death camp, Treblinka, written with fictional conversations. If you're a history buff, still worth the read.
Well written and presented.
My edition copy 1967 Simon & Shuster hardback.
My edition copy 1967 Simon & Shuster hardback.
You're so rooting for them to escape and kill the Nazi bastards....
May 23, 2011
Luana
added it
Amazing
This book is amazing. Very hard to read because it tells such a tragic story, no, a horrible story, but at the same time a noble story of the Jews.
When I was reading it, all I could think about was Treblinka. At night I saw dreams about Treblinka. I still can not stop thinking about those who survived and those who did not.
A must-read to everybody for we all must know what happened and never ever let anything even remotely similar happen again.
When I was reading it, all I could think about was Treblinka. At night I saw dreams about Treblinka. I still can not stop thinking about those who survived and those who did not.
A must-read to everybody for we all must know what happened and never ever let anything even remotely similar happen again.
Based on firsthand testimony (written in the 60s), this boor recounts the successful Jewish uprising that destroyed the Treblinka concentration camp. And I thought I knew basically everything about the Holocaust! Steiner puts us inside the world of the organizers of the revolt, telling their story in a way that recalls such oft-tossed around phrases as "triumph of the human spirit." But that's what this story is, and a gripping thriller as well.
Nearly a million Jews were consumed by the ovens of Treblinka before August 2, 1943. On that day 600 prisoners armed with stolen guns and grenades attacked the Nazi guards, burned the camp, and fled into the nearby Polish forests. Of these, forty survived to bear witness to man's courage in the face of the greatest evil human history has prdouced.
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“Because life, no matter what it is like, must be lived, and because to live is not merely to survive; it is to laugh, to think, to write.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
I'm assuming you mean they died before reaching safety.
Mar 27, 2011 04:30am