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Defiance
by
Nechama Tec
The prevailing image of European Jews during the Holocaust is one of helpless victims, but in fact many Jews struggled against the terrors of the Third Reich. In Defiance, Nechama Tec offers a riveting history of one such group, a forest community in western Belorussia that would number more than 1,200 Jews by 1944--the largest armed rescue operation of Jews by Jews in Wor...more
Paperback, 374 pages
Published
December 1st 2008
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published 1993)
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This author taught a couple of my classes at UCONN. She was a cool lady and a Holocaust survivor. She's written a few other books, but this was the only one I read all the way through.
It's a great story about the Bielski brothers--European Jews during WWII that led a band of armed partisans who hid in the forests and actually allowed women and children to stay with them despite the insane danger involved. They actually had a whole Jewish mini city in a thick swampy forest in Eastern Europe (I th...more
It's a great story about the Bielski brothers--European Jews during WWII that led a band of armed partisans who hid in the forests and actually allowed women and children to stay with them despite the insane danger involved. They actually had a whole Jewish mini city in a thick swampy forest in Eastern Europe (I th...more
I was excited to read this book because the introduction said it wasn't a book based on the movie. The movie was based on this book. But after four chapters I finally had to stop - it was so dry. This isn't a novel at all. I thought it was going to be a novel because on the back it says "based on the extraordinary true story..." It was like reading a documentary. The style of the book was really choppy - with stories and then quotes.
I was really disappointed because a novel based on these event...more
I was really disappointed because a novel based on these event...more
This is an encouraging story about the largest armed rescue of Jews during WWII. In Belorussia Tuvia Bielski and his brothers started a group that would not submit to the Nazi invaders of Poland. Creating a Jewish community in the forests, escapees from ghettos had a place to flee before they were slaughtered in mass executions. At the end of the war the community had grown to over 1200 men women and Children.
The subject material itself was great. I longed to here about Jews who resisted the Naz...more
The subject material itself was great. I longed to here about Jews who resisted the Naz...more
'Defiance' just made it to the NY Times paperback best seller list even tho it came out more than 15 years ago. The reason for its popularity now, of course, is that the film has been released and has created interest in the story and in Nechama Tec's book.
That's why I read it. After seeing the film, I wanted to know more about the Bielski brothers/partisans and what really happened in the forest. As I suspected, the film does not do justice to the book, or, even more important, to what actuall...more
That's why I read it. After seeing the film, I wanted to know more about the Bielski brothers/partisans and what really happened in the forest. As I suspected, the film does not do justice to the book, or, even more important, to what actuall...more
3 likes · like · see review
A Critically Important Chronicle of True Heroes
The passivity of the Jews during the Holocaust is a hotly debated topic - why are the Jews of World War II Europe so often portrayed as being passive, even being accessories to their own extermination. Much of this argument can be put to rest in reading the about underground dairies of Emmanuel Ringelblum (the Onyeg Shabbat), the lively intellectual and artistic achievements at Terezin and elsewhere, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and the partisans, fr...more
The passivity of the Jews during the Holocaust is a hotly debated topic - why are the Jews of World War II Europe so often portrayed as being passive, even being accessories to their own extermination. Much of this argument can be put to rest in reading the about underground dairies of Emmanuel Ringelblum (the Onyeg Shabbat), the lively intellectual and artistic achievements at Terezin and elsewhere, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and the partisans, fr...more
Another book I read after reading the movie. This book was very dry and somewhat hindered by a cast of supporting characters who became very difficult to recall when reading about them tens of pages apart in the text. A glossary of characters would have been helpful. The book seems to be an academic exercise, as it is heavily footnoted and consists of multiple personal interviews with survivors of the Bielski partisans. The work that Tec put into this book was astounding and Tec is to be complim...more
The Bielski partisans lived in the Belorussian woods from 1942-1944. While most other partisan groups focused on sabotaging Germans, the Bielskis' main objective was saving Jews. At one point its membership numbered more than 1,200.
I was especially interested in the social and political dynamics of the group. This is how human beings organize for survival, it seems, in the absence of a standing army whose commander-in-chief is sworn to uphold a constitution and hedged by a democratically-elected...more
I was especially interested in the social and political dynamics of the group. This is how human beings organize for survival, it seems, in the absence of a standing army whose commander-in-chief is sworn to uphold a constitution and hedged by a democratically-elected...more
Like many, I became interested in learning more about the Beilski brothers and their Otriad after seeing Defiance - the movie based on the book. The book is not exactly what I would have expected - if you're looking for more of a novel, this is not it. Instead what you get is a lot of history - often in a disheveled way...I felt that many of the stories delt more with how people ended up in the Beilski Otriad than how life in the Otriad itself. I think the book does a good job at giving an overv...more
Defiance tells the story about Jews during WWII, not as meek victims but as fighters for survival. Tuvia Bielski, a Belorussian peasant, has the necessary charisma to lead an independently minded people--not an easy task but vital. Tec puts a human face on history as she relates the struggles and resourcefulness of individuals who must adapt or die. Unlike many partisans, Tuvia values life so highly that he welcomes all Jews, into his protection, regardless of whether others consider them useful...more
This book is about a group of Jewish partisans who worked to save Jews from the Nazis in (then) western Poland during WWII. Well researched, with many first had interviews, this book contains lots of great information about the lives of this groups leaders, the Bielski brothers, particularly Tuvia Bielski, the oldest and group commander, as they worked as resistance rescuing and protecting Jews from the Nazi's as well as Antisemitism from the local Belorussian peasants as well as their Soviet al...more
Jun 25, 2010
Lady Knight
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
on-my-shelf-book
This was an amazing story. I've read plenty of WWII and Holocaust literature (fiction and non) and I have to say that this was extraordinary. It was a look that I'd never seen before. Before this I'd only read from the viewpoint of soldiers on the front line, germans fighting inside of Hitler's Third Reich, and from the viewpoint of Jews destined for the concentration camps. While all of those are worthy tales, "Defiance" tells the true story of Jews, led by Tuvia Bielski, who refused to become...more
Nechama Tec is an amazing researcher and a skilled and perceptive interviewer. She is not a masterful writer, and my reading of it suffered particularly from just having read a book by Timothy Egan, who could make the story of phonebook publishing a ripping good yarn. So I skimmed the last half, but basically the material shines here--it's an incredible story, MORE incredible and much more complex than depicted in the recent film by the same name. For once you have to sympathize with the people...more
Amazing and poignant story of people who set out to save their Jewish countrymen from Nazi Germany by living in the forests of the Belarus. The bunkers they lived in are still there, testament to their tenacity and courage. I would love to have met Tuvia, and god knows how many people rode in his taxi and never knew or even gave him the time of day. Never, ever judge a book by its cover. Never disrespect a man for following a menial job. Who knows what lies beneath the surface of a seemingly ave...more
Mar 08, 2009
Grace
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Grace by:
Mandy Morrell
Fascinating. Approximately 1200 Jews survive World War II by living in the forests of Poland.I admit my ignorance of such partisan groups performing guerrilla warfare and subsistence living in order to survive and of the Bielski Partisans in particular for trying to save as many Jews as possible, even if they came dressed in rags, with no food, money, or weapons. It saddens me that this glimmer of hope during one of the darkest times in the world's history was not covered in any of my history cl...more
I decided to read Defiance because last year I saw the film version of it and I enjoyed the film (even though it was sad) and found the film very interesting. So I finally brought a copy of the book and read it.
I have decided to put this book into the ‘A book based on a true story category’ on the bingo board, as this book is based on a true story. This book wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be. I expected it to be more of a story about what had happened in The Bielski otraid and the exper...more
I have decided to put this book into the ‘A book based on a true story category’ on the bingo board, as this book is based on a true story. This book wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be. I expected it to be more of a story about what had happened in The Bielski otraid and the exper...more
Awkwardly written, but the subject matter transcends style. Mind-boggling account of a Jewish partisan unit in Belorussia during World War II. The group not only survived (amazing enough) and participated in the resistance but built a mobile town, a civilization, in the forest. Incredible.
Jun 08, 2010
Vivienne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
non-fiction
Without doubt this is a well-researched non-fiction account of the Bielski partisans, who managed to establish a community deep within the forests of western Belorussia during 1942-44 and give sanctuary to Jewish fugitives.
Even though it is relaying an account of remarkable and inspiring people and events, it is quite an academic work; very dry and matter-of-fact. This made it hard to engage with as more than a series of dates and episodes. In some respects the scale of the horrors made me glad...more
Even though it is relaying an account of remarkable and inspiring people and events, it is quite an academic work; very dry and matter-of-fact. This made it hard to engage with as more than a series of dates and episodes. In some respects the scale of the horrors made me glad...more
This book reads like a historical account rather than a novel. It was a fascinating true story of how a group of Jews hid in the forests of Belarussia rather than face certain death by the Nazis. These Jews armed themselves and fought to preserve their lives as their group grew from just a few to over 1,200 by the end of the war. The recent movie that came out under the same name was based on this book, but strayed quite a bit from what really happened. I would recommend both the movie and the b...more
Everybody who liked the film and the book, should read The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Frantz Werfel, a story about strong resistance of a group of Armenians during Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire, it was the inspiration for many such Jewish ghetto resistances during Holocaust.
For more info, see Jewish response to The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
For more info, see Jewish response to The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
This book is about Tuvia Bielski and how he saved 1200 Jews during WWII by hiding out in the forests of Poland and Belarus. I did not know that many Jews fought back because it's always portrayed that many went to concentration camps and ghettos without putting up a fight. This book is very interesting and I was amazed at how Tuvia could do so much with so little. This is an inspiring story and I learned a lot about how this group of Jews fought back against the Germans and survived the war duri...more
Sep 13, 2011
Masha K.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
philosophy-politics
This is not a novelization of the movie, but an actual true story of the Bielsky brothers. The language is a bit heavy, but worth getting through. The book does not idealize the brothers, but shows them as real human beings, warts and all. I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Zus Bielsky's son, and he described his father and uncle as "tough guys and sometimes a-holes." Of course they would have to be such to pull off the amazing rescue of Jews right under the Nazi's noses, then protect...more
Really fascinating, to learn about a story few have heard. A group of Polish Jews, hated by the Nazis on one side, the Bolsheviks on the other, and their neighbors in the middle, banded together to create a partisan group committed to saving every Jew they could from the Holocaust, regardless of whether they could contribute to fighting or not. Very inspiring.
The author does a good job of not sugar-coating what happened: none of the characters involved is perfect, and none are without controver...more
The author does a good job of not sugar-coating what happened: none of the characters involved is perfect, and none are without controver...more
I saw the movie and then read the book and expected to like the book more than the movie, as usual. However, I think the movie was better. You get the emotion and the heart of this incredible story from the movie while the book is so filled with great information that it at times becomes laborious to read. The book is very much a non-fiction history book and not a historical novel. I would recommend both to all but you may find yourself skimming parts of the book as I did. This is a great and to...more
Defiance paints a very good picture of what life as a partisan was like. Tec presents the life warts and all, even presenting detail about how the locals felt about the partisans. At one level the book fails. Tec seems to be trying to paint a picture of partisan life and write a biography of Tuvia Bielski, as a biography the book fails. The reader never really gets a sense of knowing any of the Bielski brothers. The only person that readers seems to know is Chaja Bielski, possibly because of the...more
Jan 05, 2011
Doreen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Nick and Matt
Recommended to Doreen by:
read it after seeing the movie
Shelves:
holocaust-wwii-stories
The author, Nechama Tec, tells the story of the Bielski partisans, a group that lived in the Nalibocki forest, hiding from the Germans. This group went beyond surviving the German invaders. The Bielski partisans sole mission was to save Jews, like themselves. Contrary to other partisan groups who rejected women, the elderly and the sick, the Bielski Otriad turned no one away. Through keen and fair leadership, a strong forest community was formed.
Tec's writing is tiring at times. She has done a...more
Tec's writing is tiring at times. She has done a...more
Defiance is a historical, well researched through interviews and documents, account of how Polish Jews attempted to survive WWII by escaping into the dense Belorussian forests. Specifically the book tells the story of the creation and survival of a group led by Jewish Tuvia Bielski that grew to over 1200 Jews by the war’s end that not only had to avoid, and sometimes battle the Nazis, but also Polish and Russian anti-Semitism. It’s an amazing, harrowing tribute to the will to survive against uns...more
May 08, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arts-and-historical
The prevailing image of European Jews during the Holocaust years is one of helpless victims under a death sentence, unable to fight consignment to the ghettos, to the camps, and to the gas chambers. In fact, many Jews struggled alone or with others against the terrors of the Third Reich, risking their lives against overwhelming odds for the slimmest chance of survival, or a mere glimpse of freedom. In Defiance, Nechama Tec offers a riveting history of one such group, a forest community in wester...more
this is an amazing book. not just because it held my interest from chapter to chapter, but because the story is true and incredible.
My husband rented the movie and when he told me it was a true story i got the book from the library the next day.
the book is written as a non-fiction history not as a narrative. the author really did her research by conducting personal interviews with those involved and from other archived information.
Tuvia and his brothers were not going to become captured by th...more
My husband rented the movie and when he told me it was a true story i got the book from the library the next day.
the book is written as a non-fiction history not as a narrative. the author really did her research by conducting personal interviews with those involved and from other archived information.
Tuvia and his brothers were not going to become captured by th...more
I would highly recommend this book to any reader who is fascinated in true World War 2 combat stories. This book tells of the exhilarating true story of three Belorussian brothers who saved Jews while hiding in polish forests during the Nazi occupation of Belarus. I was especially surprised at the end of the book because by the end of the war, these three brothers had saved 1, 200 Jews from persecution. This shows that it doesn't take a large quantity of people to fight against an army of murder...more
I'm a history buff with a preference for 19th century American history. I chose this book because I saw the movie and didn't realize that it was based on a book. This story is phenomenal. Many of us know of the atrocities committed in Europe by Hitler and the Third Reich but we don't know enough of the people who were able to run away and escape the Reich. This story will open your eyes to a completely new story of those who resisted.
Important read for anyone interested in WWII history or the H...more
Important read for anyone interested in WWII history or the H...more
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I'm really surprised this story isn't better known. I...more
Sep 21, 2008 05:59pm