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5th out of 65 books
—
10 voters
The Diary of Petr Ginz
Lost for sixty years in a Prague attic, this secret diary of a teenage prodigy killed at Auschwitz is an extraordinary literary discovery, an intimately candid, deeply affecting account of a childhood compromised by Nazi tyranny. As a fourteen-year old Jewish boy living in Prague in the early 1940s, Petr Ginz dutifully records the increasingly precarious texture of daily l...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
April 10th 2007
by Atlantic Monthly Press
(first published June 30th 2006)
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((dammit I hate the way that goodreads is NOT saving my review. I submit it and viola! No review....))
I found this book boring to tears. It's a kid's diary. It's filled with the mundane things a kid does. Entries on homework, birthdays, family get-togethers, his friends. But betwixt these harmless entries, entries on how bit by bit the Nazi regime took away the rights of Jews.
After reading this book I needed a moment to reflect.This isn't just some kids diary. This 'kid' was murdered, in a way...more
I found this book boring to tears. It's a kid's diary. It's filled with the mundane things a kid does. Entries on homework, birthdays, family get-togethers, his friends. But betwixt these harmless entries, entries on how bit by bit the Nazi regime took away the rights of Jews.
After reading this book I needed a moment to reflect.This isn't just some kids diary. This 'kid' was murdered, in a way...more
I read this book after spending 10 days at Terezin for a University Field Study Trip, maybe it is because I know Petr's history first hand, maybe it is because I walked the streets he walked as a boy, or maybe it's because I stood in the spot where he last stood before being sent to Auschwitz, but this book moved me in ways I cannot even describe.
Petr Ginz, and his diary will always be for me, a haunting reminder of my time in Terezin, and the horrible events of the Holocaust.
Petr Ginz, and his diary will always be for me, a haunting reminder of my time in Terezin, and the horrible events of the Holocaust.
A rare historical find, the diaries reflect the day to day activities of a Jewish boy in Prague during 1941 - 1942. Unfortunately, the diary as a standalone book is somewhat banal. Many of the entries are simply talk about the weather and what happened in school that day.
Peppered throughout the books are glimpses of the oppression the Jews were facing. You do get to see some of his personality - he has a sense of humor. On the very first entry, he mentions that all of the Jews in town are requi...more
Peppered throughout the books are glimpses of the oppression the Jews were facing. You do get to see some of his personality - he has a sense of humor. On the very first entry, he mentions that all of the Jews in town are requi...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 3 comments
Nov 25, 2012
Lorri
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
personally-own,
biography,
holocaust,
inspiration,
eastern-europe,
non-fiction,
world-war-ii
The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941-1942, written by Peter Ginz, Edited by his sister, Chava Pressburger, translation Copyright 2007 by Elena Lappin
Poignant, Compelling, Insightful, Astounding!
Petr lived a short sixteen years, but his life was filled with artistic flair, to the very end. From writing to drawing, painting and editing a newsletter, he filled the last years of his life with identity, courage and creativity. That we are able to read these diary entries is amazing in itself, as they were onl...more
Poignant, Compelling, Insightful, Astounding!
Petr lived a short sixteen years, but his life was filled with artistic flair, to the very end. From writing to drawing, painting and editing a newsletter, he filled the last years of his life with identity, courage and creativity. That we are able to read these diary entries is amazing in itself, as they were onl...more
In 1941, Petr Ginz was 12 years old, living in Prague under German occupation, when he began keeping a diary. This young man, who would later live for two years at the Thereisenstadt concentration camp before being shipped off to his death at Auschwitz, provides the barest glimpse into the daily life of the Jewish population of Prague as the Nazi final solution got underway. Unlike Anne Frank, Petr did not write lengthy diary entries filled with detail. Instead, his sparse entries provide us wit...more
... Prag 1942. Ein 14-jähriger jüdischer Junge zeichnet das Bild "Mondlandschaft". Es zeigt die Erde, wie er sie sich vom Mond aus betrachtet vorstellt. Im Jahr 2003 nimmt der erste israelische Astronaut eine Kopie dieser Zeichnung mit an Bord der Raumfähre Columbia, die dann beim Wiedereintritt in die Erdatmosphäre verglüht. Das Unglück bringt den Namen des jungen Zeichners, Petr Ginz, in die Schlagzeilen, und so erfährt schließlich Chava Pressburger, seine Schwester, dass man Tagebücher ihres...more
The extermination of millions deprived the world of greatness as is the aim of evil. The loss of the brilliance of this young man is a loss imaginable.
The Diary of Petr Ginz was an interesting book. It was a day to day diary of a boy living thorugh the Holocaust. In 1942 he was transported to Theresienstadt. He lived there for two years then was transported to Auschwitz were he died. He was sixteen years old. His sister (editor) put some of her diary entries in the book. She put in the days before Petr was transported. At the end, there were pictures that he drew or painted and stories that he wrote for a magazine. HIs diary ends two months be...more
This has the same flaws and virtues as Anne Frank's diary, or any Holocaust diary for that matter. Petr's story is poignant, especially given his intelligence and artistic/literary talent, and the reader inevitably wonders what sort of contributions he would have made to the world if he hadn't been murdered in Auschwitz at the age of 16. His essays and drawings show great promise. The list of characters at the end of the story, and their fates (most were lost to the Holocaust) can bring tears to...more
Petr Ginz was born in Prague, in 1928, the oldest child of an Aryan mother and Jewish father. Being of the product of a mixed marriage, he was allowed to stay at home and not be called up for a transport to one of the concentration camps until he turned 14, which happened in 1942. Two years later, his sister Chava Pressburger (who edited this work) joined him Thesesienstadt, right before Petr's transport to Auschwitz, where he was gassed.
In 2003, Israli astronaut Ilan Ramon took one of Petr's pa...more
In 2003, Israli astronaut Ilan Ramon took one of Petr's pa...more
El diario de un niño maravilloso que terminó en la cámara de gas. La ternura de este niño, su alegría, su madurez, su capacidad de disfrutar de las cosas sencillas y valorarlas, su renuncia al odio o a los sentimientos empequeñecedores, su curiosidad infinita, sus ganas de hacer y de vivir… son tan grandes como sólo pueden serlo en el mundo interior de un niño. Tenemos tanto que aprender de él y este libro es el regalo que aún él nos hace. La historia del descubrimiento de este manuscrito es tan...more
This is a peak at the life of a talented, amusing 13 year old Polish boy watching his life, and the lives of his friends and family quickly deteriorate. There is a "transition" camp Thesesienstadt that I had not heard of. It is difficult to look at Petr's picture on the cover and realize that his smile shone brightly for such a brief time.
I still haven't opened my copy of the Esperanto-language book Taglibro de mia frato (Diary of My Brother), of papers and drawings compiled by Petr's surviving sister, Chava. But after that, I'd like to read this book, too.
Diary of a 14 year old Jewish boy in Prague in 1941. His history is given as well as his diary and drawings. Really interesting dichotomy between his mundane everyday life and the horrific things going on around him. I gained some insight on a few things.
The book was rather dry and a slow read. Still very sad to hear about this time fame through the point of view from a child that lived it though. However, I would be much more likely to recommend The Diary of Anne Frank before I would recommend this book.
The actual diary is a little hard to get through at times. Pete's art and things he wrote while at the work camp are so amazing for one so young. Worth reading.
it good but sad that he got killed in a gas chamber :(feel so sorry for everyone who was involved in the Holoccast!
Actual diary of a boy who ended up being taken to a concentration camp.
This is the diary of a 14 year old boy who lived in Prague during World War II, he was sent to a ghetto soon after the diary was finished. It was interesting, but I gave it two stars because the actual diary is pretty basic, not very in depth, so I was a little disappointed not reading more of a story. I think it would have been really interesting to read what happened after he left Prague. But, he definitely was a very interesting person, I learned more about him from the introduction and the a...more
Good insight to the daily terror that encompassed all Jews who were stoically trying to continue to live with some sense of hope for their future. Senseless loss of human lives.
a must read in Holocaust literature
great
This is a difficult book to read. I cannot imagine giving it five stars because of its content: the diary itself is quite boring, to be honest. It's extremely focused on events, not on emotions, and there are weeks when very little of interest happens.
But there is background as well.
Background is not the book. Background is the book.
I don't know.
But there is background as well.
Background is not the book. Background is the book.
I don't know.
Sobering look at a very talented young man whose life was cut short simply because his father was Jewish. He tried his best to live well as he documented his daily life, punctuated with brief comments of the atrocities going on around him. His artwork was beautiful and his mind was genius. Sad to see that his life ended too soon!
A little less depth then some other diaries from this genre, but I suppose depth is a lot to ask from a fourteen year old boy. It's very sad that his picture of the moon was tied to the tragedy of the Columbia.
Really, really sad book. I couldn't finish it but the parts that i did read showed not only the life of a boy during the war but the potential that Petr had if he had been given the chance to become a man.
Recently discovered in a Prague attic, Petr Ginz’ diary entries, poems, and drawings chronicle a year in the life of this fourteen-year-old boy living in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust.
Simply inspiring.
This underrated child of the Holocaust is an amazing artist and yet, he shows a beautiful way of writing!
Diary of a 14 year old boy during the Holocost. Very similar to the Anne Frank Diary.
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