I do not like reviewing Holocaust literature. It's easy to say positive things about a book on the Holocaust but saying something negative almost feels like I'm invalidating the survivors thoughts or experiences.

That said... This book was easy to read in that the stories are linear, without a lot of jumping back and forth from present to past. This makes it possible to stay abreast of passages of time without a lot of mental effort.

At times, the writing seems very detached. That made it difficult to read the book for long stretches of time as I found my attention being torn away by things going on at home.

One of the best lines in the book - "...while it was important not to forget what happened to us int he Holocaust, it was equally important not to hold the descendants of the perpetrators responsible for what was done to us, lest the cycle of hate and violence never end" (pg 192).

There is a major difference between myself and the author; I am a Christian and he is not. Buergenthal does not believe in God, mainly because he doesn't believe God can exist if He lets so much evil occur. I have a very different view of God and thus was saddened that Buergenthal attributed his survival to luck. Throughout the story, the author refers to luck and street smarts as the only reasons he was able to survive. I respect people's rights to disbelieve in God but find it sad to think of a life without Him.