Schindler’s List

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Alex Brown The rising tension of the occupation and increasingly threatening edicts passed against the Jews is a large part of the personality of this book. I be…moreThe rising tension of the occupation and increasingly threatening edicts passed against the Jews is a large part of the personality of this book. I believe Keneally wrote it largely based on the records of the people involved, which means that the book focuses on maybe half a dozen people other than Oskar Schindler. If you can't keep track of everyone, you will probably miss some of the subtleties of the subplots, but not the main action. If you must skip ahead, I recommend starting at chapter 8. Hope that helps!(less)
Julian Breese It's a combination of both. The story itself is mainly non-fiction, but the author added elements like character development and dialogue where there …moreIt's a combination of both. The story itself is mainly non-fiction, but the author added elements like character development and dialogue where there was no record of it previously. So it's based on real events, but edited to make it fit more in the mold of a novel.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/22/bo...(less)
Kathy The back cover also says “based on the true story”… The author himself states “It has sometimes been necessary to make reasonable constructs of conver…moreThe back cover also says “based on the true story”… The author himself states “It has sometimes been necessary to make reasonable constructs of conversations of which Oskar and others have left only the briefest record. But most exchanges and conversations, and all events, are based on the detailed recollections of the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews), or of Schindler himself, and of other witnesses to Oskar’s acts of outrageous rescue.” Keneally admits to being a novelist but also explains that he conducted first hand interviews with 50 survivors. While the publishing industry likely had to classify the book as fiction due to the ‘based on’ admission, it is certainly not an unreasonable conclusion, for those who use those tags, to classify this recounting of actual history as non-fiction. Interestingly, even GoodReads classifies it as nonfiction, despite the back cover note.(less)
Ian Hodges Non - Fiction. While he most likely didn't have a defining moment (Where he decides to save the Jews), or have a list, he saved many people.…moreNon - Fiction. While he most likely didn't have a defining moment (Where he decides to save the Jews), or have a list, he saved many people.(less)
Loraine It doesn't read like a traditional novel but if you're interested in Schindler's motivation and the experiences of the survivors I'd recommend it. My …moreIt doesn't read like a traditional novel but if you're interested in Schindler's motivation and the experiences of the survivors I'd recommend it. My 13 year old son loves books in this format. (less)

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