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I Truly Lament
"Freese says that 'memory must metabolize [the Holocaust] endlessly,' and his book certainly turns hell into harsh keeps us alert, sharpens our nerves and outrage, forbids complacent sleep so the historical horror can't be glossed over as mere nightmare. The Holocaust wasn't a dream or even a madness. It was a lucid, non-anomalous act that is ever-present in rational Man. In the face of this fact Freese never pulls punches. Rather, his deft, brutal, and insightful words punch and punch until dreams' respite are no longer an option and insanity isn't an excuse." —David Herrle, Author of Sharon Tate and the Daughters of Joy "... Freese's haunting lament might best be explained (at least to me) by something Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about Herman Melville's endless search for answers to questions that perplexed him all his adult life. Melville was incessantly obsessed with what one might call the why of it all-life, death, metaphysical mysteries. Similar to Freese, Melville was repeatedly afflicted with a dark and depressive state of mind." —Duff Brenna, Professor Emeritus CSU San Marcos Mathias B. Freese is a writer, teacher, and psychotherapist. His recent collection of essays, This Möbius Strip of Ifs, was the winner of the National Indie Excellence Book Award of 2012 in general nonfiction and a 2012 Global Ebook Award finalist. His I Truly Working Through the Holocaust was one of three finalists chosen in the 2012 Leapfrog Press Fiction Contest out of 424 submissions.
230 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 15, 2015
I received a free copy from goodreads. This book was very disturbing but has to be told. The telling of these stories is very important and the writing style helps you understand the horror of the holocaust. Hopefully works like this will stop a repeat of this nightmare..
April 12, 2015
This was given to me by the author for an honest review. Thank you!
Here is a book that I received for review, as I obviously stated above here. Lately, I've been trying to avoid these submissions unless it came from an author or publisher I was familiar with. Freese was actually a Leapfrog press guy in the contest and he almost won. Before this short story collection, he wrote a novel, a pretty long one. But what really made me want to read and review this was because of the topic. I had a feeling that it was going to be a lot different from the ones I read when I was younger, the ones that were a lot watered down compared to the actual, true events. Those books were Stones in Water and The Devils Arithmetic, and a few others that I can't remember the names of at the moment.
We all know that novels that deal with a certain dehumanizing tragedy such as the Holocaust, which is what this short story collection was based on, will affect the reader emotionally or at least try to. Because war is usually when we toss aside any sort of human feelings to go through our destruction of not only the universe and others, but ourselves too.
That is what these stories are about. Written in a sort of cheeky humor, heavy self-loathing, and tears to be dried, these stories all chronicle what it feels like to be treated like trash and murdered inside and out, during the Holocaust. These stories are all narrated by Jewish characters who are surviving or survived. The Jewish identity is strong, of course, because that is the reason of their persecution.
You will find Yiddish words, which you will read a list of, with some translations on the side. Of course you won't remember most of them, but eventually you will get used to it. It's not as dense and frequent as Anthony Burgess' use of Cockney English and Russian in The Clockwork Orange.
You will also meet the Golem, which is the monster that is created by any of the characters when they are being pursued. I don't remember the exact story of what the Golem was, but it is a sort of guardian angel, a vile but wise one, when it wants to be. There is a story where the Golem eats people, but I don't remember, I'm assuming this was because the person who created it didn't like the victims of the Golem. The Golem only appears in maybe two stories. This creature was probably the only aspect in this collection that clashed against reality. Excuse my lack of memory, I didn't have much time to write this post until now. I'm a college kid.
There are three or two essays in here about the collection and the writer's research on the Holocaust and his fascination with it. Well, I wouldn't call it fascination, but sort of a fixation on it, that with all the answers and evidence, something still leaves us unsatisfied. Because why would anyone want to accept the fact that such an atrocity was committed?
As you can see, I can talk a lot about this. It was excellent in its humanlike characters and its self-loathing humor. But the self-hatred humor isn't heavy enough to dehumanize the character into a walking joke. Because being a victim of such an oppressive force can make you have nothing but hatred for yourself.
But there were times where it was too much for me. Which anybody would understand. I usually tolerate depressing stuff, including books like this. but I think, lately, I have reached my limit, which is why I didn't finish reading the latest Ma Jian book, because I just read too much tragedy. I also felt that the cycle of stories got a bit repetitive and it was just so bleak, that it became a drag to read. The prose was beautiful, but how can I describe this? it felt like looking at a black canvas and then trying to brighten it with something nicer. So you try this and it doesn't work, you just get more black. And after denting more brushes and wasting more colored paint, you finally realize that every ounce of bright pink or yellow turned black, no matter how much you tried. I am just the queen of weird, cheesy metaphors aren't I? But I feel like I can't find the words to describe this, but Freese did what he did right, he wrote a Holocaust story collection and did a good job of it. He managed to poke and prod, repeatably, the ugliness and weakness of us all. Now I will write the stories that I liked and felt more, I guess I can, say they screamed the most at me.
Golem, I Need Your Help
This one introduced this grotesque mud creature. It's one of those really smart ones. How do I say, it's very "literary." I say in a few words: Purpose, self, and life itself.
Food and Food Part 2
I actually sort of liked these. It made me question some writers who write about the Holocaust. I thought of, specifically, The Boy With the Striped Pajamas. Just read about the movie and you will see what I mean.
Der Fuhrer Likes Plain
Well, this one grossed me out, I kind of felt like laughing too.
Herr Doktor
I think I remember this one. It tossed my brain a bit.
Cantor Matyas Balogh
This one is the one that will make a tear shedding worthy short film.
Away
It's where a mother gets taken away, leaving behind a child. Heart stabbing.
Longing
Letters of longing, not much to say.
Archipelago
This one almost made me gag, much like the narrator.
The Indifferent Golem
The Golem stories were fun.
Soap
The lightest, it consists of something Hitler wore.
There are definitely more favorites than this, some little snippets of it will stick to me, but I just can't place the titles on which. My memory of this is quite faint now, because I took too long to write this post. I apologize for my lack of memory. But school got in the way and this computer needed to be tweaked. I guess it was also the blogging/reviewing funk lately.
Rating: 3.5/5
Here is a book that I received for review, as I obviously stated above here. Lately, I've been trying to avoid these submissions unless it came from an author or publisher I was familiar with. Freese was actually a Leapfrog press guy in the contest and he almost won. Before this short story collection, he wrote a novel, a pretty long one. But what really made me want to read and review this was because of the topic. I had a feeling that it was going to be a lot different from the ones I read when I was younger, the ones that were a lot watered down compared to the actual, true events. Those books were Stones in Water and The Devils Arithmetic, and a few others that I can't remember the names of at the moment.
We all know that novels that deal with a certain dehumanizing tragedy such as the Holocaust, which is what this short story collection was based on, will affect the reader emotionally or at least try to. Because war is usually when we toss aside any sort of human feelings to go through our destruction of not only the universe and others, but ourselves too.
That is what these stories are about. Written in a sort of cheeky humor, heavy self-loathing, and tears to be dried, these stories all chronicle what it feels like to be treated like trash and murdered inside and out, during the Holocaust. These stories are all narrated by Jewish characters who are surviving or survived. The Jewish identity is strong, of course, because that is the reason of their persecution.
You will find Yiddish words, which you will read a list of, with some translations on the side. Of course you won't remember most of them, but eventually you will get used to it. It's not as dense and frequent as Anthony Burgess' use of Cockney English and Russian in The Clockwork Orange.
You will also meet the Golem, which is the monster that is created by any of the characters when they are being pursued. I don't remember the exact story of what the Golem was, but it is a sort of guardian angel, a vile but wise one, when it wants to be. There is a story where the Golem eats people, but I don't remember, I'm assuming this was because the person who created it didn't like the victims of the Golem. The Golem only appears in maybe two stories. This creature was probably the only aspect in this collection that clashed against reality. Excuse my lack of memory, I didn't have much time to write this post until now. I'm a college kid.
There are three or two essays in here about the collection and the writer's research on the Holocaust and his fascination with it. Well, I wouldn't call it fascination, but sort of a fixation on it, that with all the answers and evidence, something still leaves us unsatisfied. Because why would anyone want to accept the fact that such an atrocity was committed?
As you can see, I can talk a lot about this. It was excellent in its humanlike characters and its self-loathing humor. But the self-hatred humor isn't heavy enough to dehumanize the character into a walking joke. Because being a victim of such an oppressive force can make you have nothing but hatred for yourself.
But there were times where it was too much for me. Which anybody would understand. I usually tolerate depressing stuff, including books like this. but I think, lately, I have reached my limit, which is why I didn't finish reading the latest Ma Jian book, because I just read too much tragedy. I also felt that the cycle of stories got a bit repetitive and it was just so bleak, that it became a drag to read. The prose was beautiful, but how can I describe this? it felt like looking at a black canvas and then trying to brighten it with something nicer. So you try this and it doesn't work, you just get more black. And after denting more brushes and wasting more colored paint, you finally realize that every ounce of bright pink or yellow turned black, no matter how much you tried. I am just the queen of weird, cheesy metaphors aren't I? But I feel like I can't find the words to describe this, but Freese did what he did right, he wrote a Holocaust story collection and did a good job of it. He managed to poke and prod, repeatably, the ugliness and weakness of us all. Now I will write the stories that I liked and felt more, I guess I can, say they screamed the most at me.
Golem, I Need Your Help
This one introduced this grotesque mud creature. It's one of those really smart ones. How do I say, it's very "literary." I say in a few words: Purpose, self, and life itself.
Food and Food Part 2
I actually sort of liked these. It made me question some writers who write about the Holocaust. I thought of, specifically, The Boy With the Striped Pajamas. Just read about the movie and you will see what I mean.
Der Fuhrer Likes Plain
Well, this one grossed me out, I kind of felt like laughing too.
Herr Doktor
I think I remember this one. It tossed my brain a bit.
Cantor Matyas Balogh
This one is the one that will make a tear shedding worthy short film.
Away
It's where a mother gets taken away, leaving behind a child. Heart stabbing.
Longing
Letters of longing, not much to say.
Archipelago
This one almost made me gag, much like the narrator.
The Indifferent Golem
The Golem stories were fun.
Soap
The lightest, it consists of something Hitler wore.
There are definitely more favorites than this, some little snippets of it will stick to me, but I just can't place the titles on which. My memory of this is quite faint now, because I took too long to write this post. I apologize for my lack of memory. But school got in the way and this computer needed to be tweaked. I guess it was also the blogging/reviewing funk lately.
Rating: 3.5/5
September 2, 2015
In this anthology, Mathias Freese has composed twenty-seven short stories about the Holocaust. They're an attempt to gain some form of understanding about it. In the Preface, Freese states: "All literary depictions of the Holocaust end as failures..." and "Every artist who struggles with the Holocaust must begin with an acceptance of failure, and that must be worked through before art begins." If I'm interpreting him correctly, the reason why all attempts end as failures is because no mere words on a page can ever truly convey what it was like to have been there. But nothing short of a fully immersive virtual reality program (and none has been created yet) ever could, so why set the bar so high?
I'm not sure why Mr. Freese wrote this book. A tribute to the dead? The survivors? He states that: "No piece of art...can ever expunge the Holocaust." To which I rather flippantly say, "Well, duh." If this was ever his intent, it's a fool's errand. But no, this is an attempt to "work through it" despite his insistence that: "We will never work it through."
So it was after reading this conflicted preface, written by a man who so desperately wants answers to the questions he poses, that I read this book.
Obviously, this was no beach read. Rather than compose these stories as entertainment (Can the Holocaust, or any genocide for that matter, ever be formed into entertainment?), they're more like twenty-seven fictional biographies. Alas, they're repetitive. There were three stories involving golems. There were several stories each about Jews fleeing Nazi pursuers, life in the camps, and survivors trying to eke out some kind of life afterwards. While each was slightly different, too many elements were the same. For instance, all but one survivor story took place in Tuscon, Arizona.
But there were stories that broke out of the mold. "Max Weber, Holocaust Revisionist" was more of an essay. Freese explains that when he was writing a story he was derailed by a historian's contention that the Nazis did not make soap out of Jews. Freese researched the historian and learned that the man was a historical revisionist. Freese submitted his The i Tertralogy to him for a book review and published it herein as "Sincerely, Max Weber". I'm assuming both are true. Freese skewers the man in a story entitled "Soap", one of the best stories in the collection.
There are two fictional interviews: "Herr Doktor" and "Der Fuhrer Likes Plain". Both of these were among the better stories. The first one is an interview between an American doctor and a camp doctor. The interviewer is trying to determine at what point the camp doctor lost his ability to follow his Hippocratic Oath. The latter story is a fictional interview with Eva Braun just a few days before her death in Hitler's bunker. While it got off to a good start, it veered off into details about Hitler's sex life that have been gossiped about but never substantiated.
"The Disenchanted Golem" starts out with a golem discussing a few events over the course of his incarnations and what it's like to be a golem. But midway through his conversation with the reader, he tells us about the one he has with a rabbi. It has a bit of a Pinocchio quality to it, but without the Disney effect.
My favorite story was "Cantor Matyas Balogh". The titular character meets a woman in a sweets shop, and the two strike up a conversation. The conversation leads to tea and then to romance. It's a story about finding love when the world is going to hell. Both are aware of the dangers around them, but continue on because love has a power all its own.
In summary, I Truly Lament is a collection of stories connected to the Holocaust. While there are many repetitive story elements, individually, they offer poetic glimpses into the brutality endured. There are standout stories that rise from the miasma of the subject matter. It is a difficult read at times, for the subject matter and the associated suffering can be a bit much. If you can separate the entertaining tales from the pseudo-biographical cathartic soliloquies, then this book could be for you.
This review initially appeared at the New Podler Review of Books.
I'm not sure why Mr. Freese wrote this book. A tribute to the dead? The survivors? He states that: "No piece of art...can ever expunge the Holocaust." To which I rather flippantly say, "Well, duh." If this was ever his intent, it's a fool's errand. But no, this is an attempt to "work through it" despite his insistence that: "We will never work it through."
So it was after reading this conflicted preface, written by a man who so desperately wants answers to the questions he poses, that I read this book.
Obviously, this was no beach read. Rather than compose these stories as entertainment (Can the Holocaust, or any genocide for that matter, ever be formed into entertainment?), they're more like twenty-seven fictional biographies. Alas, they're repetitive. There were three stories involving golems. There were several stories each about Jews fleeing Nazi pursuers, life in the camps, and survivors trying to eke out some kind of life afterwards. While each was slightly different, too many elements were the same. For instance, all but one survivor story took place in Tuscon, Arizona.
But there were stories that broke out of the mold. "Max Weber, Holocaust Revisionist" was more of an essay. Freese explains that when he was writing a story he was derailed by a historian's contention that the Nazis did not make soap out of Jews. Freese researched the historian and learned that the man was a historical revisionist. Freese submitted his The i Tertralogy to him for a book review and published it herein as "Sincerely, Max Weber". I'm assuming both are true. Freese skewers the man in a story entitled "Soap", one of the best stories in the collection.
There are two fictional interviews: "Herr Doktor" and "Der Fuhrer Likes Plain". Both of these were among the better stories. The first one is an interview between an American doctor and a camp doctor. The interviewer is trying to determine at what point the camp doctor lost his ability to follow his Hippocratic Oath. The latter story is a fictional interview with Eva Braun just a few days before her death in Hitler's bunker. While it got off to a good start, it veered off into details about Hitler's sex life that have been gossiped about but never substantiated.
"The Disenchanted Golem" starts out with a golem discussing a few events over the course of his incarnations and what it's like to be a golem. But midway through his conversation with the reader, he tells us about the one he has with a rabbi. It has a bit of a Pinocchio quality to it, but without the Disney effect.
My favorite story was "Cantor Matyas Balogh". The titular character meets a woman in a sweets shop, and the two strike up a conversation. The conversation leads to tea and then to romance. It's a story about finding love when the world is going to hell. Both are aware of the dangers around them, but continue on because love has a power all its own.
In summary, I Truly Lament is a collection of stories connected to the Holocaust. While there are many repetitive story elements, individually, they offer poetic glimpses into the brutality endured. There are standout stories that rise from the miasma of the subject matter. It is a difficult read at times, for the subject matter and the associated suffering can be a bit much. If you can separate the entertaining tales from the pseudo-biographical cathartic soliloquies, then this book could be for you.
This review initially appeared at the New Podler Review of Books.
January 14, 2015
From jbgarner58.wordpress.com:
Not all literary meals are laid out on the table purely for the stuffing of the reader’s face with new entertainment. Some have a purpose behind their creation and other recipes are crafted to bring the reader an important message or a deep feeling as he sits chewing the fat. I’ve reviewed at least one book like this before so it’s not a stranger to this Starving Reviewer and I have another such literary meal at my table today. The message and the event it seeks to fill our taste buds with is older but even stronger than the previous book. I Truly Lament deals with one of the great and terrible tragedies of the 20th Century: the Holocaust. Does it perform its mission admirably? Let’s find out.
But first! The Starving Review creed!
I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre.
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible.
This Starving Review is going to be short, folks, and not as humorous as most of mine. It simply comes down to the fact that there are few subjects more serious than attempted genocides of a people. The Holocaust is horrific and there’s little desire on my part to make light of it, even if it would only be indirectly. Even worse is the prospect that it was not the first and far from the last ethnic cleansing to happen in our world. That’s the ultimate tragedy of it all. So before I get overly emotional or start shaking my fist angrily at the heavens and shout ‘WHY?!’ dramatically (okay, so there will be a LITTLE humor), let’s get this done!
Lament is an anthology-style novel, consisting of a series of short stories that runs through a wide swath of viewpoints, concepts, and premises all related to the Holocaust. Some even venture into the sci-fi and fantasy premises, such as time-travel, and that adds some rather intriguing flavors to those stories. There are a large number of stories in the book so I will not try to itemize a list of each story and weight each on its own pros and cons.
What I will say is that Mr. Freese is a talented and insightful chronicler here and is good at bringing each unique flavor from each story into its own life. That, over so many different tales, he manages such a strong consistency in his writing speaks volumes for the book’s overall quality.
As far as the subject matter itself, Lament handles it with some distinctly Jewish insights as well as a good attention to historical detail. Those points add extra heft to the stories, making them each seem a bit more vivid and life-like. No punches are pulled, either emotional or descriptive, and I, as a reader, appreciate that. Something as terrible as this deserves no whitewashing or sugar coating.
If there is any real flaws in the collection, it is simply that, as all anthology works, even the best author is not one-hundred percent consistent in quality. A few of the tales simply don’t resonate as strongly as others or seem a bit forced in concept. It’s simply the nature of the beast and one that doesn’t detract significantly from the overall quality of Lament, especially as most of the stories are quite brief. It’s easy work to chew past the occasional bits of blander flavor to get to the better bits.
So, end of the meal, how was Lament? There is both bitterness and sweetness, courage and cowardice, and by the last bite, this collection of tales gets its messages about the Holocaust across. That, above all things, is the most important metric to measure such a book by. If you want to gain a deeper insight to the Jewish perspective on the Holocaust, are a general student of World War II, or simply want to broaden your mind about the world, I can highly recommend this read. Just remember, this is a book about horrific things. The imagery can be disturbing and the language coarse so if that offends you, well, there’s nothing to be done for it.
FINAL VERDICT: ***** (Bitterness mixed with sweetness, courage mixed with cowardice.)
Not all literary meals are laid out on the table purely for the stuffing of the reader’s face with new entertainment. Some have a purpose behind their creation and other recipes are crafted to bring the reader an important message or a deep feeling as he sits chewing the fat. I’ve reviewed at least one book like this before so it’s not a stranger to this Starving Reviewer and I have another such literary meal at my table today. The message and the event it seeks to fill our taste buds with is older but even stronger than the previous book. I Truly Lament deals with one of the great and terrible tragedies of the 20th Century: the Holocaust. Does it perform its mission admirably? Let’s find out.
But first! The Starving Review creed!
I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre.
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible.
This Starving Review is going to be short, folks, and not as humorous as most of mine. It simply comes down to the fact that there are few subjects more serious than attempted genocides of a people. The Holocaust is horrific and there’s little desire on my part to make light of it, even if it would only be indirectly. Even worse is the prospect that it was not the first and far from the last ethnic cleansing to happen in our world. That’s the ultimate tragedy of it all. So before I get overly emotional or start shaking my fist angrily at the heavens and shout ‘WHY?!’ dramatically (okay, so there will be a LITTLE humor), let’s get this done!
Lament is an anthology-style novel, consisting of a series of short stories that runs through a wide swath of viewpoints, concepts, and premises all related to the Holocaust. Some even venture into the sci-fi and fantasy premises, such as time-travel, and that adds some rather intriguing flavors to those stories. There are a large number of stories in the book so I will not try to itemize a list of each story and weight each on its own pros and cons.
What I will say is that Mr. Freese is a talented and insightful chronicler here and is good at bringing each unique flavor from each story into its own life. That, over so many different tales, he manages such a strong consistency in his writing speaks volumes for the book’s overall quality.
As far as the subject matter itself, Lament handles it with some distinctly Jewish insights as well as a good attention to historical detail. Those points add extra heft to the stories, making them each seem a bit more vivid and life-like. No punches are pulled, either emotional or descriptive, and I, as a reader, appreciate that. Something as terrible as this deserves no whitewashing or sugar coating.
If there is any real flaws in the collection, it is simply that, as all anthology works, even the best author is not one-hundred percent consistent in quality. A few of the tales simply don’t resonate as strongly as others or seem a bit forced in concept. It’s simply the nature of the beast and one that doesn’t detract significantly from the overall quality of Lament, especially as most of the stories are quite brief. It’s easy work to chew past the occasional bits of blander flavor to get to the better bits.
So, end of the meal, how was Lament? There is both bitterness and sweetness, courage and cowardice, and by the last bite, this collection of tales gets its messages about the Holocaust across. That, above all things, is the most important metric to measure such a book by. If you want to gain a deeper insight to the Jewish perspective on the Holocaust, are a general student of World War II, or simply want to broaden your mind about the world, I can highly recommend this read. Just remember, this is a book about horrific things. The imagery can be disturbing and the language coarse so if that offends you, well, there’s nothing to be done for it.
FINAL VERDICT: ***** (Bitterness mixed with sweetness, courage mixed with cowardice.)
March 20, 2015
I truly Lament is a unique and remarkable compilation of 27 Holocaust stories. Each story explores different points of view, concepts and theses all corresponding to the Holocaust. The stories take the reader on a deep, psychological and profound emotional journey into the stark reality of what it was like to live, exist or to die in the inhumane conditions of the concentration camps run by the Nazis. In the opening chapters the stories deal mostly with the plight of Jews in concentration camps that have no choice to endure the cruel and unjustified punishments of the prison guards who would decide their own type of weapon as they saw fit. Many of the men were ordered to dig trenches for hours on end, often resulting in their death as the Nazi ideology behind this cruel task was to wear the men out to a point where they evolved into Muselmänner (the stage before the ovens). Existence in the camps was short, nasty and brutish without meaning. The Nazis kept the men alive upon the barest thread of existence, teased individuality out of them as they wanted the men to loath themselves to their last dying moment. Most vile of all the Nazis wanted the men to willingly go along with their own extermination.
Perhaps the most harrowing of all the stories is “Hummingbird” where a Holocaust survivor tells us his own unique story at the age of 82. Part of him wants to live, and a part of him doesn’t mind dying as his life was so consumed by his existence in the camps that he doesn’t know what it was like to grow up without those horrors. He is damaged in so many ways and feels his life is in transit as he was made to slog through one camp to another in his younger years. He concludes that he now wanders the earth as an old man in search of a planet and the only reason he survived the camps was that his body desired to go on long after his mind had given up.
Mathias B. Freese has created a powerful thought-provoking work of fiction that cleverly examines a number of diverse perspectives on the Holocaust through several different writing styles, ranging from gothic, Utopian, romantic and chimerical. Each and every story will no doubt leave the reader speechless as we follow the few survivors that managed to outlive the brutality and starvation imposed by the Nazis, only to find their lives are full of insecurities and there is no escape from the torment they once suffered. All of which leads me to close and agree that we will never be done with the Holocaust and this book is living proof of that and I fully agree with other reviewers that it should be mandatory reading for all.
My Ranking:
5 Stars
My Review Sites:
http://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/
http://catherineroseputsche.webs.com/
http://t.co/G0ExZgmlwc
https://twitter.com/Putsche73
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Perhaps the most harrowing of all the stories is “Hummingbird” where a Holocaust survivor tells us his own unique story at the age of 82. Part of him wants to live, and a part of him doesn’t mind dying as his life was so consumed by his existence in the camps that he doesn’t know what it was like to grow up without those horrors. He is damaged in so many ways and feels his life is in transit as he was made to slog through one camp to another in his younger years. He concludes that he now wanders the earth as an old man in search of a planet and the only reason he survived the camps was that his body desired to go on long after his mind had given up.
Mathias B. Freese has created a powerful thought-provoking work of fiction that cleverly examines a number of diverse perspectives on the Holocaust through several different writing styles, ranging from gothic, Utopian, romantic and chimerical. Each and every story will no doubt leave the reader speechless as we follow the few survivors that managed to outlive the brutality and starvation imposed by the Nazis, only to find their lives are full of insecurities and there is no escape from the torment they once suffered. All of which leads me to close and agree that we will never be done with the Holocaust and this book is living proof of that and I fully agree with other reviewers that it should be mandatory reading for all.
My Ranking:
5 Stars
My Review Sites:
http://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/
http://catherineroseputsche.webs.com/
http://t.co/G0ExZgmlwc
https://twitter.com/Putsche73
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Amazon and Barnes and Noble
April 3, 2015
Note: I was provided with a copy of this book for review.
The stories in this anthology are not real accounts or experiences, they are fictionalised stories, and yet Freese does manage to capture a small part about what life was like for those during the war. Stories about starving in camps, being dragged away from villages and mistreated by guards, as well as the tales and haunting memories by survivors are all expressed through numerous stories and Freese explores these emotions really well.
Freese does not take one side or viewpoint in his stories, instead he uses a variety of perspectives from prisoners, guards, adults and children, and uses settings and moments that take place before, during, and after the war. Each narrative voice is good at expressing the required level of emotion and feelings, suitable depending on the character and the circumstance, and despite somewhat restricted descriptions, a vivid image of the various environments is possible.
Even though the topic is quite intense, not every story is haunting or depressing; some are humorous and light-hearted, some are certainly strange, and even those from prisoner points of view are fairly philosophical and reflective, yet don't distract from the serious topic at hand. There are stories that explore falling in love in the early days of the war, about life within the camps, and stories that change the tone completely with humour, absurdity, and intense philosophical and psychological evaluations.
Despite being fictional, there is a ring of truth and real emotion in many of these stories that expresses the despair and torment of living in the camps, the justification by the Nazis, and even demonstrating that coming out a survivor does not always mean total liberation from the memories or the suffering. I liked that Freese chose to have many points of view from all parts of the war and from both sides involved. It balanced out the collection and it added a wonderful range of views and experiences of the same situation.
There is no denying the topic is one that is haunting and possibly uncomfortable for many, but this is not an anthology filled totally with heavy stories about sorrow and despair. Freese mixes up the styles and the tones and with a mixture of humour and reflection and tells touching stories that try and explore what people went through as a result of World War II. Certainly not all stories will be to everyone's taste, and some are more serious and respectful than others, but what Freese has done in trying to take new approaches in discussing the Holocaust is certainly commendable.
A longer version of this review was posted on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2...
The stories in this anthology are not real accounts or experiences, they are fictionalised stories, and yet Freese does manage to capture a small part about what life was like for those during the war. Stories about starving in camps, being dragged away from villages and mistreated by guards, as well as the tales and haunting memories by survivors are all expressed through numerous stories and Freese explores these emotions really well.
Freese does not take one side or viewpoint in his stories, instead he uses a variety of perspectives from prisoners, guards, adults and children, and uses settings and moments that take place before, during, and after the war. Each narrative voice is good at expressing the required level of emotion and feelings, suitable depending on the character and the circumstance, and despite somewhat restricted descriptions, a vivid image of the various environments is possible.
Even though the topic is quite intense, not every story is haunting or depressing; some are humorous and light-hearted, some are certainly strange, and even those from prisoner points of view are fairly philosophical and reflective, yet don't distract from the serious topic at hand. There are stories that explore falling in love in the early days of the war, about life within the camps, and stories that change the tone completely with humour, absurdity, and intense philosophical and psychological evaluations.
Despite being fictional, there is a ring of truth and real emotion in many of these stories that expresses the despair and torment of living in the camps, the justification by the Nazis, and even demonstrating that coming out a survivor does not always mean total liberation from the memories or the suffering. I liked that Freese chose to have many points of view from all parts of the war and from both sides involved. It balanced out the collection and it added a wonderful range of views and experiences of the same situation.
There is no denying the topic is one that is haunting and possibly uncomfortable for many, but this is not an anthology filled totally with heavy stories about sorrow and despair. Freese mixes up the styles and the tones and with a mixture of humour and reflection and tells touching stories that try and explore what people went through as a result of World War II. Certainly not all stories will be to everyone's taste, and some are more serious and respectful than others, but what Freese has done in trying to take new approaches in discussing the Holocaust is certainly commendable.
A longer version of this review was posted on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2...
December 22, 2014
I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.
I recommend this book for readers 18 and older.
Disclaimer: I'm not Jewish. Even I think the Holocaust is an unthinkable moment. Millions of people killed just because they were Jews, or infirm, or just because they disagreed with the Third Reich. Why would someone do this? That's a question we've been asking ourselves for the last 70 years. Numerous books have been written about this, too many to list here. I read Anne Frank's diary back in the late 1970s, about the same time that NBC aired a miniseries called "Holocaust." I also remember watching Schindler's List, which added scenes and details that NBC couldn't. It's hard to understand the full extent of the Holocaust unless you went through it yourself. I visited Dachau a few years ago, and I could feel the atmosphere of death and despair that pervades the camp, even after 70 years. The sad part is, this is going away. Survivors are dying of old age, so they won't be around to tell their story.\
That's what the author of this book tries to do--tell the story. He does this as a series of short stories. He imagines a golem who cracks a man in half. He has an "interview" with a doctor at the camps, and an "interview" with Eva Braun about Hitler's sex life. (That was particularly disturbing.) I found the fiction a bit off-putting at first, but then I realized that was the best way to tell the story. The danger here is that there are those who write off the entire Holocaust as fiction, so this could be dangerous. As I said, though, there is no way to capture the true horror unless you experienced it yourself. Given what's been happening with the Islamic State and the Taliban, are we on our way back there? All in all, a good book.
I recommend this book for readers 18 and older.
Disclaimer: I'm not Jewish. Even I think the Holocaust is an unthinkable moment. Millions of people killed just because they were Jews, or infirm, or just because they disagreed with the Third Reich. Why would someone do this? That's a question we've been asking ourselves for the last 70 years. Numerous books have been written about this, too many to list here. I read Anne Frank's diary back in the late 1970s, about the same time that NBC aired a miniseries called "Holocaust." I also remember watching Schindler's List, which added scenes and details that NBC couldn't. It's hard to understand the full extent of the Holocaust unless you went through it yourself. I visited Dachau a few years ago, and I could feel the atmosphere of death and despair that pervades the camp, even after 70 years. The sad part is, this is going away. Survivors are dying of old age, so they won't be around to tell their story.\
That's what the author of this book tries to do--tell the story. He does this as a series of short stories. He imagines a golem who cracks a man in half. He has an "interview" with a doctor at the camps, and an "interview" with Eva Braun about Hitler's sex life. (That was particularly disturbing.) I found the fiction a bit off-putting at first, but then I realized that was the best way to tell the story. The danger here is that there are those who write off the entire Holocaust as fiction, so this could be dangerous. As I said, though, there is no way to capture the true horror unless you experienced it yourself. Given what's been happening with the Islamic State and the Taliban, are we on our way back there? All in all, a good book.
May 27, 2015
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Holocaust. Countless pieces of fiction and nonfiction have been penned about the horrific event and related events. The Diary of Anne Frank, Apt Pupil, even Captain America: The First Avenger and an episode of Supernatural have worked the Nazis into their stories. It is the one thing I would say 99% of the world agrees is a truly deplorable event, killing countless people and leaving an indelible mark on the face of humanity.
Mr. Freese has here a collection of stories which will appeal to every type of literary fan: from realistic to horrific and even fantasy (if you squint). Golems, romantic relationships, non-believers and even obsessed Hitler collectors make appearances in the stories.
Each story makes you think, many make you gasp and a few will even leave tears in your eyes. The problem is, while all the stories have a common theme, they have quite disparate genres. While some readers will be able to get through the entire book without being bored, people who only like romance, or only like stories based in reality, will find themselves skipping stories and that is not what any writer wants.
Were I to rate each story individually, I would give them all fives--in their respective genres. Collected together, I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but they do not fit. There's something for everyone here, but unless you read this specifically because you have a fascination with the Holocaust, you might find yourself bored.
I read everything, so this was not a problem for me, but I think it could be for other readers.
The Holocaust. Countless pieces of fiction and nonfiction have been penned about the horrific event and related events. The Diary of Anne Frank, Apt Pupil, even Captain America: The First Avenger and an episode of Supernatural have worked the Nazis into their stories. It is the one thing I would say 99% of the world agrees is a truly deplorable event, killing countless people and leaving an indelible mark on the face of humanity.
Mr. Freese has here a collection of stories which will appeal to every type of literary fan: from realistic to horrific and even fantasy (if you squint). Golems, romantic relationships, non-believers and even obsessed Hitler collectors make appearances in the stories.
Each story makes you think, many make you gasp and a few will even leave tears in your eyes. The problem is, while all the stories have a common theme, they have quite disparate genres. While some readers will be able to get through the entire book without being bored, people who only like romance, or only like stories based in reality, will find themselves skipping stories and that is not what any writer wants.
Were I to rate each story individually, I would give them all fives--in their respective genres. Collected together, I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but they do not fit. There's something for everyone here, but unless you read this specifically because you have a fascination with the Holocaust, you might find yourself bored.
I read everything, so this was not a problem for me, but I think it could be for other readers.
February 21, 2015
I Truly Lament is a collection of Holocaust short stories. I have read too many Holocaust books, short stories published in newspapers/internet, I thought I have read everything I need to know. Some stories here still shocked me.
One story was about how a doctor performed operations on Holocaust patients. Hospitals didn't have much medical supplies then. He has been operating patients without anesthesia, some died on the table while the operation is ongoing, just imagine performing surgery without drugs? Another story was when a mother was taken in front of her son. They knew they would not see each other again. Slaves work for weeks without food or rest, they crave death. . . Heart breaking.
There were some I found amusing, Hitler's sex life with Eva Braun and the auction of Holocaust items, including Hitler's shorts.
While this is a good Holocaust book, I had to take out one star. Stories were confusing at first, I imagined them to be true accounts of Holocaust victims/survivors. And then halfway, I realized these short stories are fiction based on true stories. It was mentioned at the back of the book but missed it.
All in all, I highly recommend this book.
** got a note from the author:
1) Not one of these fictional pieces was based on a true story, not one!
2) each story was imagined and fabricated.
The stories felt authentic, hence the confusion while reading the stories. . .
One story was about how a doctor performed operations on Holocaust patients. Hospitals didn't have much medical supplies then. He has been operating patients without anesthesia, some died on the table while the operation is ongoing, just imagine performing surgery without drugs? Another story was when a mother was taken in front of her son. They knew they would not see each other again. Slaves work for weeks without food or rest, they crave death. . . Heart breaking.
There were some I found amusing, Hitler's sex life with Eva Braun and the auction of Holocaust items, including Hitler's shorts.
While this is a good Holocaust book, I had to take out one star. Stories were confusing at first, I imagined them to be true accounts of Holocaust victims/survivors. And then halfway, I realized these short stories are fiction based on true stories. It was mentioned at the back of the book but missed it.
All in all, I highly recommend this book.
** got a note from the author:
1) Not one of these fictional pieces was based on a true story, not one!
2) each story was imagined and fabricated.
The stories felt authentic, hence the confusion while reading the stories. . .
May 27, 2015
I Truly Lament is a collection of stories based on the Holocaust. They all vary with their themes, as with any compilation like this. The first is based on a Jewish man on the run and trying to call a Golem to protect him with less than desirable results. You will read about horrible things that were done to the Jews and some outlandish events. None of them are true stories but they all feel real with what is known about the atrocities the Nazis did during the Holocaust.
I Truly Lament is not a happy go lucky book. There are no warm, fuzzy, happily ever after endings. We are all taught how horrible the Holocaust was but I don’t think many people truly understand what happened. I’ve seen news articles where some places are trying to teach our children that the Holocaust never happened and it was just political propaganda. Things like this sicken me. This book is one that I think many people should be required to read.
I admit that not all of the stories flow well for me but that is something that you can expect from any collection of stories. But overall this is a great yet heart wrenching collection on the Holocaust. This is one book that will open your eyes and break you heart at the same time.
I received this book from the author for free in exchange for an honest review.
I Truly Lament is not a happy go lucky book. There are no warm, fuzzy, happily ever after endings. We are all taught how horrible the Holocaust was but I don’t think many people truly understand what happened. I’ve seen news articles where some places are trying to teach our children that the Holocaust never happened and it was just political propaganda. Things like this sicken me. This book is one that I think many people should be required to read.
I admit that not all of the stories flow well for me but that is something that you can expect from any collection of stories. But overall this is a great yet heart wrenching collection on the Holocaust. This is one book that will open your eyes and break you heart at the same time.
I received this book from the author for free in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2014
Haunting is the best way to describe I Truly Lament. Much like Mathias Freese’s first book, The i Tetralogy, this book will stay in your memory for a long time.
The Holocaust is a subject that many authors have written about, but none so profoundly as Mr. Freese. He touches the very heart and soul of those that lived and those that died during these terrifying times.
I Truly Lament: Working Through the Holocaust is a book of short stories that were previously published by the author. This compilation is an emotional, and sometimes difficult to read, collection for readers to experience the entire event through the eyes of the people that lived it.
A psychotherapist, teacher and writer, Mathias Freese digs deep into the psyche of his characters. I have often made reference to The i Tetralogy in conversation. The point of view of both the guard and the prisoner of the same situation, makes one ponder reality and how we create our own reality. It never leaves you and you will never see any situation quite the same again. I have to say, he is one of my favorite authors. Well done, once again Mr. Freese !
Highly Recommended.
Reviewer: Shirley A. Roe, Allbooks Review International
The Holocaust is a subject that many authors have written about, but none so profoundly as Mr. Freese. He touches the very heart and soul of those that lived and those that died during these terrifying times.
I Truly Lament: Working Through the Holocaust is a book of short stories that were previously published by the author. This compilation is an emotional, and sometimes difficult to read, collection for readers to experience the entire event through the eyes of the people that lived it.
A psychotherapist, teacher and writer, Mathias Freese digs deep into the psyche of his characters. I have often made reference to The i Tetralogy in conversation. The point of view of both the guard and the prisoner of the same situation, makes one ponder reality and how we create our own reality. It never leaves you and you will never see any situation quite the same again. I have to say, he is one of my favorite authors. Well done, once again Mr. Freese !
Highly Recommended.
Reviewer: Shirley A. Roe, Allbooks Review International
June 27, 2015
I’ve read many stories about WWII, the Nazis, and the Holocaust. I’ve read a lot of horror and crime novels. I enjoy disturbing stories. That said, I Truly Lament is one of the most disturbing collections of stories I’ve ever read. We should be disturbed by the Holocaust , but some of these stories take that to a whole new level. I’m not an overly religious person either, but even found some of the religious references quite extreme for me… I understand these feelings given the circumstances however.
Taking the above into account, I must say these stories are well written. They will make you think. They will make you understand just how horrible we humans can treat one another. They will make you wish this was all fiction, with no basis in history! This book does everything a good collection of stories should, it takes you to another place and time… and that need not always be pleasant.
By all means, get a copy and read these stories. But, I’m sure somewhere within the pages you will find yourself offended in some way.
Taking the above into account, I must say these stories are well written. They will make you think. They will make you understand just how horrible we humans can treat one another. They will make you wish this was all fiction, with no basis in history! This book does everything a good collection of stories should, it takes you to another place and time… and that need not always be pleasant.
By all means, get a copy and read these stories. But, I’m sure somewhere within the pages you will find yourself offended in some way.
January 25, 2016
I tried to get through this book... I really truly did. It took me over a month of picking up the book, reading a couple pages getting annoyed and putting it down (before I threw it against a wall... which is absolute book heresy) to get through a little over half the book. My personal opinion is that this book trivialized what the Jewish people suffered during the Holocaust. There were a few good stories but there were some really disturbing stories. I was not expecting to read an "interview" of Eva Brun of how Hitler likes to defecate on her chest. Why would an author include such a controversial story in a book such as this? Overall I would say this is probably the first holocaust book I actually hate, which prior to reading this I didn't think was possible. For anyone actually looking for an intelligent book on the Holocaust that's not trivialized this is definitely not the book for you. It was not what I was expecting based on the reviews.
**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review**
**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review**
October 19, 2014
One of the stories that touched me most was one that involved a 'golem' . "In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, magically created entirely from inanimate matter." Mothers tell children stories of the golem as a creature that must be summoned when no hope remains and the world is dark. A Jew who is escaping from a camp has the golem in his head and conversations follow. The story is bone-chilling. I have always marvelled at the cruelty of man to man but never have I come across such raw rendering of emotions. Even the story about Hitler's relationship with Eva seems true.
from http://cupandchaucer.wordpress.com/20...
from http://cupandchaucer.wordpress.com/20...
March 22, 2015
Haunting. Tragic. 27 short stories about the Holocaust. This book will not leave my minds eye anytime soon. 27 very different accounts of this horrific event. There is even an interview with Hitler's mistress in one of these stories. All these stories give the reader a small snippet of what it might have been like to live through the Holocaust but each story tells the take very differently.
I give this book all five stars because this author did an incredible job of bringing together stories that must be told but that are hard to tell. This book is just as disturbing as Elliot Weisel's Night book but also just as beautiful. This is the type of book that should be required reading in high schools across America.
I give this book all five stars because this author did an incredible job of bringing together stories that must be told but that are hard to tell. This book is just as disturbing as Elliot Weisel's Night book but also just as beautiful. This is the type of book that should be required reading in high schools across America.
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March 2, 2016A collection of potent short stories detailing the horrific monstrosities of the Holocaust and the never ending agony of Holocaust survivors. A few of the stories are not for the squeamish, each one emotionally penetrating, evoking. I paused several times due to the severity of the content, absolutely heart wrenching of those enduring the unimaginable. Freese possesses an intense intimate writing style lending great impact to every story.
One of the stories I found profoundly touching Cantor Matyas Balogh - beautifully brutal, certainly memorable.
A heartbreaking collection yet should be read by all. You will cringe, cry and find yourself lost in thought hoping history never repeats itself. Arresting.
One of the stories I found profoundly touching Cantor Matyas Balogh - beautifully brutal, certainly memorable.
A heartbreaking collection yet should be read by all. You will cringe, cry and find yourself lost in thought hoping history never repeats itself. Arresting.
February 12, 2015
In the preface to his collection of short stories on the Holocaust Mathias B. Freese says it is a story that no-one could ever tell in entirety. He describes it as a “ghastly grandiosity”. It is too large, too devastating, it goes beyond all understanding and adds up to one heaving firestorm in the history of humanity. But somehow, taking a selection of different experiences and giving them a minute, poetic, imaginative treatment, he then goes ahead and does exactly that.
Full review: https://leatherboundpounds.wordpress....
Full review: https://leatherboundpounds.wordpress....
August 23, 2016
I truly lament it's made of 27 short stories of the Holocaust. I sadly have to say I don't the history of the holocaust. But does but open I curiosity of what took place. I loved all of the stories some more impactful than others. One that stood with me was of a man that finally found love only to be taken away to the camps shortly after. Will not say more so I would give it away. Even though they are fiction but I truly recommend this book for the people that want to get a sense of what actually happened in the Holocaust.
March 19, 2015
'I Truly Lament' does what important books do. Freese writes so brilliant it remains in the mind long time after it has been read, refusing to leave by finding its own shelf in your soul. There are 27 short stories and they are not just of great originality and bold but also sorrowful and very moving. A great read.
March 26, 2015
FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.
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