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Czterdzieści siedem lat życia
A dual biography of Maximilian Maria Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv. and Rudolph Franz Hoess, Kommandant Aushwitz Concentration Camp Oswiecim, Poland
- GenresReligion
328 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 11, 2018
Parallel biographies of Maximilian Kolbe - a Franciscan friar who had, among other things, volunteered to die instead of another prisoner in Auschwitz - and Rudolf Hoss - the commandant of Auschwitz. The two men shared quite a few simmilarities in their earlier lives, and yet ended up on the opposite ends of a spectrum - literally.
I think this is one of those books that have to "find you" at the right moment and "place" in your life to have an impact.
It is written as historical nonfiction, which can both detract from and add to the "ooomph" factor. Lists of facts and excerpts from letters and such historical documents can read a bit dry, but it is precisely the objectivity of the narrative which lends strength to the morale, and makes the reader "feel" the horror of the proceedings in Auschwitz (objectivity of the depiction makes it more "real").
Kolbe's attitude and approach to the actual living of faith challenged me and prompted some welcome shifts in my inner way of thinking. So, 5 stars go to him (and Him, and Mary) for wholly personal reasons. :)
However, I commend the book from an impersonal standpoint, also. For its depiction of the Nazis.
Nazis have - for a good reason, undoubtedly - become the "go-to-bad-guys" of Western historical movies. And let me make this clear - I do not condone their beliefs and actions in any way, shape or form, but... But I do think there is equal danger in demonizing and glorifying them.
Some were bloodthirsty, twisted psychopaths - yeah, I won't dispute. But all of them? But most of them?
I believe that most of the Nazis accepted the ideology not due to their monstrous nature, but due to other scary(ier) reasons... Scarier because they belong to an innate set of human fallacies, and all of us are guilty of them at some point: the lack of critical thinking, and the wish to protect one's own (and status quo) at any price. Don't rock the boat.
How could any person agree to the perpetuation of such obvious crimes as those commited in the concentration camps?
With frightening ease.
Let's remember our modern attitudes toward the immigration crises, hate crimes, sexism, racism and the whole slew of "isms". "Look the other way... If it doesn't hurt you directly..."
Besides, human psyche comes with a well-ingrained set of defensive mechanisms. When you're forced to do something morally despicable (in order to save your own life, or your wife and children's future, say), you probably won't find it difficult to distance yourself from the issue. If forced to drag corpses of three-year-old girls to the crematorium, you soon learn not to look at their faces. :/
I believe that, for the most part, Nazis were human, too. Not at its best meaning - certainly not humane. But humans. Living through their own version of hell.
That was the conclusion I had reached midway through the book, and then I came to the detailed accounts of the procedures taking place in Auschwitz - and I got too mad. Too angry to "pardon" the perpetrators, regardless of their own potentially "valid" excuses.
But that's the thing. :/
If we allow ourselves to get too angry and to demonize the Nazis, we risk overlooking the very real danger of following in their footsteps (if on a significantly smaller scale).
We might not be picking old ladies off the street and tossing them into gas chambers for a faulty last name, but uncritical patriotism (us against the world) and "turning a blind eye" feed the kind of atmosphere which had allowed concentration camps to open in the first place.
Preaching to the choir, I suppose. :P But reminding myself, also.
I think this is one of those books that have to "find you" at the right moment and "place" in your life to have an impact.
It is written as historical nonfiction, which can both detract from and add to the "ooomph" factor. Lists of facts and excerpts from letters and such historical documents can read a bit dry, but it is precisely the objectivity of the narrative which lends strength to the morale, and makes the reader "feel" the horror of the proceedings in Auschwitz (objectivity of the depiction makes it more "real").
Kolbe's attitude and approach to the actual living of faith challenged me and prompted some welcome shifts in my inner way of thinking. So, 5 stars go to him (and Him, and Mary) for wholly personal reasons. :)
However, I commend the book from an impersonal standpoint, also. For its depiction of the Nazis.
Nazis have - for a good reason, undoubtedly - become the "go-to-bad-guys" of Western historical movies. And let me make this clear - I do not condone their beliefs and actions in any way, shape or form, but... But I do think there is equal danger in demonizing and glorifying them.
Some were bloodthirsty, twisted psychopaths - yeah, I won't dispute. But all of them? But most of them?
I believe that most of the Nazis accepted the ideology not due to their monstrous nature, but due to other scary(ier) reasons... Scarier because they belong to an innate set of human fallacies, and all of us are guilty of them at some point: the lack of critical thinking, and the wish to protect one's own (and status quo) at any price. Don't rock the boat.
How could any person agree to the perpetuation of such obvious crimes as those commited in the concentration camps?
With frightening ease.
Let's remember our modern attitudes toward the immigration crises, hate crimes, sexism, racism and the whole slew of "isms". "Look the other way... If it doesn't hurt you directly..."
Besides, human psyche comes with a well-ingrained set of defensive mechanisms. When you're forced to do something morally despicable (in order to save your own life, or your wife and children's future, say), you probably won't find it difficult to distance yourself from the issue. If forced to drag corpses of three-year-old girls to the crematorium, you soon learn not to look at their faces. :/
I believe that, for the most part, Nazis were human, too. Not at its best meaning - certainly not humane. But humans. Living through their own version of hell.
That was the conclusion I had reached midway through the book, and then I came to the detailed accounts of the procedures taking place in Auschwitz - and I got too mad. Too angry to "pardon" the perpetrators, regardless of their own potentially "valid" excuses.
But that's the thing. :/
If we allow ourselves to get too angry and to demonize the Nazis, we risk overlooking the very real danger of following in their footsteps (if on a significantly smaller scale).
We might not be picking old ladies off the street and tossing them into gas chambers for a faulty last name, but uncritical patriotism (us against the world) and "turning a blind eye" feed the kind of atmosphere which had allowed concentration camps to open in the first place.
Preaching to the choir, I suppose. :P But reminding myself, also.
February 12, 2022
This book made me question my faith in the best possible way. If God can forgive who am I not too?
February 25, 2026
Bardzo dobre, chwyta za serce, pokazanie 2 różnych żyć było genialne. Jedna z lepszych ostatnio przeczytanych przeze mnie książek.
May 31, 2022
Ciekawe porównanie życiorysów św. Maksymiliana i R.Hoessa.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews