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Un gitano en Auschwitz
En 16 de junio de 1936 un diario berlinés publica en primera plana: «Berlín sin gitanos». Con ocasión de las Olimpiadas, el régimen nazi había decidido «limpiar» la ciudad e internó a la población gitana en un campo construido a las afueras, Unos meses antes se les había privado de la nacionalidad alemana. En 1942 Himmler ordenó la deportación de todos los «gitanos bastardos» a Auschwitz.
Este libro refiere el relato sencillo y llano de un muchacho gitano que sobrevivió a los horrores de la barbarie nazi. Es uno de los rarísimos testimonios de un exterminio olvidado.
Este libro refiere el relato sencillo y llano de un muchacho gitano que sobrevivió a los horrores de la barbarie nazi. Es uno de los rarísimos testimonios de un exterminio olvidado.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2000
12 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Otto Rosenberg
14 books4 followersIn 1995, Rosenberg recorded his memories on tape, and with writer Ulrich Enzenberger he published Das Brennglas in 1998.Michael Grobbel notes the book's 'colloquial and at time laconic style', as a result of the book staying true to its oral origins, and explains how Rosenberg discusses the continued 'persistance of racial intolerance after 1945'.
It was published as A Gypsy in Auschwitz in 1999, translated into English by Helmut Bölger. The book features an introduction from former Lord Mayor of Berlin Klaus Schütz.
According to author of Representing the Holocaust in Children's Literature, Lydia Kokkola, it is 'one of the very few books about the Gypsy Holocaust for young readers'. The book is recommended by Doris Bergen as further reading in her book War and Genocide: a Concise History of the Holocaust.
It was published as A Gypsy in Auschwitz in 1999, translated into English by Helmut Bölger. The book features an introduction from former Lord Mayor of Berlin Klaus Schütz.
According to author of Representing the Holocaust in Children's Literature, Lydia Kokkola, it is 'one of the very few books about the Gypsy Holocaust for young readers'. The book is recommended by Doris Bergen as further reading in her book War and Genocide: a Concise History of the Holocaust.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 29, 2022
As concentration camp survivors' memoirs go, Otto Rosenberg's is a short one and unique because it's one of those rare (I only know about two others) written by a survivor of the Roma & Sinti ethnicity.
Young Otto was only 9 when the Nazis rounded up him and his family in Germany to be sent to a concentration camp; he would ultimately end up in Auschwitz, but it was neither the first nor the only concentration camp he had to endure, just the one he remembers the clearest and the most horrific. In his brief account, he tells us about his time there in spare, direct and unadorned prose, even cold and detached, which is likely a product of him seeing it all in hindsight in his adulthood. It's not a particularly engrossing style and the detached feel of it might not appeal to some, but Rosenberg is going for bearing witness to the tragedy of his people and not for telling a story the public will find lively. It's harsh, brutal, and true.
Mr Rosenberg also doesn't stop at the moment the Allies barge in into the concentration camp to liberate it, as many memoirs do, but goes beyond and tells us about his life after Auschwitz too, which is another plus as it lets us know how he moved on with such heavy baggage and how society treated his people after the genocide. Hint: it's hardly surprising that the gypsies even now don't have a warm place in Europeans' hearts.
This re-edition of Mr Rosenberg's memoirs has an afterword by his daughter, Petra, and endnotes that help add context or clarify parts of the memoirs, which are going to be useful to those not well versed in the history of the period. His daughter's afterword, although also rather brief, helps highlight how his experience became intergenerational trauma for the Rosenberg family, through the anecdotes of how little Petra would wake up to her father's nocturnal PTSD episodes. Many memoirs exclude the family of the survivors, who invariably inherit their pain, and I wish the afterword had been longer for that reason. Nonetheless, brief as it was, it was a poignant detail.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Young Otto was only 9 when the Nazis rounded up him and his family in Germany to be sent to a concentration camp; he would ultimately end up in Auschwitz, but it was neither the first nor the only concentration camp he had to endure, just the one he remembers the clearest and the most horrific. In his brief account, he tells us about his time there in spare, direct and unadorned prose, even cold and detached, which is likely a product of him seeing it all in hindsight in his adulthood. It's not a particularly engrossing style and the detached feel of it might not appeal to some, but Rosenberg is going for bearing witness to the tragedy of his people and not for telling a story the public will find lively. It's harsh, brutal, and true.
Mr Rosenberg also doesn't stop at the moment the Allies barge in into the concentration camp to liberate it, as many memoirs do, but goes beyond and tells us about his life after Auschwitz too, which is another plus as it lets us know how he moved on with such heavy baggage and how society treated his people after the genocide. Hint: it's hardly surprising that the gypsies even now don't have a warm place in Europeans' hearts.
This re-edition of Mr Rosenberg's memoirs has an afterword by his daughter, Petra, and endnotes that help add context or clarify parts of the memoirs, which are going to be useful to those not well versed in the history of the period. His daughter's afterword, although also rather brief, helps highlight how his experience became intergenerational trauma for the Rosenberg family, through the anecdotes of how little Petra would wake up to her father's nocturnal PTSD episodes. Many memoirs exclude the family of the survivors, who invariably inherit their pain, and I wish the afterword had been longer for that reason. Nonetheless, brief as it was, it was a poignant detail.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 17, 2011
This is the largely untold story of the holocaust. The Jewish survivors were literate and encouraged to write about their experiences of the shoah for future generations. The gypsy survivors were often illiterate and less encouraged to recount their histories. It is not clear how many gypsies were killed as part of the Nazi's final solution, but their suffering was on a par with that of the Jews. I visited Auschwitz shortly after reading this and the guide took us past the notorious block 13, where the gypsies were housed, not wanting to tell us of what happened to the Roma and Sinto, preferring just to dwell on the Jewish and Polish victims. This is a story that needs to be heard.
July 25, 2022
Often when reading books regarding the Holocaust, we often neglect to talk about those other than the Jewish people. Otto Rosenberg was a Sinti person who survived the Auschwitz concentration camps. This book highlighted the unforgivable behaviours of the Nazis and the impact that the Holocaust had on its survivors. The book was easy to read and I couldn’t put it down. However, it is quite triggering and does not shy from the horrors experienced in the camps.
I will definitely be using this book as a resource for my Year 10 Holocaust unit in future.
I will definitely be using this book as a resource for my Year 10 Holocaust unit in future.
April 7, 2020
Mai sabrem prou sobre l’Holocaust i, amb aquest llibre, he pogut descobrir una realitat força desconeguda: la del poble gitano, que també va ser massacrat pel règim nazi. El relat d’Otto Rosenberg, supervivent, m’ha permès conèixer el periple que van passar els gitanos a Alemanya fins que van acabar als coneguts camps de concentració: com se’ls va prendre tot, se’ls va negar la seva nacionalitat i se’ls va tractar com si fossin animals. A més, gràcies a aquesta història he descobert noms camps de concentració i treball que desconeixia!
March 2, 2023
I don’t normally read non fiction but I thought I’d give it a shot.
Read this to maybe do my history project on it , spent hours analysing it and now I never want to see it again 😣
It was so so good though
💗💗
Read this to maybe do my history project on it , spent hours analysing it and now I never want to see it again 😣
It was so so good though
💗💗
January 13, 2023
"I have no idea how I managed to survive Auschwitz. To this day, I still can't fathom it. There was certainly a great deal of luck involved, but I believe there was something else, too - a protective hand held over me, shielding me from harm."
Author, Otto Rosenberg, was nine when Sinti were rounded up in Berlin and placed in ghettos, years prior to their being transported and imprisoned en masse in concentration camps.
Anyone who is Romani or of Romani descent will appreciate the rarely-spoken of missing pieces of this part of our history, particularly the gathering of family lineages and the collection of blood samples of Sinti and the first-hand account of the author, as a child, who's innocence was manipulated to allow him to be willingly separated from his family to be studied, psychologically, during the ghetto years.
Another bare-bones piece of our history that Romani, in particular, will appreciate is the author's own involvement in what is now called, "The Romani Day of Resistance," the details of which, previously, have been frustrating to access; readers will find themselves inspired and roused in expectant optimism.
When I say that A Gypsy In Auschwitz: How I Survived the Horrors of the ‘Forgotten Holocaust’ is sheathed in tenderness, I do so because author, Otto Rosenberg, recounts his experiences by wrapping them in love and gratitude for the many blessings that covered him and the people who extended to him mercy and loving-kindness.
This is a very special book, one filled with hope in the tragedy of excruciating loss.
Author, Otto Rosenberg, was nine when Sinti were rounded up in Berlin and placed in ghettos, years prior to their being transported and imprisoned en masse in concentration camps.
Anyone who is Romani or of Romani descent will appreciate the rarely-spoken of missing pieces of this part of our history, particularly the gathering of family lineages and the collection of blood samples of Sinti and the first-hand account of the author, as a child, who's innocence was manipulated to allow him to be willingly separated from his family to be studied, psychologically, during the ghetto years.
Another bare-bones piece of our history that Romani, in particular, will appreciate is the author's own involvement in what is now called, "The Romani Day of Resistance," the details of which, previously, have been frustrating to access; readers will find themselves inspired and roused in expectant optimism.
When I say that A Gypsy In Auschwitz: How I Survived the Horrors of the ‘Forgotten Holocaust’ is sheathed in tenderness, I do so because author, Otto Rosenberg, recounts his experiences by wrapping them in love and gratitude for the many blessings that covered him and the people who extended to him mercy and loving-kindness.
This is a very special book, one filled with hope in the tragedy of excruciating loss.
September 2, 2022
This inspiringly powerful true story of survival follows Otto Rosenberg, a boy of 9 who is living a happy, peaceful life in Berlin with his family when in the middle of the night Stormtroopers along with the police raid his home. His family is torn apart and loaded onto trucks with other Roma and Sinti families. They are taken to Berlin-Marzahn Rastplatz were they are dumped and detained, being forcefully told that they are forbidden to leave. The camp in Marzahn is known as the gypsy camp and Otto is quickly forced to adjust to the dire living conditions. Then people start to go missing, whispers of them being sent East and before he knows it it’s Otto’s turn. When Otto arrives in Auschwitz he is 15 years old. He is later transferred and detained in Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps before finally being freed in 1945. He was the only member of his immediate family, besides his mother to survive the war. This is his story.
Narrated in first person Otto tells his story of how he was born in Draugupönen, East Prussia, in 1927 and as far back as he can remember they have been a German Sinti family. His father, Herman Herzberg was a horse dealer and his mother, Luise Herzberg was a housewife with a sideline in peddling goods and telling fortunes. His parents separated when he was around 2/3 months old and he was sent to live with his Grandmother in Berlin. Otto adores his Grandmother and was closer to her than his own parents. Wherever she went, she always took him with her. Later his sisters and brothers came to live with them too. A lot of Sinti people moved around with their caravans but his Grandmother didn’t want that sort of life. They lived a simple life on privately rented sites. It was a peaceful existence. Their final move was to Sandbacher Weg in the Altglienicke-Bonsdorf district where they rented an apartment and a plot of land. They were never rich but had what they needed. Otto learns quickly that if he is helpful and does something for someone you might get something in return. Little did he know back then that this skill helped him survive the horrors of the camps in the years to come.
Otto tells the reader of his time in Marzahn and how more and more people kept arriving bringing with them infections and diseases. He was always hungry as a boy but if he wanted something to eat he needed to work long and hard for it. At 13 years old Otto had to leave the camp’s school as his Grandmother was dependent on welfare. Otto felt that he was all grown up now and had to help support her. He found work and got along well with his workmates. However as things began to change in the outside world and a misfortune on Otto’s part of being spotted with something he should’t have taken ended him up in Moabit Prison, Berlin. His aunt Camba visited him and told him that most of his family had been removed from Marzahn. He spent 4 months in solitary confinement in a cell. When he was released he was immediately arrested again and taken back to Dircksenstrafe and told he was going where his parents had gone. He was put on a train to Auschwitz, he was nearly 16 years old. When he arrived his parents were not there.
Otto’s personal account of being taken to Grob-Auschwitz, the big main camp that you come to first is heartbreaking to read. He tells of how they are sorted right away, Sinti, Jews, Poles and put into groups. He comments on how it was a well-oiled operation as all of a sudden the children were nowhere to be seen and he was surrounded by young people about the same age as him. He later learned the unspeakable fate that awaited those who were sent to the gas chambers. Thousands upon thousands of suitcases left on the platform, never to be opened by their owners. It is beyond barbaric what happened to those innocent souls.
Otto was given a number that was tattooed onto his arm Z 6084 and assigned to the main camp where he attended bricklaying classes. After a month he was taken to the gypsy camp, Birkenau. The reader learns of the inhuman way of life that they were forced to live. They had to sleep on sacks stuffed with shredded paper and wood shavings. Lice were everywhere. They were not allowed to drink water, it was forbidden because it was contaminated with typhoid. If you were caught drinking it you were beaten to death. The food was awful and sparse. They were given small pieces of bread, stinging nettles and bits of cabbage floating in a dishwater-like slop. At one point Otto fell ill and collapsed. He bluntly says that you ether recovered or you didn’t and no one cared which it was. Those who managed to not get sick and stayed strong enough to work had a bigger chance of survival. That’s what being in the camp was all about. Survival. Otto would do all he could to make it through to the next meal, the next day, to get what he could when he could without getting caught. He looks back and keeps coming back to the same single question, why did I survive? But he doesn’t have the answer. He thinks about how his family was taken and finds it hard to find joy in the world. No one should have to suffer such pain and loss at such a young age. It broke me when Otto finds out later that his family was wiped out in the camp. His words show strength and an instinct to fight, to survive, to not give in to the evil that has consumed his life. It is a difficult book to read but these stories must be told, heard. So many people had their whole worlds destroyed in seconds and we must honour their memories, their stories. They will never be forgotten or silenced again.
I give A Gypsy in Auschwitz By Otto Rosenberg a Five out of Five paw rating.
This book had me in tears, I was a mess because it’s a true horrific story. It’s our history, it happened to thousands of innocent men, women and children. Otto’s words are honest and speak from the heart. He tells the reader how it is, he is to the point in a simple but deeply moving way. His account is shocking and you realise quickly that Otto was a strong, resilient little boy who was forced to grow up before his time and was surrounded by death daily. A powerful story of survival, you HAVE to read this dear reader, you have to!
Narrated in first person Otto tells his story of how he was born in Draugupönen, East Prussia, in 1927 and as far back as he can remember they have been a German Sinti family. His father, Herman Herzberg was a horse dealer and his mother, Luise Herzberg was a housewife with a sideline in peddling goods and telling fortunes. His parents separated when he was around 2/3 months old and he was sent to live with his Grandmother in Berlin. Otto adores his Grandmother and was closer to her than his own parents. Wherever she went, she always took him with her. Later his sisters and brothers came to live with them too. A lot of Sinti people moved around with their caravans but his Grandmother didn’t want that sort of life. They lived a simple life on privately rented sites. It was a peaceful existence. Their final move was to Sandbacher Weg in the Altglienicke-Bonsdorf district where they rented an apartment and a plot of land. They were never rich but had what they needed. Otto learns quickly that if he is helpful and does something for someone you might get something in return. Little did he know back then that this skill helped him survive the horrors of the camps in the years to come.
Otto tells the reader of his time in Marzahn and how more and more people kept arriving bringing with them infections and diseases. He was always hungry as a boy but if he wanted something to eat he needed to work long and hard for it. At 13 years old Otto had to leave the camp’s school as his Grandmother was dependent on welfare. Otto felt that he was all grown up now and had to help support her. He found work and got along well with his workmates. However as things began to change in the outside world and a misfortune on Otto’s part of being spotted with something he should’t have taken ended him up in Moabit Prison, Berlin. His aunt Camba visited him and told him that most of his family had been removed from Marzahn. He spent 4 months in solitary confinement in a cell. When he was released he was immediately arrested again and taken back to Dircksenstrafe and told he was going where his parents had gone. He was put on a train to Auschwitz, he was nearly 16 years old. When he arrived his parents were not there.
Otto’s personal account of being taken to Grob-Auschwitz, the big main camp that you come to first is heartbreaking to read. He tells of how they are sorted right away, Sinti, Jews, Poles and put into groups. He comments on how it was a well-oiled operation as all of a sudden the children were nowhere to be seen and he was surrounded by young people about the same age as him. He later learned the unspeakable fate that awaited those who were sent to the gas chambers. Thousands upon thousands of suitcases left on the platform, never to be opened by their owners. It is beyond barbaric what happened to those innocent souls.
Otto was given a number that was tattooed onto his arm Z 6084 and assigned to the main camp where he attended bricklaying classes. After a month he was taken to the gypsy camp, Birkenau. The reader learns of the inhuman way of life that they were forced to live. They had to sleep on sacks stuffed with shredded paper and wood shavings. Lice were everywhere. They were not allowed to drink water, it was forbidden because it was contaminated with typhoid. If you were caught drinking it you were beaten to death. The food was awful and sparse. They were given small pieces of bread, stinging nettles and bits of cabbage floating in a dishwater-like slop. At one point Otto fell ill and collapsed. He bluntly says that you ether recovered or you didn’t and no one cared which it was. Those who managed to not get sick and stayed strong enough to work had a bigger chance of survival. That’s what being in the camp was all about. Survival. Otto would do all he could to make it through to the next meal, the next day, to get what he could when he could without getting caught. He looks back and keeps coming back to the same single question, why did I survive? But he doesn’t have the answer. He thinks about how his family was taken and finds it hard to find joy in the world. No one should have to suffer such pain and loss at such a young age. It broke me when Otto finds out later that his family was wiped out in the camp. His words show strength and an instinct to fight, to survive, to not give in to the evil that has consumed his life. It is a difficult book to read but these stories must be told, heard. So many people had their whole worlds destroyed in seconds and we must honour their memories, their stories. They will never be forgotten or silenced again.
I give A Gypsy in Auschwitz By Otto Rosenberg a Five out of Five paw rating.
This book had me in tears, I was a mess because it’s a true horrific story. It’s our history, it happened to thousands of innocent men, women and children. Otto’s words are honest and speak from the heart. He tells the reader how it is, he is to the point in a simple but deeply moving way. His account is shocking and you realise quickly that Otto was a strong, resilient little boy who was forced to grow up before his time and was surrounded by death daily. A powerful story of survival, you HAVE to read this dear reader, you have to!
February 26, 2023
Coming from a Romany gypsy family myself, this has been such an eye-opener to read. Very moving and definitely an important part of history to remember! Enjoyed it so much I read it it all in less than 24hours!
February 6, 2024
I think everyone should read this book. Some of the sentences are simple but devastating at the same time.
September 25, 2022
I read "Night by Elie Wiesel" years ago. It took me years to take back a book based on Holocaust. The impact Holocaust literature leaves is heavy and deep. Imagine, the impact it had on men, women, and children who were struggling to survive in Nazi camps.
The book is a memoir on the experience of Otto in Nazi camps. Holocaust turned humans into wild animals. Survival is the solo goal. To survive they had to push themselves to the extreme. You either work or die. The trauma is deep rooted in them. Otto was a minor when he was taken away for the camp. The way Otto faced the challenges. He didn't know what he was doing, with sheer hope for survival, he went with the flow and intuition.
There is mention of God more than 4 times, it reflects that even after facing hell in the camps the faith was a light in their hearts. The Nihilistic pov is not apparent in the book. It's heart breaking to read on the condition of women and children. Fighting with their own family for loaf of bread is soul wrecking. Personally, hunger is the worst of the pain that one can go through. I felt extremely bad when people couldn't get proper rations.
What's your identity? In concentration camps you would get numbers as your identity. Your name, family background, religion nothing matters. Your identity is snatched away. At a certain point, they become numb to it all.
"Lambs being led to the slaughter. That was how utterly changed we were"
"Work makes you free which turned into extermination through labour"
"The world is full of terrible people but there are always a few good eggs among them"
The book started off with gentle tone soon turned into a nightmare. The torment they all went through is unfathomable.
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I WOULD BLINDLY GIVE IT 5 STARS.
The book is a memoir on the experience of Otto in Nazi camps. Holocaust turned humans into wild animals. Survival is the solo goal. To survive they had to push themselves to the extreme. You either work or die. The trauma is deep rooted in them. Otto was a minor when he was taken away for the camp. The way Otto faced the challenges. He didn't know what he was doing, with sheer hope for survival, he went with the flow and intuition.
There is mention of God more than 4 times, it reflects that even after facing hell in the camps the faith was a light in their hearts. The Nihilistic pov is not apparent in the book. It's heart breaking to read on the condition of women and children. Fighting with their own family for loaf of bread is soul wrecking. Personally, hunger is the worst of the pain that one can go through. I felt extremely bad when people couldn't get proper rations.
What's your identity? In concentration camps you would get numbers as your identity. Your name, family background, religion nothing matters. Your identity is snatched away. At a certain point, they become numb to it all.
"Lambs being led to the slaughter. That was how utterly changed we were"
"Work makes you free which turned into extermination through labour"
"The world is full of terrible people but there are always a few good eggs among them"
The book started off with gentle tone soon turned into a nightmare. The torment they all went through is unfathomable.
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I WOULD BLINDLY GIVE IT 5 STARS.
October 18, 2022
An illuminating memoir of the treatment of Roma in the nazi period. Written by a lucky survivor, who said he felt some degree of guilt for his survival.
Otto Rosenberg discusses the early treatment of German Roma(he was from the Sinti Roma) which, given the treatment of German Jews, seems to have been somewhat 'mild', in comparison. This is, of course, not really true.
Otto notes that gypsies, at least on the Berlin area, got on fairly well with non-Roma but this changed for the worse in the mid 1930's.
His journey through Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dora sub-camps is harrowing and contributes to the Holocaust experienced by Otto and his family, most of whom perished.
Illustrated and very easy to read with a very useful set of notes at the end.
Two points came up that Otto mentioned: water used to activate Zyklon B and the role of the Kanada personnel in Auschwitz to operate the gassing facilities. The notes addressed Kanada(who weren't employed in gassings per se) but not water and Zyklon B - I have not read about this previously as Zyklon was always noted as being used dry, with oxygen exposure that triggered the 'desired' effect.
Very useful as I have little on the Roma persecution.
Otto Rosenberg discusses the early treatment of German Roma(he was from the Sinti Roma) which, given the treatment of German Jews, seems to have been somewhat 'mild', in comparison. This is, of course, not really true.
Otto notes that gypsies, at least on the Berlin area, got on fairly well with non-Roma but this changed for the worse in the mid 1930's.
His journey through Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dora sub-camps is harrowing and contributes to the Holocaust experienced by Otto and his family, most of whom perished.
Illustrated and very easy to read with a very useful set of notes at the end.
Two points came up that Otto mentioned: water used to activate Zyklon B and the role of the Kanada personnel in Auschwitz to operate the gassing facilities. The notes addressed Kanada(who weren't employed in gassings per se) but not water and Zyklon B - I have not read about this previously as Zyklon was always noted as being used dry, with oxygen exposure that triggered the 'desired' effect.
Very useful as I have little on the Roma persecution.
August 12, 2022
I read this book thanks to an ARC from NetGalley.
Only through reading the afterword did I realize it was a republication of a 2000 memoir re-released with post-scripts about the author's impact on truth and reconciliation between the Sinti and Roma populations and the German government.
There are thousand upon thousands of takes -- both non-fiction and fiction -- of what happened to Jews during the Holocaust. This is one of the few I've read about a Sinti (Gypsy) teen's experience. So much was the same, so much was different. This memoir talked about what it meant to live in German concentration camps, not just die there. The reason for the three star review? I couldn't tell who the audience for this book was intended to be. The writing is simple in both form and word choice. It was unclear if this was a book meant for younger audiences (middle grade, early teen?) or adults. The descriptions of life in Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen seemed sanitized (not sanitary, sanitized) compared to the detail in other memoirs.
Only through reading the afterword did I realize it was a republication of a 2000 memoir re-released with post-scripts about the author's impact on truth and reconciliation between the Sinti and Roma populations and the German government.
There are thousand upon thousands of takes -- both non-fiction and fiction -- of what happened to Jews during the Holocaust. This is one of the few I've read about a Sinti (Gypsy) teen's experience. So much was the same, so much was different. This memoir talked about what it meant to live in German concentration camps, not just die there. The reason for the three star review? I couldn't tell who the audience for this book was intended to be. The writing is simple in both form and word choice. It was unclear if this was a book meant for younger audiences (middle grade, early teen?) or adults. The descriptions of life in Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen seemed sanitized (not sanitary, sanitized) compared to the detail in other memoirs.
October 4, 2022
I was completely unaware of the treatment given to Sinti and Roma families during the war, and this gave an insight into that history.
I learnt a lot reading this, and not just about their treatment, but also about their language and culture too. The photos gave an added personal touch to the story. I am shocked by the behaviour after the war in terms of compensation and general lack of empathy for the victims.
What I felt let it down was the lack of emotion shown in the writing - though this may have been due to the translation of the original text. The sentences sometimes jumped about which made it hard to follow and there were a lot of names thrown in.
Overall, an interesting whilst educational read that is harrowing to realise that it's someone's life - but personally I felt was let down by the actual writing/translation.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from RandomThingsTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I learnt a lot reading this, and not just about their treatment, but also about their language and culture too. The photos gave an added personal touch to the story. I am shocked by the behaviour after the war in terms of compensation and general lack of empathy for the victims.
What I felt let it down was the lack of emotion shown in the writing - though this may have been due to the translation of the original text. The sentences sometimes jumped about which made it hard to follow and there were a lot of names thrown in.
Overall, an interesting whilst educational read that is harrowing to realise that it's someone's life - but personally I felt was let down by the actual writing/translation.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from RandomThingsTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
September 19, 2018
Lo realmente interesante de este libro, por encima del relato y la visión desde el punto de vista de una minoría ampliamente castigada a lo largo de la pesadilla nazi, es la historia que casi nunca nos cuenta: el "después" y la fotografía social de cómo se recomponen los distintos espacios de un pueblo después de eventos tan traumáticos.
Allí está, para mí, lo realmente valioso de esta historia, y se agradece muchísimo.
Por otro lado, impacta muchísimo la "frialdad" del libro dentro de la perspectiva de un adolescente que no la tiene fácil desde su infancia, y que con solo 12 años ya comienza a vivir los horrores de la guerra. Es impactante, y contrasta muchísimo con otros libros de su mismo carácter y género, mezclando frialdad con inocencia y sobre todas las cosas, deseo de supervivencia. Realmente me pareció muy interesante.
Allí está, para mí, lo realmente valioso de esta historia, y se agradece muchísimo.
Por otro lado, impacta muchísimo la "frialdad" del libro dentro de la perspectiva de un adolescente que no la tiene fácil desde su infancia, y que con solo 12 años ya comienza a vivir los horrores de la guerra. Es impactante, y contrasta muchísimo con otros libros de su mismo carácter y género, mezclando frialdad con inocencia y sobre todas las cosas, deseo de supervivencia. Realmente me pareció muy interesante.
August 31, 2022
Raw. I've read a lot of books on WWII, this one is very personal. Not as "polished" as other books, but very personal and (the best word I have for the book) ... raw. These words from the author are imprinted in my heart, as they should be, so that we never forget.
Chilling that Eva Justin who worked with Dr. Robert Ritter went into Gypsy camps to document their heritage and genealogy with the sole intent of marking them for extermination.
Afterword by Petra Rosenberg, the author's daughter. Otto Rosenberg (the author and survivor) was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1998. He died in 2001.
Originally published in 1998 in Berlin. Republishing in UK in 2022.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review A Gypsy in Auschwitz in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the family of Otto Rosenberg for republishing this story.
Chilling that Eva Justin who worked with Dr. Robert Ritter went into Gypsy camps to document their heritage and genealogy with the sole intent of marking them for extermination.
Afterword by Petra Rosenberg, the author's daughter. Otto Rosenberg (the author and survivor) was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1998. He died in 2001.
Originally published in 1998 in Berlin. Republishing in UK in 2022.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review A Gypsy in Auschwitz in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the family of Otto Rosenberg for republishing this story.
November 3, 2022
There are some stories that absolutely need to be told, regardless of the pain and horror experienced. Such is the case with the book, A Gypsy in Auschwitz, by Otto Rosenberg. So often we hear about the plight of the Jews in the concentrations camps, but this memoir takes us on a slightly different vein. Here, we capture a glimpse into the Gypsy persecution at the hand of the Nazis. Raw, honest, brutal, and gut wrenching, Rosenberg recounts his experience in the Auschwitz concentration camps in a way that resonates deeply. This is a story we all need to hear and learn from. The vulnerability and truth presented are vital for our understanding of mankind and the consequences of unchecked evil.
I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
December 11, 2022
This is a very easy-to-read (in terms of language, presentation and flow, if not subject matter) book that explores an aspect of the Nazi genocides that Europe probably doesn't talk enough about – the genocide of the Sinti and Roma.
We follow a boy from childhood as the Nazi persecution begins and his family are forcibly relocated, through into adolescence as he is sent between several work and concentration camps, and following the liberation of the camps as he tries to build himself an adult life.
What is striking, and makes it such a powerful book, is the matter-of-factness with which the story is recounted (it's been dictated from father to child) and how quickly the appalling conditions and pervasiveness of death become routine.
We follow a boy from childhood as the Nazi persecution begins and his family are forcibly relocated, through into adolescence as he is sent between several work and concentration camps, and following the liberation of the camps as he tries to build himself an adult life.
What is striking, and makes it such a powerful book, is the matter-of-factness with which the story is recounted (it's been dictated from father to child) and how quickly the appalling conditions and pervasiveness of death become routine.
January 23, 2017
I read this book because I heard that the 2012 German edition was allegedly extended. However: Where is the difference to the 2012, allegedly extended, version? I thought maybe him taking food form a dying/dead prisoner would have been missing here, but it is in it also. I can't remember everything from the 2012 edition, but it is odd that there are no differences despite the claims. The only thing different seems to be the chapters by his daughter but that was it.
Sure this is a good book, but I was disappointed.
Review to the 2012 version: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sure this is a good book, but I was disappointed.
Review to the 2012 version: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 13, 2019
Otto Rosenberg was exposed and experienced many of the attrocities bestowed upon people in the concentration camps of World War II. Born of gypsy descent in 1927, Otto was placed in camps and various concentration camps since the age of 13. Many times he was close to death but, somehow, he managed to survive and tell his story. He lost most of his family during the years he was held captive at the hands of the Third Reich. His is an amazing story of courage, resourcefulness and the perseverance of the human spirit. I highly recommend this book. It is not very long but will leave you staggering at what some supposedly human beings are capable of doing to others.
January 29, 2023
While not a pleasant book l and with all translated books it had some issues that I found with the way it was translated.
There are some very interesting parts in this book and I am not an expert on the historical accuracy of what is in the memoir.
I think it's important to learn from history and I do think that everything that is part of the book is. Dry important.
I wish I had read it sooner as well or that there wasn't as much time between studying about the Holocaust and reading these books. It was great to see something that I haven't learned before and to see what happened to another culture that was different from the standard that we had previously seen.
There are some very interesting parts in this book and I am not an expert on the historical accuracy of what is in the memoir.
I think it's important to learn from history and I do think that everything that is part of the book is. Dry important.
I wish I had read it sooner as well or that there wasn't as much time between studying about the Holocaust and reading these books. It was great to see something that I haven't learned before and to see what happened to another culture that was different from the standard that we had previously seen.
August 6, 2022
This is the 1st book I've read from a Gypsy perspective. And honestly, I don't remember Gypsies ever being mentioned. Thanks so much to Otto telling his story and his family having it published.
We follow his story as a young boy at home with his family to his time in the Concentration Camps. Strong, smart, a survivor. He goes on to relate his experiences in running into others post war and how they react to him.
Well written, easy to follow.
We follow his story as a young boy at home with his family to his time in the Concentration Camps. Strong, smart, a survivor. He goes on to relate his experiences in running into others post war and how they react to him.
Well written, easy to follow.
December 28, 2022
I have read MANY books written about Holocaust survivors accounts of what happened to them in that awful period of time. this was a new view that i have not seen any other books written from in my searching. as heart breaking as this all is this is a great example of the resilience they had to have to fight to stay alive. if you are at all interested in the Holocaust or things surrounding it this is a great read.
May 13, 2023
This book is moving, horrifying and worth reading. There is always something new to learn but what really stands out is how this aspect of the Holocaust is not commonly discussed. It might be lesser known but it is certainly not of lesser importance when Roma and Sinti communities are still facing racism and marginalisation in the present. The trauma is being recycled and repeated and we need more books like this to highlight the history of the Roma and Sinti People.
July 26, 2022
A truly inspirational novel on an individual’s survival in the concentration camps in WW2. What happened to him, his family, and others was horrifying and heartbreaking. The hardships he endured make a great read for the history fan. A great novel!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 9, 2022
3.5 would be a better rating.
The story of Otto Rosenberg, taken to Marzahn (known as the Gypsy camp) at the age of 9 just before the 1936 Olympics. He arrives in Auschwitz at the age of 15 and survives illness and violence.
The story of Otto Rosenberg, taken to Marzahn (known as the Gypsy camp) at the age of 9 just before the 1936 Olympics. He arrives in Auschwitz at the age of 15 and survives illness and violence.
December 13, 2022
This book started out very slow. It unfortunately remained that way. It was very hard to stay interested in it. Usually with books like this I can't put them down. Unfortunately I didn't really like this book. I'm not saying that no one else will like it. But for me this book is a no go.
January 26, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Rosenberg does an excellent job of showing the Romani perspective during the Holocaust, which is a perspective that unfortunately we do not get because of the lack of Romani intellectuals who have written about the Roma Holocaust.
February 20, 2023
Fascinating insight into a unique journey. I did feel some areas felt short like there was more unfolding but then abruptly the topic changes which leaves you feeling like you will never know but I guess that is part of the story in itself...
Would recommend.
Would recommend.
March 7, 2023
This is one of the best books I've come across detailing how the camps functioned, especially the gas chambers that always confused me. I HIGHLY recommend reading this if you're wanting to understand Auschwitz more <3
June 5, 2023
Thought this book was alright, I always enjoy reading and learning parts of history about the holocaust and the dreadful things which occurred however the book just felt to boring in a sense. I couldn’t figure out weather it was a biography or a fiction based of the truth. It was a short book and very easy to read but I felt there have been better book in which I have read. Although still enjoyed it and liked the book
Three stars ⭐️
Three stars ⭐️
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