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My Darkest Years: Memoirs of a Survivor of Auschwitz, Warsaw and Dachau
Born in Berlin in 1922, James Bachner was a German Jew during the darkest days of the Third Reich. Once a happy child in a well-to-do German family, as the years passed Bachner faced first ridicule and persecution, then imprisonment and deprivation. Attributing his survival to a combination of strength and being in the right place at the right time, Bachner's memoir is a poignant and often horrific account of Jewish struggles during the days of World War II. Beginning with his idyllic childhood, Bachner expresses the range of emotions he experienced as the Nazis transformed his homeland into a nation where he and his fellow Jews were no longer welcome. He describes the volatile political atmosphere and the fears inspired in all Germans by tales of the concentration camps. In addition, he tells of the belief many Jews held that the West would step in and put an end to Hitler's reign. The work then details the realities of life in a concentration camp. The end of the war, Bachner's reunion with his remaining family members and his eventual relocation to America are also discussed.
228 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 23, 2016
I've read many Holocaust memoirs, but I think this will stick with me for a long time. Bachner has a way of writing that is both distant, but at the same time, incredibly friend-like. I often felt, throughout reading this, that Bachner was still a young adult, and that he was my friend telling me a harrowing story.
In that way, that is why this will stick with me. This also wasn't the type of memoir that really discussed the horrors of the Holocaust, either. Well, I mean, it is of course discussed, but there's not a lot of detail, in the physical sense. In a lot of memoirs, you read about how the person is changing, their body, their pain, etc. but with this, it's an overview. Bachner writes about how he and everyone else was very skinny, and that they were hungry and thirsty, but that's really it, and I appreciated it. What Bachner really delves into is how other people reacted to the Holocaust, and that was so interesting.
From the Volksdeutsche, to German citizens, to the German army, the SS, and even the guards, Bachner paints of picture of how humanity reacted to this tragedy, instead of focusing on himself. I've been reading about WWII since I was 15, and I learned things in this that I had never heard of before. For example, a German general ran into a death march and told an SS lieutenant that "this was no way to treat prisoners". The SS lieutenant essentially told him that he could have him arrested, and the general, incredibly upset, drove off.
There were a lot of other instances where the Germany army, or army veterans, voiced their opinions over the Nazi's, and told the Jews that they didn't agree with this at all, but if they didn't go along with it, they'd be put in prison, or killed. Towards the end of the war, Germany needed every man available to fight, which left WWI veterans in charge of the camps. Some of the veterans hated it so much that they would tell the Jewish prisoners that they would try to help them. One in particular took a liking to Bachner and gave him a new uniform and ID card to escape, gave him extra food, and let him rest during work detail. When Germany was being taken over by the Allies, and they wanted to move the Jews away from the liberating forces, the veterans in charge of Dachau essentially told everyone that they were there to help the Jews, not kill them, so "don't do anything stupid".
It was refreshing to read a memoir like this, where the focus was really on people and humanity, and how certain people reacted, or didn't, to the Holocaust. I was so happy to find out that (*mini spoiler*) Bachner's brother and father survived, and that he was able to rebuild his life in America. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Holocaust memoirs, who want a different perspective!
In that way, that is why this will stick with me. This also wasn't the type of memoir that really discussed the horrors of the Holocaust, either. Well, I mean, it is of course discussed, but there's not a lot of detail, in the physical sense. In a lot of memoirs, you read about how the person is changing, their body, their pain, etc. but with this, it's an overview. Bachner writes about how he and everyone else was very skinny, and that they were hungry and thirsty, but that's really it, and I appreciated it. What Bachner really delves into is how other people reacted to the Holocaust, and that was so interesting.
From the Volksdeutsche, to German citizens, to the German army, the SS, and even the guards, Bachner paints of picture of how humanity reacted to this tragedy, instead of focusing on himself. I've been reading about WWII since I was 15, and I learned things in this that I had never heard of before. For example, a German general ran into a death march and told an SS lieutenant that "this was no way to treat prisoners". The SS lieutenant essentially told him that he could have him arrested, and the general, incredibly upset, drove off.
There were a lot of other instances where the Germany army, or army veterans, voiced their opinions over the Nazi's, and told the Jews that they didn't agree with this at all, but if they didn't go along with it, they'd be put in prison, or killed. Towards the end of the war, Germany needed every man available to fight, which left WWI veterans in charge of the camps. Some of the veterans hated it so much that they would tell the Jewish prisoners that they would try to help them. One in particular took a liking to Bachner and gave him a new uniform and ID card to escape, gave him extra food, and let him rest during work detail. When Germany was being taken over by the Allies, and they wanted to move the Jews away from the liberating forces, the veterans in charge of Dachau essentially told everyone that they were there to help the Jews, not kill them, so "don't do anything stupid".
It was refreshing to read a memoir like this, where the focus was really on people and humanity, and how certain people reacted, or didn't, to the Holocaust. I was so happy to find out that (*mini spoiler*) Bachner's brother and father survived, and that he was able to rebuild his life in America. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Holocaust memoirs, who want a different perspective!
January 2, 2015
Very well written account of another person's experience during the Holocaust. James Bachner's story carries him from Berlin to Poland to Munich and finally to New York.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews