I Never Saw My Face

by Samuel Goetz

This wise and honest account is a moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. In lucidly eloquent prose that resonates with quiet power, Samuel Goetz reminds us that we must never forget one of the greatest crimes against humanity. As the Nazis tighten their stranglehold on the Jewish ghetto in Tarnow, a young Polish boy gathers the courage, cunning and resiliency he will need to survive. Sam Goetz is only eleven when he begins a harrowing odyssey. An innocent but perceptive child, he is perplexed by the seeming passivity with which the adults in his world accept the restrictions imposed by their oppressors. Even as his family struggles to sustain a semblance of normality, he witnesses brutality in the streets of the ghetto and begins to understand the sinister reason for the disappearance of neighbors and relatives. After he watches the departing train that will transport his parents to certain death, he sublimates his despair and fear to a steely determination to survive. I Never Saw My Face chronicles the Holocaust through the eyes of a remarkable youth. When the Nazis inevitably apprehend Sam, this intensely personal narrative takes us across the surreal landscape of war-torn Europe, as Sam, with extraordinary maturity, resolve and ingenuity, lives by his wits to endure the unspeakable horrors of the death camps.

152 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little-known Holocaust memoir, but it is equally important to read as Elie Wiesel's Night, and, I think, harder to read. I found myself in tears during many parts of this book. Samek Goetz grew up in Tarnow, Poland, where most of the town's Jews were exterminated. He recounts his life before the war, during the ghettoes, his time in the concentration camps, and his release and life after the war. His postwar life makes up about half of the book, and it is important because how Jews released to freedom and how they rebuilt their lives with their homes and families decimated is hardly ever discussed. To say it's surreal is only the tip of the iceberg. He was motivated to tell his story to help combat those who deny the Holocaust really happened and call it a "Jewish hoax". It is even more important to read today as politicians and their acolytes try to mince the meaning of the Holocaust in order to implement and defend similar policies. Goetz does not have Wiesel's literary style, but he draws tremendous power from his forthright and matter-of-fact retelling of his life. He doesn't need to describe how awful something is because the thing itself is awful. I highly recommend this book and plan on using excerpts to support my teaching of Night.

[Susan Vargas-howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author was my husband's optometrist! Great book! It is even better when you know the author.