Looking Back

by Mania Salinger

Mania Salinger was born in Radom, Poland and enjoyed a childhood blessed with love, friends, and good luck until horrors unleashed by Nazi invasion changed her life forever. Many of her friends and family perished during the Holocaust, but Mania survived those horrific years working in multiple Nazi camps, including Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. Her optimistic spirit, shrewd instincts, and fierce determination to believe that life, and humanity, must prevail over evil helped her to endure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, World War II, History, Holocaust

145 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2006

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity and great pleasure of meeting and speaking with Mania Salinger. She autographed my book and spoke about her experience in the holocaust at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. She’s an incredible woman and I will never forget her strength, courage, compassion and sense of humor.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This is extremely difficult for me to rate and review. This is anything but your average Holocaust memoir. Mania Salinger mentions several times that she's not a writer and that this book was not meant to be a book. Salinger started her memoirs over 25 years before she began again. The reason she began again was because of her children and the fact that she wanted them to know what she had been through, what her childhood was like, etc.
On one hand the book isn't written "great". On the other hand I felt like the author was sitting next to me. This isn't meant to be a great literary masterpiece and the Salinger says this herself. I can honestly say that besides this one book I have never read another memoir, Holocaust or other, that felt so much that I was being spoken to by the author. This more than made up for the lack of flowing writing.
Salinger included some pictures, some of which are amazing. One is on the day of liberation and she's standing front and center at the chain link fence waving to oncoming troops. If I remember correctly she didn't know this photo even existed until she (someone else maybe?) saw a PBS movie on the camps.
The only strange thing I remember from the entire book, and it really has nothing to do with the actual book itself but I want to mention it, is that her sister, who was the only other immediate family member of hers to survive the war, married her cousin years after. That was divulged in one sentence with no more details. I'm not sure if this was commonplace in that day but it's quite strange to me. And one more thing I'd like to mention that I just remembered. When her sister found her and found that she was engaged to an American soldier she said something to the effect of 'nice Jewish girls don't marry soldiers'. That saddens me because she said this after the war and in reality isn't this the type of attitude that causes war and such things? I don't mean to be judgemental but I would have hoped for a better attitude towards her sisters fiance and marriage.
Overall I found the book to be very honest. She writes of Germans she came into contact with more than a few times and I think she's been more honest than any other author I've ever read on the subject. That's a bold statement I know and I want to reinforce that I think this, I do not know it.
Salinger seems like the type of person anyone would be better off having in their life. As family or a friend she seems like an all around loving person. She has her flaws like us all and even includes some in her epilogue but they are far less than her positive attributes.
I'm honored to own this book with her having signed it. It would give me great pleasure to hear her speak.

[Katherine Loch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mania Salinger was a wonderful Lady who I had the pleasure of caring for her as a patient. She had an amazing Spirit ! She truly loved all people whom she met and particularly young kids. She was passionate about helping others make sense of a terrible senseless time in history. She knew the only way to grow as a “ human race” was to learn from our past. In her shared story of her life she reaches out to the reader to try to heal what some would say was impossible. An amazing soul.

[Shey Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that is more relevant than ever. The docent at the Holocaust Memorial in Michigan mentioned Mania's story is one of the ones that inspired Jodi Picoult's The Storyteller.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of meeting Mania Salinger, and hearing her talk, during my visit to Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills yesterday. She was even kind enough to take a picture with me. I immediately began reading her memoir when I returned home last night, and finished today. Her talk was fascinating, and she tells it a matter-of-fact, and often humorous way. Her feistiness, as a young girl during the war, was obvious during her talk but I did find that she was able to convey more of her emotions on paper. I liked how her book fleshed out more of the details of the stories she told in person. It was sometimes hard for her to find the right word, or convey what she was thinking, during her talk, so reading the rest in her book was satisfying. I am in awe of her courageous spirit, not only in the things she described doing during the war, but in writing her memoir itself. She touches on this a bit in her book, describing how it was so much easier to experience the holocaust (while in survival mode) than it is to have to remember and re-tell it these many years later. This is completely understandable, and I am extremely grateful that she chose to share her life with us anyway.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to meet Mania a couple of weeks ago at the farmington hills holocaust museum and heard her speak about her story. It was a truly inspiring story that opened my eyes up to what really happened during the holocaust. It's one thing to go to a museum and read all the posters about what happened but you get a completely new view on the tragedies that happened once you hear someone share their very personal story. As I was reading Looking Back I recalled what Mania had told me in person and realize that she told us a few stories that didn't make it into the book. I am glad that I was privileged enough to hear them from the author herself! She even mentioned when she was speaking that when she had her hair shaved she had long brow hair just like mine. I think that with my meeting with Mania and reading her book, her story will always live with me and inspire me.

[Catherine Yezak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. I was glad to learn that there were resistance groups within the concentration camps and that only about 1/3 of the Germans actually supported Hitler's view on Jews. I was lucky enough to hear Mrs. Salinger speak, so this made the material even more interesting. This woman has overcome a great deal in her life and it is wonderful to know that she is still as optimistic as every. This is definitely a good read for anyone wanting more than the typical history lesson of the Holocaust.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

memoir of Mike's Aunt Mania, growing up Jewish in pre-war Poland, and surviving the death camps after Germany invaded. After the war, she married Mike's dad's brother, Martin. A story of the strength of the human spirit, but also a cautionary tale of what people will accept & put up with, hoping for a better day.

[Sheila]

I only read this book after I went to the Holocaust Museum and the author just happen to be speaking while there. I really enjoyed the book and learning all Mania Salinger endured. I understand that she was interviewed by Jodi Piccolt (sp?) who wrote a book based on Mania's life.

[Publishsavvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for teens particularly... nicely written and includes photographs. Mania is also an extraordinary speaker.

[Lychee]

I love that I learned about this book via an interview with the author on my favorite sports podcast: The Dan Barreiro show on KFAN.

[Toni Trager-bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading her story, I would of never read this but needed a book at my work , my 95 year old young lady, that I watch, suggested it. So glad she did.