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The Boy: A Holocaust Story
by
A cobblestone road. A sunny day. A soldier. A gun. A child, arms high in the air. A moment captured on film. But what is the history behind arguably the most recognizable photograph of the Holocaust? In The Boy: A Holocaust Story, the historian Dan Porat unpacks this split second that was immortalized on film and unravels the stories of the individuals—both Jews and Nazis—
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Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
October 26th 2010
by Hill and Wang
(first published 2010)
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Start your review of The Boy: A Holocaust Story
The photo on the cover of this book is probably the most recognizable Holocaust photo in the world, and arguably one of the most recognizable photos in history. The child's terrified little face has captivated many people, not the least author Dan Porat, who became obsessed with uncovering the identities of the people in the picture and the stories of their lives.
I had heard that the boy lived: that he survived the war, became a doctor in Boston, and had that picture framed and on display in his ...more
I had heard that the boy lived: that he survived the war, became a doctor in Boston, and had that picture framed and on display in his ...more
This is an interesting book, but the title is somewhat misleading, or at least the jacket description is misleading.
The book is mostly concerned with tracing three people who were in the Warsaw Ghetto during the uprising. One Jewish woman and two Nazis. Porat does a good job of showing the history.
The only reason why I am giving it three stars is my personal bias aganist the use of imgination in history. I don't like it. But it is my hang up, not Mr. Porat's.
The book is worth reading simply for ...more
The book is mostly concerned with tracing three people who were in the Warsaw Ghetto during the uprising. One Jewish woman and two Nazis. Porat does a good job of showing the history.
The only reason why I am giving it three stars is my personal bias aganist the use of imgination in history. I don't like it. But it is my hang up, not Mr. Porat's.
The book is worth reading simply for ...more
Of all the photos taken of the Holocaust, none was more haunting to historian Dan Porat than one taken by a Nazi photographer during the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto. At the center of the photo is a young boy with his hands raised in surrender. Nazi officers stand behind the boy. On the other side of the boy is a group of people also with their hands in the air. Professor Porat kept seeing the photo at Holocaust museums and heard from several curators how the young boy in the photo survived
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The book is based around an iconic photo of a group of Jews being rounded up by the Nazis in Warsaw. The story follows three Nazis, the boy and a couple of young Jewish people, breaking down their lives into 1913-1938, 1939-1945, and 1945-1982. It in not a terribly in depth book, being only just over 200 pages, but the stories of evading capture and escapes are very exciting. Lot of accompanying photographs are a bonus too.
This fascinating novel keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from beginning to end. As a World War II fanatic, I was intrigued by this book the moment I started reading it. It gave me a different perspective on the terrifying journeys taken by Jews during the era of religious persecution. I felt that this book well demonstrated the terrors of World War II. Porat did a outstanding job writing this story from different viewpoints. Having been told from different views, the story allows the re
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“The Boy” is much more a historical novel than it is historical non-fiction. I say this simply because, though filled with a lot of historical information that seems well documented, the author takes a lot of liberty in presenting personal character narratives that may or may not be accurate. We can well understand the fear and terror that enveloped so many people during that time but unless actual thoughts and words are coming from the diary of someone the author has written about, we can never
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"The Boy: A Holocaust Story" by Dan Porat provides an in-depth look into the harsh holocaust times in Germany. Through authentic language, photos, and Porat's imagination, it book is very informational yet intriguing. There is a continuing theme of hope, redemption, and love that is portrayed through the book. The documentation of the hard times and struggles of those in Germany during the time triggered me, as the reader, to be constantly hoping for solutions to their many problems. Perhaps, th
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I will have to join other reviewers in calling the title of this book a bit of a cheat. It is only about the boy in the photo in an abstract way; the bulk of the book deals with the lives of people on both sides of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. On one hand, we follow the experiences of a Jewish woman who survived the ghetto and narrowly escaped ending up in Treblinka. On the other hand is Jürgen Stroop, who oversaw the liquidation of the ghetto, and Josef Blösche, one of the soldiers in the iconic
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A real disappointment, this book. The author reconstructs the story and lives of the people in a famous photograph of the Warsaw Ghetto. What could have been a very compelling book is marred by authorial overreaching. Porat acknowledges that he has ascribed words and thoughts to people that they never said or had, but assures the reader that it's still history, not historical fiction. Most disturbing, the reader wouldn't even know about the liberties he's taken unless they carefully read the foo
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Like another reviewer, I think the title is a bit misleading. The book isn't really about The Boy, but about one Jewish woman and several SS officers. Some of the details were horrific. However, I felt like the book was rather dry. Yes, I cried. But the facts were presented as more of a list than a story. The author tried to fill in details when presented with holes in the historical accounts but it is not clear what exactly was fiction and what was fact.
I don't know how to review this book. I g ...more
I don't know how to review this book. I g ...more
Not exactly the story I was anticipating, but still a worth while account and investigation into the lives of several Jewish residents of the Warsaw Ghetto and some of the Nazi officers who worked to liquidate it.
I was interested in the story of the people, but didn't feel that the boy "story" was tied together. Also, PLEASE label the pictures.
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The boy?? It should have been titled "the girl in the picture", because the boy has nothing to do with it until the very end when someone thinks they are the boy in the picture, that they could be, may be, but ultimately they aren't.
The book follows the life of the girl-the most interesting of which is when she escapes the train to the concentration camp-and another boy, not the one in the picture. What is the point?
This could have been a very good book if it had been written about what it was ...more
The book follows the life of the girl-the most interesting of which is when she escapes the train to the concentration camp-and another boy, not the one in the picture. What is the point?
This could have been a very good book if it had been written about what it was ...more
This seemed to be a mix of historic facts and the author's ideas of how the characters would have or may have responded in the very real event of the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. It is written through pictures so perhaps that gives the author some indulgence in weaving the story. The primary focus is the boy in the picture on the book jacket with his hands in the air. There are several photographs though, and they bring the heartache of that time period into a stark reality. Overall, a good
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I had a difficult time reading this book. Not due to content but the flow. The whole book seemed off in flow. I have seen the photo of The Boy many times in my life and have always been interested in what had happened to him. I'm happy for the opportunity Mr. Porat gave to delve deeper into the subject however his writing style is not for me.
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This title is very general but the story is very interesting. The photo on he cover is a memorable photo from the Holocaust. The story takes place during WWII while three people are in a Warsaw ghetto. It tells the story of a teenage boy and girl who encounter Nazis in Warsaw. The Five lives of the victims were very well described. I was wanting to know more about the conditions and way of life they lived especially in Europe durning that time. To hear the people's stories and struggles was spec
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A superbly written and moving account of the background of one of the most iconic war photos of all time. The suffering of the Jewish people described is difficult to read and the horror of the Holocaust does not diminish no matter how many accounts of it are read.
Interesting history of the iconic photo of a young boy in the Warsaw Ghetto. The author reviews the backgrounds of people in the photo, both Nazis and Jews, while telling the story of the ghetto uprising and how some were able to escape and survive to tell the story.
True story of the boy in the famous photo.
This was an interesting book about a supposedly iconic Nazi era photograph and the story of some of the people in the photo. I am by no means a WW II or Holocaust expert, but I do consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on the subject and do not recall ever seeing the photograph before. the photo shows a young boy, 4 or 5 years old, with his hands raised, standing next to a long line of people, also with their hands raised. Close-ups show the fear on his face. Also in the photograph are several N
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Dan Porat uses a famous picture of a boy during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 as the catalyst for a narrative that weaves together the personal stories of victims and perpetrators meant to prompt reflection about the Holocaust and the complexities of historical memory. The author roots the book in substantial historical sources but admittedly employs historical imagination - sometimes inventing interior reflections, for example, or filling in blank spaces with composite historical
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If you are interested in WWII or the Holocaust, you will want to read this book. No it is not an easy book to read. But it moves quickly and is well-writing. I highly recommend it.
From the publisher:
The Boy presents the stories of three Nazi criminals, ranging in status from SS sergeant to low-ranking SS officer to SS general. It is also the story of two Jewish victims, a teenage girl and a young boy, who encounter these Nazis in Warsaw in the spring of 1943. The book is remarkable in its scope ...more
From the publisher:
The Boy presents the stories of three Nazi criminals, ranging in status from SS sergeant to low-ranking SS officer to SS general. It is also the story of two Jewish victims, a teenage girl and a young boy, who encounter these Nazis in Warsaw in the spring of 1943. The book is remarkable in its scope ...more
Another reviewer said that the title was misleading. Maybe, but the story comes full circle to the boy in the iconic holocaust photograph. This is really a recounting of the events leading to the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto and it's inhabitants. It is not as dramatic as Uris' Mila 18 or John Hershey's The Wall but it is riveting in it's own way. Rather unique, I thought, in that it presented a good deal of biographical information on several of the SS thugs who were participants in this atr
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The title does tend to mislead somewhat, because this book is not strictly about the boy in the photograph, although it does include some really fascinating stories. Only one of the people in the photograph is a main character in the book. The others include someone who thought he was the boy, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, and two other Nazis that were close associates of the one in the photo.
I gave the book four stars because it was very well-written and I got caught up in the lives ...more
I gave the book four stars because it was very well-written and I got caught up in the lives ...more
I have read every holocaust book available and this is the latest one. It is excellent. Dan Porat explores the history of a photo from the Warsaw Ghetto of a little boy with his hands raised in response to Nazi soldiers. Porat writes the background history for the particular Nazis involved, the boy, and some of the other victims. It begins with each of their lives before the war and then takes each though to their deaths. It was particularly interesting and novel to have the Nazi soldiers includ
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This is an interesting take: telling the stories of people from a famous photograph. It was very informative, and while I liked the narrative as opposed to a massive avalanche of just fact after fact, sometimes it was hard to keep everybody straight and what exactly they had each done. Plus, at times I felt the author was attempting to make the telling More emotional, when the content already does that enough on its own.
It doesn't really feel right to say, "I liked this book!" but it was well w ...more
It doesn't really feel right to say, "I liked this book!" but it was well w ...more
Serendipitously, I had Shabbat dinner with Dan and his family two weeks ago. Prior to dinner, Dan was sharing with us some very interesting details about the book, especially related to his research and the personal bridges he crossed putting this beautifully written story to life. As soon as the book was passed to me, I began reading it, not put it down while finishing the first chapter as we all began singing songs before the Sabbath meal. The book kept pulling me in with a gentle force, that
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What was that about?
The Holocaust I think, at least that was the setting.
This is a very good example of what is often said, 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'
A more appropriate title would have been, 'Leica and the SS criminals'. However, changing the title would not have improved the quality of the writing.
During the final pages the author attempted to explain why the book was written in this manner, but that failed also.
A sensitive matter such as the Holocaust must be handled with respect and ...more
The Holocaust I think, at least that was the setting.
This is a very good example of what is often said, 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'
A more appropriate title would have been, 'Leica and the SS criminals'. However, changing the title would not have improved the quality of the writing.
During the final pages the author attempted to explain why the book was written in this manner, but that failed also.
A sensitive matter such as the Holocaust must be handled with respect and ...more
"The Boy: A holocaust Story" by Dan Porat is a very descriptive book and it describes how the nazi armies took over all over Europe, but specifically over Poland and Austria because thats where the books is focused the most on. The book talks about different family struggles who interact with the dangerous Nazi soldiers who almost killed their children and who almost sent them to concentration camps in order for cremation.
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Porat takes the iconic photograph of a young Jewish boy who is raising his hands up in terror during World War II and investigates the people in the photograph. Who is the boy? Who are the soldiers? Where did they come from and where did they end up? Porat uses photographs throughout the book, emphasizing the Nazi practice of documenting their own heinous actions. I have read many books about the Holocaust and World War II, but this one was sickening even in relation to many others.
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