This is an emotionally draining book in a way that some others in this genre aren't, but I don't know if I can pinpoint exactly what made me so sad in finishing it. Clearly Deem has done mountains of research and as he explained, knew little about Breendonk until he actually set foot there and then delved into their archives to bring this book to fruition. He both explains terminology and shares personal stories from those at Breendonk. And it's the full picture that he presents including the war tribunals at the end for the notorious SS and resolutions, however sad, for the prisoners and family.

But I believe this up close view of some of the men who were the "original" prisoners of this "reception" camp who were degraded, continually starved, beaten, terrorized, and abused and for many then murdered. With the chronological exploration of the building of this fort before it was utilized and then how it was used is an intimate and chilling look, but I also think the images add a depth. Not only the sketches from one of the prisoners, but the propaganda photos, torture chamber images, and lastly some of the final images include the dead bodies in the train car and the memorials that stand in and around the camp paint a full picture of the disgusting terror that Nazis waged against a variety of people.

Very well done.