The holocaust

[kaytee87]

Recently I've been reading a novel based on the holocaust from a polish Jewish family's perspective. It makes for difficult reading, I have to stop at certain points as the scenes described are so upsetting (and clearly based on real life experiences)
It got me wondering about the other, lesser known victims of the holocaust (Romas, JW, Homosexual, disabled people) as I haven't read as much about them.
I was also wondering what life was like for all of these communities after the war. I believe 90% of the Jewish polish community were murdered, how can a community go home after that?
Can anyone point me in the direction of some good reading material on the subject(s). Either fiction (based on historical events) or non fiction is fine.

Sorry it's not aibu, posting here for traffic.

There's an amazing autobiography called The Choice by Edith Eger. She's a death camp survivor who became a clinical psychologist. While the fist part of the book focuses on her terrible experiences during that time, the rest is devoted to her life afterwards and how she managed to make a life for herself. It sounds grim, but is actually a really uplifting book, and she's such an inspirational woman.

I can't help I'm afraid but I am interested in knowing the title of the book you are reading.

Thanks @BoogleMcGroogle, I'll look it up.

@TheOrigFV45 it's 'the storyteller' by Jodi picoult'. Half set in the past, half set in present day.

The Holocaust by Martin Gilbert is an incredible book. Non-fiction, and harrowing (obviously), but has been one of the best books I’ve read full stop!

There is a graphic novel called Maus by Art Spiegelman which is based on interviews with his father a polish jew.

Without wanting to diminish the holocaust it is also worth mentioning that the Japanese war crimes in China are often overlooked in the west if you are interested in the way humanity treated each other during WW2.

I read a book years ago about the roma experience, and Clive Owen did a film about the gay experience that is extremely moving.

One of the most important works, that rarely gets spoken about, is Borowski's "This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman". It gives you a lot of insight into how Auschwitz worked on a practical level, and just how inmates coped with it.

Another thing that is never spoken about is that few survivors returned home because the death toll of the liberation camps was just as horrendous as that of the actual concentration camps. You had a situation where thousands of people were stranded in wartime Europe with shattered logistics routes. I think it's Levi who said if you survived the camps, you then had to survive the liberation camps, and then survive the post war period where cities and towns were wrecked and no-one had any food.

@WeldMeDaphne thanks v much.

@Youdontknowwhatyouthinkyoudo thanks, I've only read a little about the Japanese war crimes and did watch a film on it once. My dad grew up with a Japanese ex pow on the corner of his street and said the poor man wasn't right at all he'd had all of his fingers broken and they weren't set right so he could barely use his hands, apparently he just used to shuffle around talking to himself.

It's astounding how badly humans treat each other. I can't get my head round it.

Just to add....Borowski is important because he's one of the only writers that talks about the Muslim inmates of Auschwitz.

@FormerlyPickingOakum thanks for your insight. I remember my dad telling me that thousands died when they were rescued by the Red Cross because they were fed too much and their bodies just couldn't cope with it

I'll look into liberation camps. I've heard them referred to but embarrassingly don't actually know what they were in reality.

Japanese ex pow = ex Japanese pow

My grandad was a Royal Engineer and involved in post liberation logistics. He was a wonderful lively funny chap who everyone loved. The only time I ever remember him being serious was if that stuff came up in conversation - he couldn’t bare to talk about it. Years after he died my grandma said he’d told her some of what it was like (but not all) and it had sounded horrific.

try the 'forgotten voices' series of books: interviews with war survivors collected in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum. There is one on this subject, and 7 other subjects.

I’m half polish.
The only reason I’m even alive is because my grandma was brought to England as a teenager in 1941 for what was meant to be a holiday with a cousin who’d married an Englishman years before. She ended up staying in England for the best part of 10 years before returning to Poland, marrying my grandad and having 5 children (including my mum). The rest of her family - parents, siblings and grandparents etc were murdered for being political opponents of the nazi regime. Her brother was shot execution style in the street after being caught engaging with the polish resistance. They were Catholic, not Jewish.
She’s told me everything she knows about what happened to her family, and the only reason she knows is because of what members of her extended family told her, and through a lot of digging. She still doesn’t know what happened to two of her sisters only that they were not taken to the same place as her mother.

Great you want to learn more about the subject. A couple of suggestions:

Primo Levi 'if this is a man'
Freddie Knoller 'desperate journey' and 'living with the enemy'
Sarah Helm 'if this is a woman'

I'd also like to direct anyone who is interested to the Holocaust Education Trust. They have loads of resources and testimonies. You can also arrange talks from survivors for schools or universities or the workplace, etc. (I've posted the link incase anyone is interested)

www.het.org.uk/education/outreach-programme/non-schools-form-outreach

I whole-heartedly recommend Primo Levi's memoir "If This Is A Man" about his experiences in Auschwitz.

Marge Piercy's "Gone To Soldiers" is a huge novel which covers events before, during and after WWII across France, the UK and the US. Probably the first book I ever read about wartime that made it feel personal to me. It gave me a great appreciation for my Grandpa's service in the Navy - he died when I was young and he never talked about it, but reading this book made me realize how traumatic it must have been for him, as an 18 year old lad who couldn't swim!

The remaining Jews were forced to leave Poland by pro Soviet government. They emigrated mainly to Israel.

Holocaust is... I don’t even know how to describe it. I’ve seen enough photos and read enough, couldn’t bring myself to visit Auschwitz.

I highly recommend ‘The Tatooist of Auschwitz’ it is a story of inside the camp and a little while after, they are Jewish but not all the people involved in the story are. It is based on memoirs of Lale Sokolov and written by Heather Morris

I'd second (or third) Primo Levi's 'If this is a Man' and also the follow up 'The Truce' which chronicles his journey back to Italy after Liberation.

Sarah Helm's 'If this is a Woman' is interesting as it's about Ravensbruck, the only camp that was exclusively for women.

I forgot to add Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, the book that the film was based on.

here is a massive list of fiction and non fiction also the comments mention many and there are reviews as well/
www.goodreads.com/list/show/1720.Well_Written_Holocaust_Books

a dear friend of mine was a child in the american japanese internment camps.some of these familys had been here since the early1800s.a shameful thing all around.

I think Jodi Picoult’s general style is sensationalist/voyeuristic, so definitely won’t read a book by her on the holocaust!

Read the Tattooist of Auschwitz it’s actually a true love story of a couple who met and fell in love there. It’s a very good read.

I'd recommend the documentary film Shoah.

there have been many acts of genocide
/america-the murder of indians is only now being recognized for the many millions murdered
www.answers.com/Q/How_many_Native_Americans_were_killed_by_the_US_government

www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/japanese-internment