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An Underground Life

Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin

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About this listen

That a Jew living in Nazi Berlin survived the Holocaust at all is surprising. That he was a homosexual and a teenage leader in the resistance and yet survived is amazing. But that he endured the ongoing horror with an open heart, with love and without vitriol, and has written about it so beautifully is truly miraculous. This is Gad Beck's story.

©1999 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks 20th Century Europe Gay Studies Germany Historical LGBTQ+ Studies Military Modern Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"So intense and authentic that [the] narrative pulls you along." ( The New York Times)
"(Beck's) astute observations of daily life in Nazi Berlin, related in a chatty, humorous style, present a full, complex portrait of the times." ( Publishers Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant
more like listening to pieces of a life rather than the story of a life, but it was eye opening as I hadn't realised this aspect of the 2nd WW.

it was okay

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The story is great, but ruined by an awful presentation, the editing made it obvious it was recorded in more than one studio, German words not pronounced correctly, I don't know about the Jewish ones.

The audio is terrible

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An excellent and insightful memoir. Unfortunately, the narrator’s voice tended to grate. Despite that, it is worth listening to for the content.

Very good.

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A compelling listen. A fascinating story, very well told. Brings history to life. I really enjoyed this.
Initially I wasn’t sure the narrator was for me, but I stick with it snd came to really enjoy how he told the story.
Highly recommended.

A Compelling Listen

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