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Auschwitz

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Auschwitz

By: Laurence Rees
Narrated by: John Sackville
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In this compelling book, highly acclaimed author and broadcaster Laurence Rees tells the definitive history of the most notorious Nazi institution of them all. We discover how Auschwitz evolved from a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners into the site of the largest mass murder in history - part death camp, part concentration camp, where around a million Jews were killed.

Auschwitz examines the mentality and motivations of the key Nazi decision makers, and perpetrators of appalling crimes speak here for the first time about their actions. Fascinating and disturbing facts have been uncovered - from the operation of a brothel to the corruption that was rife throughout the camp. The book draws on intriguing new documentary material from recently opened Russian archives, which will challenge many previously accepted arguments.

This is the story of murder, brutality, courage, escape and survival, and a powerful account of how human tragedy of such immense scale could have happened.

©2005 Laurence Rees (P)2020 Penguin Audio 20th Century Crime Freedom & Security Military Modern Politics & Government Murder War Thought-Provoking Holocaust Human Rights Survival Russia

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Critic reviews

Thank God that occasionally books of the stature of Laurence Rees's superb Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution are published... Fascinating. (Andrew Roberts)
Excellent (Boyd Tonkin)
A key to understanding man's inhumanity to man (Ian Thomson)
Well-written with striking testimonies from bystanders, perpetrators and victims. The interviews with SS men, and sundry European Fascists, are genuinely revealing, and must have been exceptionally difficult to negotiate (Michael Burleigh)
Devastating. Rees's research is impeccable and intrepid. Ultimately he does at the gut level what Hannah Arendt achieved some 40 years ago at the level of philosophy: he forces the reader to shift the Holocaust out of the realm of nightmare or Gothic horror and acknowledge it as something all too human. Scrupulous and honest, this book is utterly without illusions (David Von Drehle)
All stars
Most relevant
I think that having visited Auschwitz prior to listening to this book gave me an adavatage when it came to picturing the parts of the camp the author describes. It is a faultless mix of history, drama and facts. Be prepared to be educated, be prepared to be shocked, be prepared to be inspired - The narrator is a perfect choice - excellent.

Simply a must listen....

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After reading and listening to many books and visiting Auschwitz last year this book is very factual. The narrator also tells and explains the story well.

Very Good

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This was a bit of an odd one. This was kind of reading a literary version of BBC’s 6 episode “Auschwitz : The Nazi’s And The Final Solution” from 2005.

Obviously it does contain a bit more, but overall it is the same story with most of the conversations and interviews quoted word for word. For this reason, I can’t help but feeling a bit cheated. There were a few small add-on’s, but nothing major. A bit like watching the series in a 15 minute extended director’s cut version.

If you have not read much about Auschwitz, Operation Reinhard, the final solution, Hoess or the KZ camps in general, this is a fine place to start. But if you are already knowledgeable about these things or remember that television series, skip this.

It is well written but basic. It gives a very superficial idea about life in the camp, but it lacks the details and depth of other books.

So, for an Auschwitz newbie, sure. As long as you keep in mind that it is your starting point. Don’t use this to go into deep discussions and tales of the camp and it’s horrors - it will not make you an instant expert. It will put you on the path and start you off well, but it is a starting point only. It does not deal with any proper data points which for example gives a proper and good definition of sizes, locations or routines of the camp etc. it also does not talk about any of the many sub camps, nor does it talk about Monowitz. It also fails to talk in-depth about things like the medical experiments or the work of the zonderkomando in greater detail. Some might find this kind of detailed, but once you study things a bit more, you realise how much is still there after reading this.

A word of caution. If you are new to this subject and feel like taking on some of the holocaust deniers in a debate, don’t do it with this as your only knowledge base. This will not prepare you for the weird and twisted pseudoscience these guys use to skew things to fit their narrative. It has a few factual errors that can catch you off guard, and things simply lack the details to go against someone who has spent a lot of time trying to find “scientific” proof that the holocaust was a hoax. This book will put you on the path and make you more knowledgeable, but it will not make you an instant expert. Just something to be aware of.

If you like me have visited the camps, done more in-depth studies, read many of the more detailed book and scientific articles and publications made, just skip this one unless you just want to rack it up as yet another one for the huge collection of holocaust and KZ oriented books read.

The narration is okay, not brilliant but good. A few names etc. could be better, but overall good.

Good but, not “new”.

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This book is the most historically accurate account of the events that occurred at Auschwitz and other camps during WW2. It is harrowing, sad, tragic, and undeniable in its detail.
Please listen and tell the story so that future generations can avoid making the same mistakes.

The truth well told.

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An incredibly detailed account which encompasses far more than the camp at Auschwitz. In spite of the harrowing nature of the subject matter, the book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the era as it shows how and why so many ordinary people were willing to collaborate in so vile a crime. Wonderfully written and narrated.

Excellent

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