Survival against all odds

An incredible, horrifying, rare and detailed first hand experience of being a Sonderkommando in the Auschwitz-birkenau concentration camp.

Through sheer luck, the will to survive and Dr. Miklos professional background he was able to survive and reveal the atrocities committed despite the singular goal of the Auschwitz SS to erase all evidence of the horrors that occurred.

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Best historical perspective of Auschwitz I'v heard

Couldn't hit pause. listened to it in a day. intriguing perspective of a survivor in a unique position. It outlines a behind the scene look at how the camp operated and the arduous torture that prisoners received at the hands of evil. well worth the read.

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Horrible truth

This story is a story of humanities, terrible, horrendous and unbelievable horrors that human beings can inflict on each other. A story that needs to be told story that needs to be heard. I would recommend this book.

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Wow!! (Spoilers)

I found this book to be very engrossing. I could feel the expectation of death at every turn. It's truly a miracle that he AND his wife AND his daughter survived!! Whoever wrote the forward is an asshole for condemning the author for participating in Dr Mengele's experiments. Who of us would not do what we had to to survive? An enthralling book!

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Get through the first chapter.

As with many holocaust memoirs it is a heart wrenching story. The first chapter was hard to get through but from there the book kept my interest.

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Disturbing

TRIGGER WARNING: This is a viscerally uncomfortable read/listen.

Charges that the Foreword by Bruno Bettelheim is unfair are legitimate: He laments the hesitation of Jewish prisoners to fight back, blames Anne Frank's death on her family for refusing to split up during their hide from the SS, and clearly has disdain for Dr. Miklos Nyiszli's decision to work for Joseph Mengele to prolong his life. It's pretty harshly unempathetic.

Having gotten that observation out of the way, I can testify that this is an endlessly fascinating (if unsettling) document. Assuming that the translation by Richard Seaver & Tibere Kremer is accurate, Dr. Nyiszli does not hold back on his description of the horrors endured by people sent to the Extermination Facility (Auschwitz was clearly no "Concentration Camp"). His matter-of-fact relating of unforgiveable cruelty underlines the astounding acceptance of behavior that must NEVER become routine.. but also touches on the moral/ethical angst that Nyiszli continuously struggled with, his resignation that he was a walking dead man, and his constant paralyzing fear.

Audible Studios Inc unfortunately made an error utilizing Noah Michael Levine to read the book. To be sure, his diction, timbre, and pacing are professional - and the technical support is creditable - but Levine has a mechanical (almost robotic) cadence - and a flat tone that detracts from the built-in emotiveness of the subject matter. Levine pays too much respect to Dr. Nyiszli's glaringly clinical writing style.

Notwithstanding the deficiencies in both the text and the performance, this recording of 'Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account' merits 8 stars out of 10. It's a powerful read - and easily worth your time if you can get it as a 'Plus' option with your subscription.
If Audible asks for a Credit, however, consider carefully. There are better survivor memoirs available.

[Incidentally: I'm pretty sure Tom Arayo of 'Slayer' read this book before writing 'Angel Of Death']

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Incredible

What an incredible story, unbelievable.

Hard to listen to some of the things being told but very informative and moving.

It really changed my outlook on the entire subject, the things those poor people had to go through at the hands of Hitler’s SS.

Very sad but a very well written novel.

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Testimony

Hard to listen to and harder to stop listening. Is it possible that our capacity for causing pain and suffering in our fellow humans to be the most prolific use of our imagination? Whar good have we done to balance the holocaust?

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Saw this book in the store, happy to find it here

Ever since I spotted this in a store I was intrigued. The story of survival by Miklos is told very well, the things he did and saw while he worked under Mengel were astonishing. Great delivery of an incredible story

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highly recommended

amazing true story, unbelievable and raw. the best ending to any of the many books/movies I have read/seen on the topic.

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1 person found this helpful