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  • The Stone Crusher

  • The True Story of a Father and Son's Fight for Survival in Auschwitz
  • Written by: Jeremy Dronfield
  • Narrated by: Christopher Lane
  • Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (130 ratings)

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The Stone Crusher cover art

The Stone Crusher

Written by: Jeremy Dronfield
Narrated by: Christopher Lane
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Publisher's Summary

In 1939, Gustav Kleinmann, a Jewish upholsterer in Vienna, was arrested by the Nazis. Along with his 16-year old son Fritz, he was sent to Buchenwald in Germany, where a new concentration camp was being built. It was the beginning of a five-year odyssey almost without parallel. They helped build Buchenwald, young Fritz learning construction skills which would help preserve him from extermination in the coming years. But it was his bond with his father that would ultimately keep them both alive. When the 50-year old Gustav was transferred to Auschwitz - a certain death sentence - Fritz was determined to go with him. His wiser friends tried to dissuade him - “If you want to keep living, you have to forget your father,” they said. But that was impossible, and Fritz pleaded for a place on the Auschwitz transport. “He is a true comrade,” Gustav wrote in his secret diary, “always at my side. The boy is my greatest joy. We are inseparable.” Gustav kept his diary hidden throughout his six years in the death camps - even Fritz knew nothing of it. In it he recorded his story, a tale of survival and a father-son bond which proved stronger than the machine that sought to break them both.

©2018 Jeremy Dronfield (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. This audiobook is published in arrangement with Chicago Review Press c/o Susan Schulman Literary Agency.

What listeners say about The Stone Crusher

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  • JC
  • 2022-02-09

Exceptional Story

I cannot say I enjoyed the book because of the very difficult subject matter. I will say I am glad I listened because of what I learned from it. As I listened I was saddened that such brutality occurred. Highly appreciate this author (new to me) and the narrator and the way they presented and honoured this important (and true) story. What I really liked was that the humanity and bravery of the main characters (and many others) shone through. Also really interesting that the story was told in various settings/countries depending on who was being highlighted so you could hear about how the war was experienced by different people in different places. The details open up the story so it is not an overview but very up close and personal. I strongly recommend this book, in my opinion it is a crucial historical document and a must-read.

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    4 out of 5 stars

An excellent book!

Excellently written.
Excellent performance.
Excellent story.
I found it riveting, basically I listened to it now stop.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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moving

Excellent, but hard to hear. should be required reading for all high schools. educational

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1 person found this helpful

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  • LK
  • 2021-08-29

An essential read for all who think of war

I have been an avid reader all of my adult life but I have yet to come across a book that has a grabbed me by the throat as has this remarkable treatise. Both the author and the narrator are to be highly commended.

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A must read

This is a must read for absolutely everybody.. a horrible story of the bravest people ever. I think I would’ve given up. Luck, bravely, friendship and hope kept some people alive. We HAVE TO listen to their stories and never forget!!!

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Amazing story of survival

Highly detailed and a true survivor story. Tough to listen to but great narration. Highly recommended.

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Incredible

I have no words adequate to describe the power of this book. It must be listened to.

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An amazing story of survival.

From the ugliest part of human history father and son journey to stay together. To deal with the horrible things and trying to keep themselves alive is empowering, anyone feeling like they have things going bad in their life should read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

remarkable

a must read. I felt every emotion reading this. history must not repeat hate anymore

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    4 out of 5 stars

Eye-Opening Account

Which Jew in their right mind would *volunteer* to go to Auschwitz? "Useful" trained Stonemason Fritz Kleinmann (who wants to remain with his father), that's who.
This chronicle - informed largely by the secretly-kept diary of Fritz's dad, Gustav - is a gripping tale of dedication & love in the face of unimaginable trials. Historian Jeremy Dronfield follows the experiences of the various members of the Viennese Jew Kleinmann family - from Anschluss & Kristallnacht to escape/exile of various family members to Britain & America and the extermination of Fritz's mother & youngest sister.. but concentrates on the father & son as they make their way from captivity in Buchenwald to slave labor in Auschwitz. The author capably turns a torment-filled memoir into a captivating, strikingly realistic semi-dramatization (the dialogue is obviously fictional while the events described are undeniably authentic).

The narration by Christopher Lane is solidly above-average: exhibiting praiseworthy diction, timbre, and cadence.
The tone, however, is the best aspect of the performance (the reader finds an excellent balance between emotiveness and matter-of-fact relation). Yes, Lane reads too slowly (listen at 1.15X for the most natural experience), but he was a great casting choice from Brilliance Audio.

Altogether, this audiobook merits 9 stars out of 10. Some of the subject matter is uncomfortably viscerally-affecting (it would be a little too much for kids) and Dronfield takes considerable artistic license, but it's well worth a download. Although 'The Stone Crusher' was made available as a 'Plus' option, it would actually rate a Credit.
Similar to "The Diary Of Anne Frank", this book would be an excellent option for readers who want to put a human face on the horrors of the Holocaust (you really can't understand what happened in Europe during WWII without hearing stories like this one).

[NOTE: This book relates infuriating American & British Immigration and Refugee policies early in the War. Be prepared for some frustration.]

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