I recommend that you read the book “I Have Lived a Thousand Years”, by Livia Bitton-Jackson, for two reasons. The first is that it really educated me about World War II, and gave me an insider’s glimpse of what it must have been like to be a prisoner at the concentration camps at that time. The fact that she was a teenage girl at the time only intensified the feeling that I felt for her, as well as her family and friends. I had always had a general idea about World War II, but I have never been so exposed to a survivor’s story like this. This book really opened my eyes. The second reason I would recommend this book is that it is very well written. It is clear and concise, without any unneeded facts or information. The way that it was put together is also very pleasant to read.
Although in some non-fiction novels, the authors could be suspected of exaggerating facts and stories, and being biased in his/her version of the story, I do not think that this is the case of Livia Bitton-Jackson. One reason I believe this is because her story aligns itself with other survivor stories perfectly. Another is that “I have Lived a Thousand Years” is a well-known and highly respected book and I do not think that one like that would be suspected of any falsities. I also believe that a survivor of a concentration camp like Auschwitz would not need to exaggerated anything; the real facts are gruesome and cruel enough to interest any reader or publicist.
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Sounds like a good book, do you think travelling to Amsterdam (did you visit Anne Frank's?) enhance your 'awareness' to WW2?
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great! I've read a few other novels (both fiction and non-fiction) that take place during World War II...how does it compare to other books of that genre and time period?
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