Out of the Depths of Hell: Six Stories of Survival
Written: Aug 26 '07 (Updated Aug 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Powerful, true stories...Closure to Anne Frank's life
Cons: difficulty in pronouncing/reading some names & places
The Bottom Line: Worth the read if for no other reason than to see that hope and kindness can be found anywhere.
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| cmaw63's Full Review: Willy Lindwer - The Last Seven Months of Anne Fran... |
The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank was written after the release of the documentary filmed in May of 1988. Willy Lindwer was able to use only portions of each interview in the film. Thus, the book was born to establish a written record of the courage they had shown in the concentration camps and in opening their minds again to the horrors they witnessed and lived. It is his intention that the book will preserve the entire story each woman gave him.
Lindwer, tired of the romanticism surrounding the life of Anne Frank, brings the heart breaking reality of concentration camps to life again with the help of six women. All of the women had contact with Anne Frank during their forced stays in such places as Auschwitz and Bergen-Belson. With their help Lindwer is able to piece together The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank.
Hannah Elisabeth Pick-Goslar (Lies Goosens) knew Anne better than the other five women of the book. Growing up with Anne in Amsterdam they became childhood friends, spending a lot of time in each others homes. Hannah is Lies Goosens, the girl mentioned several times in "The Diary of Anne Frank". Anne's father, Otto, changed the names of several people when the diary was published allowing them the privacy they deserved. After Anne's family went into hiding the girls would not meet again until both were imprisoned in Bergen-Belson. Hannah has the most to say about Anne and the Frank family.
Janny Brandes-Brilleslijper, Rachel van Amerongen-Frankfoorder, Bloeme Evers-Emden, Lenie de Jong-van Naarden, and Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef wouldn't meet Anne and her sister, Margot, until their imprisonment. Each woman tells bits and pieces of Anne Frank's life in such places as Auschwitz and Westerbork. Most stories are about Bergen-Belson, where Anne, at the age of 15, died just days before liberation of the camp.
While each of the women are in this book due to their contact with Anne Frank during their time in concentration camps, it is really their stories that are told. Each narrates their struggles to survive, cope, and understand. One thing they all seem to have in common, besides Anne, is that their survival is due to the kindness and/or cunning of others. In that I found relief from the dark sadness of the so many lives lost that the women witnessed. Extra food smuggled in, a drink of water brought to those that were sick, a woman smart enough to save a whole barracks from transport to the ovens...each act of kindness was remembered, more so than the evil. Each woman gave glimpses of the horror they had known, though. Janny watching Great Dane dogs being commanded to rip infants apart, a 16 year old former co-worker calmly telling Rachel good bye as her number had been called to go to the ovens the next day...each woman's personal horror is different, yet the same.
There are two photograph sections. These consist, mainly, of pictures of the women as they were as children and young women. A few photos of Anne Frank are included. I was startled to see some disturbing pictures of women in concentration camps. The worst being one of women crying shortly after their children were taken from them.
Willy Lindwer succeeded in giving a glimpse of The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank, allowing closure to her "Diary". Her story was lost, though, in the lives that the women led in concentration camps. I feel the book would have been better titled Out of the Depths of Hell: Six Stories of Survival. The true tales of sadness, times of despair, and death make this a serious book that could never be considered a light read. The times of hope, kindness, and sacrifice allowed me to catch my breath and see the beauty of humanity among the madness of it. This is a powerful book that will stay with me a very long time.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cmaw63
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 in Pets, Home and Garden, Books |
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Member: Julie
Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 73 members
About Me:
Looking forward to my first grandbaby. She's due November 24!
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