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Holocaust
Holocaust Green, Gerald
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Gerald Green
93 books13 followersGreen attended Columbia College, where he edited the Jester, starred in several Varsity Shows, and was a member of the Philolexian Society. He graduated from the college in 1942 and, after serving in the US Army in Europe during the Second World War, where he was also the editor of the army's Stars and Stripes newspaper, he returned to New York to attend the Columbia Journalism School.
Green wrote many novels, the best known being The Last Angry Man, published in 1956. It was adapted into a movie by the same name which was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Muni) and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White. His other novels include His Majesty O'Keefe (co-authored with Lawrence Klingman), adapted into a 1954 film, North West, Portofino PTA, To Brooklyn With Love, My Son the Jock, The Lotus Eaters and East and West. His 1962 novel Portofino P.T.A. was adapted into a musical, Something More!, by composer Sammy Fain and lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman.
He wrote the teleplay for Holocaust, a critically acclaimed 1978 TV miniseries that won eight Emmy Awards, including one for "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series," and was credited with persuading the West German government to repeal the statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes. He later adapted the script into a novel of the same title. In recognition for this effort, Green was awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld International Peace Prize for literature, 1979. Green won another Emmy nomination for his 1985 TV script for Wallenberg: A Hero's Story. Green was also a writer, producer, and director for NBC News. In 1952, he co-created (with Dave Garroway) NBC's The Today Show.
Green lived in Stamford, Connecticut for twenty years and moved to New Canaan, Connecticut. His first wife, Marie, died of cancer. They had three children: Nancy, Ted and David. He married Marlene Eagle in 1979, becoming stepfather to Dr Janie Worth (Née Eagle), Julie Cardo (Née Eagle) and David Eagle. Green died of pneumonia in Norwalk, Connecticut on August 29, 2006.
Green wrote many novels, the best known being The Last Angry Man, published in 1956. It was adapted into a movie by the same name which was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Muni) and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White. His other novels include His Majesty O'Keefe (co-authored with Lawrence Klingman), adapted into a 1954 film, North West, Portofino PTA, To Brooklyn With Love, My Son the Jock, The Lotus Eaters and East and West. His 1962 novel Portofino P.T.A. was adapted into a musical, Something More!, by composer Sammy Fain and lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman.
He wrote the teleplay for Holocaust, a critically acclaimed 1978 TV miniseries that won eight Emmy Awards, including one for "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series," and was credited with persuading the West German government to repeal the statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes. He later adapted the script into a novel of the same title. In recognition for this effort, Green was awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld International Peace Prize for literature, 1979. Green won another Emmy nomination for his 1985 TV script for Wallenberg: A Hero's Story. Green was also a writer, producer, and director for NBC News. In 1952, he co-created (with Dave Garroway) NBC's The Today Show.
Green lived in Stamford, Connecticut for twenty years and moved to New Canaan, Connecticut. His first wife, Marie, died of cancer. They had three children: Nancy, Ted and David. He married Marlene Eagle in 1979, becoming stepfather to Dr Janie Worth (Née Eagle), Julie Cardo (Née Eagle) and David Eagle. Green died of pneumonia in Norwalk, Connecticut on August 29, 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
August 22, 2022
Narra el exterminio llevado a cabo por los nazis a través de dos puntos de vista: el diario un militar nazi y el relato de Rudi, superviviente del genocidio.
Sinceramente es lo más duro que he leído sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
.
It narrates the extermination carried out by the Nazis through two points of view: the diary of a Nazi soldier and the story of Rudi, a survivor of the genocide.
It's honestly the hardest thing I've ever read about World War II.
October 5, 2018
So many books have been written about the holocaust. What makes this one different is that Gerald Green tells the story from both sides: one is the story of a young Jew, Rudy Weiss, harrowing escape from Germany and his family's unsuccessful attempts to survive the Nazi regime and the diary of Erik Dorf, a drifting young German, who becomes a powerful Nazi administrator at the urging of his wife, slowly indoctrinated into the regime. The two men are connected by Rudy's father, who was a caring doctor, who treated Dorf's wife and by the Weiss family's piano. Amazing that this book has not received more notoriety.
July 15, 2011
I read this back in the late 70's..I have the 1978 hardcover edition.
This is, in my opinion, one of the forgotten gems of the literary world. In Holocaust we go back and forward between Rudy Weiss, a young Jewish man trying to escape the Nazi regime and Erik Dorff, a Nazi officer. The two men are connected by Rudy's father, who was a doctor and treated Mr. Dorff's wife.
Throughout the entire novel, there is a sense of foreboding, even in a light hearted situation. I'd recommend this book to everyone. It's a poignant, sad, yet beautiful story.
This is, in my opinion, one of the forgotten gems of the literary world. In Holocaust we go back and forward between Rudy Weiss, a young Jewish man trying to escape the Nazi regime and Erik Dorff, a Nazi officer. The two men are connected by Rudy's father, who was a doctor and treated Mr. Dorff's wife.
Throughout the entire novel, there is a sense of foreboding, even in a light hearted situation. I'd recommend this book to everyone. It's a poignant, sad, yet beautiful story.
October 5, 2016
I know that this series was ground breaking in showing the Holocaust in its brutality. Therefore, the book is more important then my review indicates.
Reading this book today, I have to wonder, why the women seemed to be blamed for so much in this book. The Nazi is pushed into serving Heydrich by his wife, the Jewish family stays because the wife wants to. When the women are not to blame, they are for the most part weaker than the men - crying and sobbing over the men more than once. I know that the purpose is to show as much as the Holocaust experience as possible, I just wish the female characters had been a bit more varied. The strong women are not given as much space (and one strong woman is blamed for her family staying), and one woman is only mentioned in passing. The book limits the roles of women to supporters of their husbands (and getting raped to save their husbands) to victims of sexual violence. That's it. I wanted more.
Still the writing has vigor and is engrossing.
Reading this book today, I have to wonder, why the women seemed to be blamed for so much in this book. The Nazi is pushed into serving Heydrich by his wife, the Jewish family stays because the wife wants to. When the women are not to blame, they are for the most part weaker than the men - crying and sobbing over the men more than once. I know that the purpose is to show as much as the Holocaust experience as possible, I just wish the female characters had been a bit more varied. The strong women are not given as much space (and one strong woman is blamed for her family staying), and one woman is only mentioned in passing. The book limits the roles of women to supporters of their husbands (and getting raped to save their husbands) to victims of sexual violence. That's it. I wanted more.
Still the writing has vigor and is engrossing.
May 28, 2023
L'ho pescato da una pila di libri impolverati nell'angolo di una nota libreria dell'usato e, attratta dal titolo e dalla copertina con quella svastica enorme e quegli schizzi di poveracci disperati in basso, l'ho comprato così, a scatola chiusa. Ho poi scoperto che, non solo è molto apprezzato e che ne hanno tratto, negli anni 7o', una nota serie televisiva. Dopo "La chiave di Sarah" e "La casa delle bambole", un nuovo romanzo sull'Olocausto forse poco conosciuto eppure di straordinaria potenza narrativa. Une piccola grande perla nascosta alla massa, tutta da aprire, scoprire, assaporare. Gerald Green ci presenta due storie parallele ma che si incontrano più di una volta, sul terribile sfondo della seconda guerra mondiale: quella di Rudi Weiss e della sua famiglia, ebrei tedeschi che fuggono dalla Germania insanguinata andando incontro a destini diversi, e quella di Erik Dorf, spalla destra di Heidrich, uno dei mostri più temibili delle SS. Prima di entrare nelle SS Erik è paziente del padre di Rudi, valente medico, e le vicende che segnano la vita di questi due mondi si intersecano più volte, rendendoli sempre più distanti e più diversi. La conoscenza e la stima, poi la diffidenza, il distaccamento, l'indifferenza e la violenza giustificata con ordini che provengono dall'alto, finchè, alla fin fine, tutti i colpevoli parranno lavarsene le mani, Erik compreso. "Olocausto" è un libro forte, sconvolgente e bellissimo, che ci offre, in un racconto alternato ma incrociato, un panorama completo degli agenti coinvolti nella tragedia della Shoah, condannati e carnefici, i loro pensieri, i loro punti di vista, le loro paure, le loro ossessioni, le loro giustificazioni. Tanta azione, e tanto sentimento. Peccato che, come molte cose belle, pare che sia irreperibile (l'edizione che ho io è una vecchia del Club degli Editori, nessuna ristampa?). Che peccato, e che vergogna: certi libri dovrebbero urlare al mondo il bisogno di essere letti.
January 24, 2021
(3,5)
“Olocausto” è il romanzo tratto dalla sceneggiatura dell’omonima serie televisiva trasmessa per la prima volta negli Stati Uniti nel 1978 e in Europa nell’anno seguente. Gerald Green ha dato forma letteraria alla propria sceneggiatura raccontando la storia dal punto di vista dei due personaggi principali, l’ebreo berlinese Rudi Weiss e il giovane avvocato Erik Dorf.
Nel 1952, dal kibbutz in Israele dove si è trasferito dopo il termine della guerra, Rudi rievoca la lenta dissoluzione della sua famiglia (i genitori Berta e Josef, i fratelli Karl e Anna) sullo sfondo degli eventi che oscurarono gli anni dal 1935 al 1945. Alle vicende famigliari e alla personale odissea attraverso l’Europa orientale, si alternano le pagine dei diari di Erik Dorf, divenuto – dopo l’adesione al partito nazista – ufficiale delle SS al servizio di Reinhard Heydrich.
Priva di uno stile ricercato, la scrittura è molto chiara e scorrevole. Le descrizioni sono limitate, a volte assenti, mentre il testo è concentrato su dialoghi e riflessioni interiori; l’interesse e l’attenzione sono tenuti vivi e costanti dall’incalzante svolgimento della trama. Tra libro e film (Meryl Streep e James Woods tra gli attori protagonisti) si riscontrano lievi differenze in qualche dettaglio riguardante i personaggi, variazioni comunque irrilevanti nella sostanza (nel romanzo l’autore dispone di spazio maggiore e non è vincolato a tempi ed esigenze del linguaggio cinematografico).
Merito di quest’opera è l’aver richiamato l’attenzione – verso la fine degli anni Settanta – su un argomento sempre meno dibattuto, su eventi sconosciuti a gran parte dell’opinione pubblica o quasi dimenticati, grazie alla volontà di ignorare e dimenticare diffusa in Occidente già durante la guerra (gli Alleati erano a conoscenza dell’esistenza dei campi di sterminio ma evitarono di informare la gente comune) e proseguita dopo la sua fine (quando il nemico era diventato l’Unione Sovietica, e la Germania doveva diventare un solido alleato di frontiera).
Géraldine Schwarz, giornalista e scrittrice franco-tedesca, nel suo bel libro “I senza memoria” (“Les Amnésiques”; edizione italiana Einaudi, 2019) ricorda:
… “Per quanto sorprendente possa sembrare, l’evento che fece saltare i chiavistelli della rimozione in Europa e negli Stati Uniti fu una serie televisiva americana, Olocausto, di Marvin J. Chomsky e Gerald Green […] Il racconto di quei drammi individuali rese all’improvviso immaginabile per il vasto pubblico l’inimmaginabile e scatenò un terremoto internazionale nella coscienza collettiva.” …
La lettura di “Olocausto” aiuta a comprendere le ragioni e le motivazioni che portarono milioni di persone a farsi massacrare senza quasi opporre resistenza, e come in tutta Europa milioni di persone “molto educate e perbene” arrivarono con naturalezza a trasformarsi in assassini, ladri e criminali.
(3 ½)
“Olocausto” è il romanzo tratto dalla sceneggiatura dell’omonima serie televisiva trasmessa per la prima volta negli Stati Uniti nel 1978 e in Europa nell’anno seguente. Gerald Green ha dato forma letteraria alla propria sceneggiatura raccontando la storia dal punto di vista dei due personaggi principali, l’ebreo berlinese Rudi Weiss e il giovane avvocato Erik Dorf.
Nel 1952, dal kibbutz in Israele dove si è trasferito dopo il termine della guerra, Rudi rievoca la lenta dissoluzione della sua famiglia (i genitori Berta e Josef, i fratelli Karl e Anna) sullo sfondo degli eventi che oscurarono gli anni dal 1935 al 1945. Alle vicende famigliari e alla personale odissea attraverso l’Europa orientale, si alternano le pagine dei diari di Erik Dorf, divenuto – dopo l’adesione al partito nazista – ufficiale delle SS al servizio di Reinhard Heydrich.
Priva di uno stile ricercato, la scrittura è molto chiara e scorrevole. Le descrizioni sono limitate, a volte assenti, mentre il testo è concentrato su dialoghi e riflessioni interiori; l’interesse e l’attenzione sono tenuti vivi e costanti dall’incalzante svolgimento della trama. Tra libro e film (Meryl Streep e James Woods tra gli attori protagonisti) si riscontrano lievi differenze in qualche dettaglio riguardante i personaggi, variazioni comunque irrilevanti nella sostanza (nel romanzo l’autore dispone di spazio maggiore e non è vincolato a tempi ed esigenze del linguaggio cinematografico).
Merito di quest’opera è l’aver richiamato l’attenzione – verso la fine degli anni Settanta – su un argomento sempre meno dibattuto, su eventi sconosciuti a gran parte dell’opinione pubblica o quasi dimenticati, grazie alla volontà di ignorare e dimenticare diffusa in Occidente già durante la guerra (gli Alleati erano a conoscenza dell’esistenza dei campi di sterminio ma evitarono di informare la gente comune) e proseguita dopo la sua fine (quando il nemico era diventato l’Unione Sovietica, e la Germania doveva diventare un solido alleato di frontiera).
Géraldine Schwarz, giornalista e scrittrice franco-tedesca, nel suo bel libro “I senza memoria” (“Les Amnésiques”; edizione italiana Einaudi, 2019) ricorda:
… “Per quanto sorprendente possa sembrare, l’evento che fece saltare i chiavistelli della rimozione in Europa e negli Stati Uniti fu una serie televisiva americana, Olocausto, di Marvin J. Chomsky e Gerald Green […] Il racconto di quei drammi individuali rese all’improvviso immaginabile per il vasto pubblico l’inimmaginabile e scatenò un terremoto internazionale nella coscienza collettiva.” …
La lettura di “Olocausto” aiuta a comprendere le ragioni e le motivazioni che portarono milioni di persone a farsi massacrare senza quasi opporre resistenza, e come in tutta Europa milioni di persone “molto educate e perbene” arrivarono con naturalezza a trasformarsi in assassini, ladri e criminali.
(3 ½)
April 5, 2024
An OK holocaust novel ?
The simple literary technique of friends-turned-enemies. A generic young Jew named Weiss who becomes a partisan & ends up taking part in the Sobibor outbreak while his friends and acquaintances serve as the readers's eyes in Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. A patriotic careerist who ends up just below Heydrich, so he can be present at Wannsee & the development of the gas chambers.
For the non-fiction readers the recycled eyewitness accounts are glaring* & the pace is breathless, but it works as a gateway drug.
*Himmler's encounter with an Aryan poster boy who turns out fully Jewish is there:
"Are you Jewish ?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are your mother and father Jewish?"
"Yes, sir."
"...Anyone in your family not Jewish ?"
"No, sir."
"...Then I can't help you." .
And true to life, the fearless Reichsführer-SS pukes at the sight of a mass execution.
It wasn't his first: in Prague he fainted in his chair.
The simple literary technique of friends-turned-enemies. A generic young Jew named Weiss who becomes a partisan & ends up taking part in the Sobibor outbreak while his friends and acquaintances serve as the readers's eyes in Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. A patriotic careerist who ends up just below Heydrich, so he can be present at Wannsee & the development of the gas chambers.
For the non-fiction readers the recycled eyewitness accounts are glaring* & the pace is breathless, but it works as a gateway drug.
*Himmler's encounter with an Aryan poster boy who turns out fully Jewish is there:
"Are you Jewish ?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are your mother and father Jewish?"
"Yes, sir."
"...Anyone in your family not Jewish ?"
"No, sir."
"...Then I can't help you." .
And true to life, the fearless Reichsführer-SS pukes at the sight of a mass execution.
It wasn't his first: in Prague he fainted in his chair.
January 31, 2021
Non ho stelline abbastanza da poter dare a questo libro, 5 sono sicuramente troppo poche.
Il titolo del libro fa subito capire in quale periodo ci troviamo, siamo all’inizio del secondo conflitto mondiale. A capitoli alterni ci viene raccontata la storia della famiglia Weiss, ebrei e quella del giovane tedesco Erik Dorf. Le varie vicissitudini che la famiglia Weiss sarà costretta a subire sono devastanti, mi sono ritrovata molte volte con gli occhi bagnati e il groppo in gola, perché non è possibile restare indifferenti a tante atrocità. Non da meno sono stati i racconti del giovane avvocato Erik Dorf. La sua ascesa, voluta ed istigata da sua moglie, permetteranno al lettore di conoscere le fredde strategie, la mentalità spietata e il folle piano dei nazisti, perpetrato per anni, per annientare un popolo intero. Difficile capire che quanto è successo sia potuto avvenire senza che nessuno sia intervenuto in difesa del popolo ebraico.
Credo che nessun libro sia mai riuscito ad emozionarmi e a straziarmi come questo. Entra di diritto tra i libri più belli e toccanti che io abbia mai detto, per cui non posso che consigliarvi di cercare di recuperare questo libro, anche se dato. Scorrevolissimo, tanto da poter pensare di farlo leggere anche a un lettore più giovane, perché tutti devo sapere e ricordare di cosa l’essere umano sia stato capace. Ho il groppo in gola anche mentre sto tentando di descrivervi quanto questo libro mi sia piaciuto.
Il titolo del libro fa subito capire in quale periodo ci troviamo, siamo all’inizio del secondo conflitto mondiale. A capitoli alterni ci viene raccontata la storia della famiglia Weiss, ebrei e quella del giovane tedesco Erik Dorf. Le varie vicissitudini che la famiglia Weiss sarà costretta a subire sono devastanti, mi sono ritrovata molte volte con gli occhi bagnati e il groppo in gola, perché non è possibile restare indifferenti a tante atrocità. Non da meno sono stati i racconti del giovane avvocato Erik Dorf. La sua ascesa, voluta ed istigata da sua moglie, permetteranno al lettore di conoscere le fredde strategie, la mentalità spietata e il folle piano dei nazisti, perpetrato per anni, per annientare un popolo intero. Difficile capire che quanto è successo sia potuto avvenire senza che nessuno sia intervenuto in difesa del popolo ebraico.
Credo che nessun libro sia mai riuscito ad emozionarmi e a straziarmi come questo. Entra di diritto tra i libri più belli e toccanti che io abbia mai detto, per cui non posso che consigliarvi di cercare di recuperare questo libro, anche se dato. Scorrevolissimo, tanto da poter pensare di farlo leggere anche a un lettore più giovane, perché tutti devo sapere e ricordare di cosa l’essere umano sia stato capace. Ho il groppo in gola anche mentre sto tentando di descrivervi quanto questo libro mi sia piaciuto.
October 18, 2015
Holocausto es una bella novela sobre la persecución y exterminio del pueblo judío durante el Tercer Reich. A pesar de ser una novela sin sorpresas ni giros argumentales, su localización espacial y temporal y su exquisito tratamiento de los personajes convierten la lectura de Holocausto en una experiencia más que agradable para aquellos lectores que sienten inclinación por las novelas ambientadas en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Lee nuestra reseña completa aquí.
October 9, 2012
I read this book when I was a freshman.. And when I finished it I promised to myself that one day I would visit the holocaust museum.. And I did 3 months ago.. And I felt so sorry for the 6 million Jews that perished.. This book was a tear jerker.
November 26, 2014
It was really hard for me to read this book! I must addmit I try to avoid this kind of books. They just make me sad. But at the Book club it was a must read so I did. And I am not dissapointed!! It is a great book. And I have cried a lot reading it through.
November 24, 2022
My favorite book of all time!
May 16, 2019
Una de las historias más desgarradoras que se pueda leer, sin embargo, es necesario. Recomiendo, después de leerlo, ver la miniserie de la BBC que está filmada fiel al libro.
May 15, 2021
Muy interesante.
Siempre me ha llamado la atención este tipo de relatos y aquí conocemos la historia de dos partes diferentes que enfrentaron este genocidio desde diferentes perspectivas.
Este libro se creo de la investigación de uno de los supervivientes de una familia judía-alemana y que nos cuenta cómo vivió su familia esta persecución y su lucha continua por sobrevivir, conociendo por otro lado el relato del diario de un oficial de las SS.
Con una narración exquisita y adictiva conoceremos diferentes formas de vivir una época marcada por la crueldad y la fortaleza del ser humano y la deshumanización de la sociedad.
Siempre me ha llamado la atención este tipo de relatos y aquí conocemos la historia de dos partes diferentes que enfrentaron este genocidio desde diferentes perspectivas.
Este libro se creo de la investigación de uno de los supervivientes de una familia judía-alemana y que nos cuenta cómo vivió su familia esta persecución y su lucha continua por sobrevivir, conociendo por otro lado el relato del diario de un oficial de las SS.
Con una narración exquisita y adictiva conoceremos diferentes formas de vivir una época marcada por la crueldad y la fortaleza del ser humano y la deshumanización de la sociedad.
August 3, 2022
PUT OFF READING FOR 44 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER.GLAD I FINALLR READ IT.
Illuminating and well written story with many historical truths,it shows the depravity of Gerny under the Hitler regime.
Illuminating and well written story with many historical truths,it shows the depravity of Gerny under the Hitler regime.
October 20, 2021
Hard to classify the subject matter as amazing, but the book which is a fictional chronicle of the Holocaust through the eyes of a young Jew and a young Nazi is an excellent read. The "moral" justifications used by the Nazis and the ease with which a supposedly civilised country perpetrated mankind's greatest horror is fascinatingly portrayed.
A tale as relevant today as it was when written 43 years ago and a reminder for tolerance in today's world.
A tale as relevant today as it was when written 43 years ago and a reminder for tolerance in today's world.
Read
February 8, 2023Edición leída fue publicada en 1986 por revista Qué Pasa. Consta de 2 tomos. Cubierta solo referencial.
October 23, 2008
This is my favorite book of all time and, in my humble opinion, one of the forgotten gems of the literary world. In this novel, we bounce between two stories: The story of Rudy Weiss, a young Jewish man trying to escape the Nazi Regime and Erik Dorff, a Nazi officer. The two stories are connected by one minor character, Rudy's father, who was a doctor and treated Mr. Dorff's wife. Throughout the entire novel, there is a sense of foreboding, even in the most pleasant of scenes, which can be hard for some writers to pull off. I'd hand this book to anyone and tell them to read it. It's simply a beautiful book. Sad, yes... but beautiful.
August 14, 2018
Yes, it's based on the "teleplay" for a miniseries produced in the 1970's (that's also worth seeking out, btw; it's available on DVD), but that doesn't matter; it's literary in every sense of the word. The novel follows two young men: one, a rising officer in the Nazi regime, the other a Jewish man trying to escape back to his family. You will feel for them both, and I can think of no better compliment to the author than that.
June 20, 2010
Gerald Green has concentrated on the history of the Holocaust for many years & written 2 previous books on the subject. Artists of Terezin & The Legion of the Noble Christians.
The scene is 1935 Berlin, where Dr Weiss is a physician and Erik Dorf a struggling young lawyer. It's a tale of their two families during the war.
I have the 1978 hardcover edition
The scene is 1935 Berlin, where Dr Weiss is a physician and Erik Dorf a struggling young lawyer. It's a tale of their two families during the war.
I have the 1978 hardcover edition
May 12, 2016
La historia del holocausto y el exterminio de millones de judíos por parte de los nazis lo hemos visto en infinidad de películas, series o libros tantos de ficción como de historia pero a pesar de todo es imposible al leer este libro aunque sepas a lo que te vas a enfrentar no estremecerte por la forma en lo que lo escribió este autor.
October 18, 2020
I gave this book a three star rating because I found the storyline forced and sometimes awkward. The man is to be admired for undertaking of writing such an all-encompassing book. The Holocaust is such a crime of immense proportions it is still hard to believe sometimes that it happened even if we have massive amounts of evidence and a sad propensity for annihilating ourselves since that troubled time. Since 1977 I have been fascinated with the whole event of the Holocaust because of its motives and the trail of precedent actions and theory that helped justify it in the minds of its perpetrators. I say that because my education has followed the timeline of this book in terms of reading it. I first discovered it as the teleplay in the sixth grade and remember that because my teacher talked about it in one of his lectures. I don’t remember if he talked about it as part of his lesson plan or if he just mentioned it. He probably had planned to talk about it. I only remember him mentioning that he had watched it on TV the night before. Our family did not watch the play. Perhaps ten years later I discovered the book while in high school and read it. The book was overwhelming to me in terms of coverage because it was so broad. Five years ago I had reason to read it again and only remembered a discussion of photographs from the Beckstein piano owned by the Weiss family. Looking through my list of downloaded books I found that I had read it and decided to read it again. On a third reading I found the story more awkward in places than overwhelming. In the preceding 42 years I have read countless books, met survivors and denyers and liberators and have taken a very broad interest in this whole era. I found the book awkward this time because it does cover so much. It tries to put someone everywhere involved in all the major events. I know it’s possible that one family spread over Europe could be involved in all things at once but still my mind doesn’t stretch that far even knowing so much about it. I think this may just show how immense a crime it is. I”be also read textbooks on the subject for college classes and so at times the book seems a bit academic. There are other times when the book is commendable. Green describes the system employed for the mass shooting of Jews with such clarity that I could imagine it and then mixes the descriptions in with trying to decipher through Dorf’s diary the motives of the murderers. I agree with one of the reviewers here who says that this may be a different approach taken by those who have written fictionally on the subject. As I read through the book again I remembered parts of it from the last reading.
Sometimes I wonder if our current generation if they watch documentaries on different cable TV channels wonder if all this information is new. I read all about this long before cable TV was a part of our lives. When I read and hear stories that say that people don’t know about it, all they need to do is read a book like this. Despite its awkwardness it is still a grounded place to start one’s reading and learning. There is absolutely no reason why anyone shouldn’t know about this massacre of half the Jews of Europe. It’s perpetrators and rescuers help prove the vast capabilities of humanity both good and evil and have influenced many policies since that time. Anyone who denies this happened is deliberately turning away from massive amounts of evidence. An interesting primate in the book made by Eric Dorf was that instead of hiding the evidence efforts should be made to point out all the evidence. Maybe in hindsight that would have been best. Then no one could deny it.
The point of this review is to say that even though the book is awkward in places it does serve as a solid place to start learning even if the characters are fictional. No massacre in human history needs to be justified or swept under the rug. This one is especially important for its immensity. I can understand why people in 1945 would not believe it. Such industrial methods had not bee widespread before this time. Now, we are more familiar with the mechanization of many other processes. We should be even more diligent to spot and derail them.
This 408 page book is still a valuable resource. Take advantage of it and learn all you can.
Sometimes I wonder if our current generation if they watch documentaries on different cable TV channels wonder if all this information is new. I read all about this long before cable TV was a part of our lives. When I read and hear stories that say that people don’t know about it, all they need to do is read a book like this. Despite its awkwardness it is still a grounded place to start one’s reading and learning. There is absolutely no reason why anyone shouldn’t know about this massacre of half the Jews of Europe. It’s perpetrators and rescuers help prove the vast capabilities of humanity both good and evil and have influenced many policies since that time. Anyone who denies this happened is deliberately turning away from massive amounts of evidence. An interesting primate in the book made by Eric Dorf was that instead of hiding the evidence efforts should be made to point out all the evidence. Maybe in hindsight that would have been best. Then no one could deny it.
The point of this review is to say that even though the book is awkward in places it does serve as a solid place to start learning even if the characters are fictional. No massacre in human history needs to be justified or swept under the rug. This one is especially important for its immensity. I can understand why people in 1945 would not believe it. Such industrial methods had not bee widespread before this time. Now, we are more familiar with the mechanization of many other processes. We should be even more diligent to spot and derail them.
This 408 page book is still a valuable resource. Take advantage of it and learn all you can.
July 2, 2018
No malinterpreten mi puntuación, en realidad creo que Holocaust es una historia que debe ser leída, porque da un punto de vista que generalmente no se tiene en estas historias, lo que pasa es que tuve algunos problemas con ella. Voy a explicar.
Holocaust es la historia sobre la persecución judía ambientada en la segunda guerra mundial, desde el punto de vista de las víctimas y de los victimarios. Desde el principio, vamos siguiendo la historia de Rudy Weiss (judío alemán) y de Erik Dorf (oficial de la SS) desde el año 1935 hasta el final de la guerra, y definitivamente lo más interesante del libro es la dualidad de puntos de vistas, es fascinante y bastante escalofriante ver como el ciudadano alemán común va interiorizando la ideología nazi hasta tal punto que es capaz de moralizar sus acciones y la de los demás oficiales nazi.
El problema que tuve es que no vi la evolución de Erik. Desde que conocí la historia del Holocausto siempre he querido entender como ciudadanos normales, oficiales y civiles, fueron capaces de realizar o de apoyar esas barbaridades, como se puede llegar a un punto tal donde se justifique el genocidio, y por eso estaba emocionada el empezar este libro, sentía que podía dar algunas respuestas en ese sentido, pero no fue tan así. Al principio Erik tiene algunas restricciones sobre lo que está pasando y en el siguiente capítulo ya cree completamente en la causa, quería ver un poco más de esa lucha interna, de ese cuestionamiento y de como poco a poco se iba convirtiendo a la causa. Supongo que la falla fueron los períodos de tiempo, al principio hubo un gran salto y no nos permite ver ese cambio que se da en el personaje.
Con el personaje de Rudy me paso algo similar pero en una escala mucho menor, sus sentimientos hacia los alemanes eran completamente lógicos y sus acciones también, mi problema aquí más bien fue con su interacción con otros personajes, especialmente Helena, nuevamente aquí simplemente se me dijo que él estaba sintiendo eso pero no lo sentía, no lo creía y lo más importante no vi que se diera. A pesar de eso, su punto de vista está cargado de mucho emoción, de mucho dolor y de mucha injusticia. Creo que es imposible que esto no sea así después de todas las cosas que los judíos vivieron en esa época.
A parte de eso, Holocaust es una narración turbulenta, que muestra de una manera brutal y certera el genocidio que se cometió en el gobierno de Hitler.
Holocaust es la historia sobre la persecución judía ambientada en la segunda guerra mundial, desde el punto de vista de las víctimas y de los victimarios. Desde el principio, vamos siguiendo la historia de Rudy Weiss (judío alemán) y de Erik Dorf (oficial de la SS) desde el año 1935 hasta el final de la guerra, y definitivamente lo más interesante del libro es la dualidad de puntos de vistas, es fascinante y bastante escalofriante ver como el ciudadano alemán común va interiorizando la ideología nazi hasta tal punto que es capaz de moralizar sus acciones y la de los demás oficiales nazi.
El problema que tuve es que no vi la evolución de Erik. Desde que conocí la historia del Holocausto siempre he querido entender como ciudadanos normales, oficiales y civiles, fueron capaces de realizar o de apoyar esas barbaridades, como se puede llegar a un punto tal donde se justifique el genocidio, y por eso estaba emocionada el empezar este libro, sentía que podía dar algunas respuestas en ese sentido, pero no fue tan así. Al principio Erik tiene algunas restricciones sobre lo que está pasando y en el siguiente capítulo ya cree completamente en la causa, quería ver un poco más de esa lucha interna, de ese cuestionamiento y de como poco a poco se iba convirtiendo a la causa. Supongo que la falla fueron los períodos de tiempo, al principio hubo un gran salto y no nos permite ver ese cambio que se da en el personaje.
Con el personaje de Rudy me paso algo similar pero en una escala mucho menor, sus sentimientos hacia los alemanes eran completamente lógicos y sus acciones también, mi problema aquí más bien fue con su interacción con otros personajes, especialmente Helena, nuevamente aquí simplemente se me dijo que él estaba sintiendo eso pero no lo sentía, no lo creía y lo más importante no vi que se diera. A pesar de eso, su punto de vista está cargado de mucho emoción, de mucho dolor y de mucha injusticia. Creo que es imposible que esto no sea así después de todas las cosas que los judíos vivieron en esa época.
A parte de eso, Holocaust es una narración turbulenta, que muestra de una manera brutal y certera el genocidio que se cometió en el gobierno de Hitler.
June 23, 2021
Aunque al principio la lectura se me hizo difícil, llegó un punto en que no pude dejar de leer hasta llegar al final.
En esta historia conocemos a dos hombres alemanes: Rudi y Erik quienes a través de sus memorias y diarios reconstruyen para el lector el terrible destino de los judíos europeos durante el gobierno nazi en Alemania y la ocupación de Europa del Este.
Rudi es un chico rudo pero decidido a sobrevivir a sus verdugos. Huye y atraviesa Europa como vagabundo y guerrillero siendo testigo de los estela de crímenes de los nazis. Erik, un abogado apocado y mediocre, es empujado por su esposa a unirse a las SS y se convierte en el ideólogo detrás de la destrucción masiva de judíos.
En este libro se encuentras las dos caras del Holocausto y ambas nos dejan lecciones importantes. Al leer a Erik es muy fácil encontrar paralelos con situaciones actuales: hombres mediocres, resentidos, mal educados haciéndose con el poder e imponiendo su voluntad a una nación incapaz de ver o creer lo que estaba sucediendo. No podemos quedarnos ciegos al ver que la historia se repite y parecemos no haber aprendido nada de ella.
Libros como este deberían reeditarse y leerse mucho más.
En esta historia conocemos a dos hombres alemanes: Rudi y Erik quienes a través de sus memorias y diarios reconstruyen para el lector el terrible destino de los judíos europeos durante el gobierno nazi en Alemania y la ocupación de Europa del Este.
Rudi es un chico rudo pero decidido a sobrevivir a sus verdugos. Huye y atraviesa Europa como vagabundo y guerrillero siendo testigo de los estela de crímenes de los nazis. Erik, un abogado apocado y mediocre, es empujado por su esposa a unirse a las SS y se convierte en el ideólogo detrás de la destrucción masiva de judíos.
En este libro se encuentras las dos caras del Holocausto y ambas nos dejan lecciones importantes. Al leer a Erik es muy fácil encontrar paralelos con situaciones actuales: hombres mediocres, resentidos, mal educados haciéndose con el poder e imponiendo su voluntad a una nación incapaz de ver o creer lo que estaba sucediendo. No podemos quedarnos ciegos al ver que la historia se repite y parecemos no haber aprendido nada de ella.
Libros como este deberían reeditarse y leerse mucho más.
May 14, 2020
Pues he estado unas semanas un poco chunga😢, y pensé pues voy a leerme Holocausto, que va de gente que se enfrenta a problemas realmente graves y sobrevive (bueno, seis millones no lo consiguieron, pero el que escribe la novela sí). Y me ha requeteencantado. Sabía que había sido un gran best seller, pero ignoraba que era del mismo guionista que escribió la serie de televisión aquella protagonizada por Meryl Streep, que al parecer fue casi un acontecimiento histórico porque mostró muchos aspectos que ignoraba incluso el pueblo alemán de todo lo que fue el exterminio nazi. La vieron millones de personas. El libro mola mucho, y te da una idea muy precisa y verídica de cuanto sucedió. Además, desde hace 2 días vuelvo a tener Internet y me he puesto a ver la serie de cazanazis HUNTERS, y he flipado porque en la recreación del nazismo salen anécdotas justo relatadas en este libro, como las partidas de ajedrez a muerte que organizaban con prisioneros judíos, y otros sadismos. Ha sido como si me hubieran preparado para mí la continuación del libro en serie protagonizada por Al Pacino.
April 21, 2024
I have read many books about the Holocaust. I wouldn't say I'm fascinated with it but I read them so 6 million people who lost their lives won't be forgotten.
I don't know why this book has not received more notoriety as this has to be the best book I have ever read that describes the horrors of the Holocaust. It was published in 1978 and is an old book but it was made into a TV mini series.
What makes this book stand out is that the chapters alternate with one chapter of a young jew Rudi whose family is murdered yet he survived and the other chapter from a German lawyer Eric Dorf who joins the SS and becomes a high ranking Nazi.
The book shows the gradual indoctrination of the German's belief that the Jews would be the eventual downfall of the German race and it also shows the resilience and survival of people.
This book was graphic and gutwrenching, but if anyone is interested in a comprehensive account of the Holocaust from both sides I can't recommend this book enough.
I don't know why this book has not received more notoriety as this has to be the best book I have ever read that describes the horrors of the Holocaust. It was published in 1978 and is an old book but it was made into a TV mini series.
What makes this book stand out is that the chapters alternate with one chapter of a young jew Rudi whose family is murdered yet he survived and the other chapter from a German lawyer Eric Dorf who joins the SS and becomes a high ranking Nazi.
The book shows the gradual indoctrination of the German's belief that the Jews would be the eventual downfall of the German race and it also shows the resilience and survival of people.
This book was graphic and gutwrenching, but if anyone is interested in a comprehensive account of the Holocaust from both sides I can't recommend this book enough.
October 28, 2022
The more I reread this book, the more things stay with me. Although a,work of fiction, there is,so much truth through out this story. The night of Kristalnacht, the end of the Warsaw Ghetto the loss of so many millions of innocent lives in the camps. Having visited one of the camps personally, I can invision the true horrors that came to the Jews and others who were deemed to die under the Third Reich. It was a horrible time to live in Europe no matter your historical background. Each time I read this I feel the horror even deeper than the first time I read it.
I feel that everyone with even a remote Interest in what happebned during WWII should read this book and really understand the horror of those years.
I pray we never are fooled into allowing this to ever happen again. My prayers are with the millions we lost during those years. May nothing like this ever take place against anyone ever again!!
I feel that everyone with even a remote Interest in what happebned during WWII should read this book and really understand the horror of those years.
I pray we never are fooled into allowing this to ever happen again. My prayers are with the millions we lost during those years. May nothing like this ever take place against anyone ever again!!
November 8, 2022
De principio a fin este autor plasma el mayor horror de nuestra historia reciente, el genocidio de 2/3 de la población judía en Europa a manos del III Reich. Son dos relatos yuxtapuestos que en el trascurso de las narraciones van teniendo puntos de confluencia. El primero tratará la vida de Rudi Weiss, judío alemán que presencia la pérdida paulatina de todo lo existente y se arma de valor para combatir con armas y con alma al obús antisemita y sanguinario que propulsó las SS en su "solución final". El otro relato se enfoca en la voc de Erik Dorf, dirigente de las SS que comienza siendo un escéptico y la búsqueda de poder e influencia lo conduce a convertirse cómplice de la mayor mancha de nuestra Humanidad.
Una novela que te traslada hacia aquella época y ver, desde la polifónica, todas las caras posibles, los dos bandos, el asesino y el asesinado. Un final que al recordarlo se precipitan las lágrimas en este teclado y que, fervientemente, te recomiendo encontrar.
Una novela que te traslada hacia aquella época y ver, desde la polifónica, todas las caras posibles, los dos bandos, el asesino y el asesinado. Un final que al recordarlo se precipitan las lágrimas en este teclado y que, fervientemente, te recomiendo encontrar.
March 4, 2017
On researching this title, I found the author had created an award wining mini TV series in the late 1970s called "Holocaust" and later this book. I have read and enjoyed many books on this subject and this one doesn't disappoint. Green did extensive family research on his family to produce these. He wrote giving the viewpoint of a Jewish Doctor's family and a German lawyer of the same neighborhood, rising in the ranks of those creating the great "lie". It exposes many of the horrific atrocities by Germans "following orders" blanketed in softer terms like "resettlement" rather than gassing. It also illuminates the courage of many Jews, hiding sketches of the camps, becoming resistance fighters with no more than bare hands and anger at first, and the loving kindness towards others suffering with them. Much enjoyed!
August 10, 2023
I remember being in 8th grade at Parkway West Jr. High and our History teacher showed us a film about the Holocaust. Not too much later this mini-series came on NBC-TV called Holocaust and we watched. The mini-series was based on this book and my parents had it laying around the house, but I never picked it up, but I remembered it. I recently did a search at my local library and there it was. Incredible book. The writer does a great job at describing how these monsters roamed the Earth and the horror they inflicted. How anyone can be so brutal to another human being is as unbelievable to me now as it must have been for the people of that time, but we know it happened and if we ignore history, it could very well happen again. This book is a great reminder of what is possible and how we can never let this happen again.
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