6 books by Holocaust survivors you need to read
There are many accounts from survivors of the Holocaust that have turned into incredible books. Here are some of the most noteworthy choices.
Image: Dachau Concentration Camp | stock.adobe.com
The Holocaust stands as one of history’s darkest chapters, a harrowing reminder of humanity’s capacity for cruelty. While its horrors make it a deeply challenging topic to confront, remembering the Holocaust is vital – not only to honour the millions of innocent lives lost but to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.
One powerful way to reflect on this tragic period is through literature. From survivor memoirs to fictional accounts grounded in historical truth, Holocaust books offer profound insights into the resilience of the human spirit and the depths of suffering endured.
In this article, we explore six impactful works that shed light on the Holocaust, blending inspiration with stark, often disturbing realities of one of the world’s most devastating genocides.
Detailed important books by Holocaust survivors
There are certain Holocaust books that only scratch the surface, but these books go above and beyond by diving much deeper.
They are invaluable for those trying to achieve a deeper understanding of the subject.
1. 'Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered' by Ruth Klüger
Ruth Klüger offers up a reflective and detailed account of her life as a child and then as a teenager having to grow up in the Holocaust with Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered.
The memoirs recount Klüger’s life in Vienna before her family were deported to concentration camps when the Nazi occupation took place.
The novel then covers her experiences in different camps – including Auschwitz – right through to the aftermath.
2. 'If This Is a Man' by Primo Levi
If This Is a Man – also known by its American title of Survival in Auschwitz – blends depth, philosophical insight and precise details to create an incredibly profound account of what life was like in a Nazi concentration camp.
Primo Levi was a chemist but also part of the anti-fascist Italian resistance. Because of this, he ended up getting taken to Auschwitz in 1944.
He describes the dehumanising nature of life in Auschwitz with clarity, leading to a memoir that is as powerful as it is precise.
Inspiring important books by Holocaust survivors
The Holocaust is a trying topic to discuss due to the disturbing atrocities that were committed. However, there are moments of light buried beneath the darkness.
These books offer inspiring tales of heroism and human camaraderie in the face of unimaginable horror.
3. 'By Chance Alone' by Max Eisen
Max Eisen’s By Chance Alone is a memoir that details Eisen’s life as a 15 year old teenager deported to Auschwitz with his family in 1944.
Despite the disturbing account that Eisen offers, he also provides a narrative that highlights the determination and resilience of mankind.
Eisen not only details his life through the Holocaust, but he also tells the story of how he began the difficult process of rebuilding his life after his liberation.
4. 'Man’s Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl
When it comes to inspiring survivor stories from the Holocaust, Viktor E. Frankl’s memoir Man’s Search for Meaning is arguably one of the most noteworthy choices.
Frankl’s book is split into two sections: part one – detailing his experience at Auschwitz – and part two – which revolves around Frankl’s theory of logotherapy.
Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist before the Holocaust, and logotherapy is a school of psychology that he founded following his experiences. Logotherapy focuses on issues of survival and how to find meaning in life.
Harrowing important books by Holocaust survivors
The brutal realities of the Holocaust are hard to ignore, and these last two books offer honest, raw and unflinching accounts. They might be hard for some to read, but they are necessary for those trying to get a firmer grasp on the events of the Holocaust.
5. 'Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz' by Olga Lengyel
Olga Lengyel’s Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz was one of the first memoirs from a Holocaust survivor, making it a particularly important historical book as well as a harrowing account.
Written by Olga Lengyel – a Jewish Romanian-trained nurse – the account focuses on the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, as well as the specific suffering that women endured.
6. 'The Last Jew of Treblinka' by Chil Rajchman
Chil Rajchman’s The Last Jew of Treblinka revolves around Rajchman’s life as a forced labourer in Treblinka -one of the most infamous extermination camps during the Holocaust- in 1942 and the unimaginable horrors he saw and endured during that time.
Rajchman details every horrific detail, including descriptions of cremation pits and gas chambers. His account serves as one of the most detailed accounts of Treblinka and how it functioned as an industrial level killing centre.
