Book: Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz
Author: Eva Mozes Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri
Publisher and Publication Date: Tanglewood, 10/14/09
Pages: 141
Genre: Non-Fiction, Holocaust, Autobiography
Rating: 

*ARC Provided by Tanglewood and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

My Review in a Nutshell:

You can’t critique this book; it’s raw and real, every page bleeds the unfathomable and haunting details of the Holocaust. There is no rise, climax and fall; there is no romance or fillers. Just the true story of twin girls who survived the doctor known as the Angel of Death in Auschwitz during World War II, their voices so powerful and commanding, it is all you will need.

What’s It All About?

Ten year old Eva and Miriam were the “lucky” ones, for they were twins. At Auschwitz, twins were not taken to the infirmary, as the rest of their family were. Instead they were dragged to Dr. Mengele, whom conducted heinous experiments and torture on twins, gypsies and dwarfs, for “scientific research”.

My Thoughts?

Surviving the Angel of Death is told through the voice of Eva. Eva is a spitfire at the tender age of ten, and will do anything to keep her sister alive. The story is told in warp speed of 141 pages, but leaves out no important detail. What I found so interesting, is this is the story of Eva at ten years old, but now being told from memory by the now 82 year old Eva. She has had time to reflect, and put the pieces together of what did not make sense to her at the time. It is a child and adults view wrapped into one, and told very matter-of-factly. Difficult to do I would assume, with the sickening things she endured.

This wonderful masterpiece is not for the faint hearted. The Holocaust was a massacre, and made my anxiety shoot through the roof with thoughts of how easily a dictator can do something so disgusting on such a large scale. But, Eva captivated and inspired me with her wisdom, I highly suggest this book to ANYONE, for she has a lesson about life for EVERYONE.

On a side note: Surviving the Angel of Death is a tamed down version of Eva’s memoir titled Echoes of Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele’s Twins, The Story of Eva. Surviving the Angel of Death was written to be more suitable for younger readers. I 100% will be reading the more adult version as well.

My Favorite Quotes:

“At Auschwitz dying was so easy. Surviving was a full time job.”