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Auschwitz

A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

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About this listen

Auschwitz was one of the first books to bring the full horror of the Nazi death camps to the American public; this is, as the New York Review of Books said, "the best brief account of the Auschwitz experience available."

When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientific research" on his fellow inmates under the supervision of the man who became known as the infamous "Angel of Death" - Dr. Josef Mengele. Nyiszli was named Mengele's personal research pathologist. In that capacity he also served as physician to the Sonderkommando, the Jewish prisoners who worked exclusively in the crematoriums and were routinely executed after four months. Miraculously, Nyiszli survived to give this horrifying and sobering account.

©1960, 2011 Miklos Nyiszli (P)2013 Audible, Inc. 20th Century Historical Medical Military Modern Professionals & Academics World War Heartfelt Scary Inspiring Holocaust Emotionally Gripping Thought-Provoking

Editor reviews

Narrator Noah Michael Levine's expressive performance shades in different layers of emotion as he narrates the true story of Jewish prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli, who was spared death and chosen by Dr. Josef Mengele himself to assist in the Nazi doctor's terrible experiments. Levine sensitively evokes both the horror and desire for survival that permeates Dr. Nyiszli's stories of serving as Mengele's personal research pathologist and as the physician to the Sonderkommando, the Jewish prisoners who worked in the crematoriums and were routinely executed every four months. Listeners will find themselves moved by Dr. Nyiszli's moral agony over his role as Mengele's assistant and his ambition to stay alive in order to reveal the truth about Auschwitz.
All stars
Most relevant
Only history through words now, but I actually felt hurt and bruised from the reality of this well told book.

Never Forget

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omgosh this was very emotional, as you might expect. But very interesting if interesting is the right word.

Heart wrenching.

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Perhaps this is one level off Primo Levi level (esp. “If this is a Man”) for quality. But it’s still pretty good. His story is corroborated by other autobiographical accounts, but sadly some reviewers make moral judgements of the author, for his relationship with Mengele. An interest for me with all holocaust autobiographies is how the author survived to report the story when most didn’t. No one can be faulted for wanting to survive like the author. What is particularly interesting is that it tended to be the givers rather than the takers who survived. I’m not sure of the extent to which the survivors got to write the history with their autobiographies, and hoodwinked us with their personal accounts, or whether it really was the case that survival was more likely if you helped others. I ended up liking Dr. Miklos Nyiszli, who seems a pretty reliable, decent man.

One of the best holocaust autobiographies.

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Candid account of man's inhumanity to man. How ideology condemned so many to death for no justifiable reason. This far right ideology is unfortunately still alive and rising again the world over. So many people were allowed to return to their lives without any consequences. There was no real justice for the victims and this continues to be the case. Around the world atrocities continue but the world turns a blind eye and those who could step in stand by, worried about their economies rather than the suffering of people. Victims are reduced to numbers and the fact that each number represents a real person is lost. Not enough people care about their fellow human beings. Outrage is common but actions to change matters is not. Another auschwitz could happen.

A book that should be read by anyone alive

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Firstly I've seen some negative reviews about the narration and just can't agree. I found it spot on..made me want to listen and a perfect choice for the topic.
The story is brutal at times. Unimaginable at others and emotional. We all know the story but to hear a real account like this blows your mind.
Just can't get your head round the level of hate and brutality on such a mass scale.
Must read if you have an interest in ww2 history.

The need to keep reading

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