Today's Kindle Deal

A spy that gets themselves sent into Auschwitz. The conditions are gut wrenching but the bravery is insane.

 

About 4 years ago I was waiting by the fire in barter books while the wife was browsing. I picked up a book called Soldaten. It contains secret recordings of German pow's in Britain and the med, chatting to each other about the killngs, rape and atrocities they carried out in the course of the war. Most of it just gratuitous killngs and violence without reason. Even luftwaffe fighter pilots returning home after raids and flying low over Kent looking for civilians in the country lanes to kill including mothers with prams.
It's very difficult to read and still havent finished it.

 

I'm about 85% in, l cannot imagine this happening in near enough my parents lifetime. What's good with the kindle is the ability to find the meaning of words, I've used it often in this book especially for some of the German names that were used within the camp for the different groups. I've highlighted various people (monsters for a better word) so l can go back and research them, the "beast" and "angel" of the camp, l think the trials would be a good read if there's further reading on it.

I did wonder when she had written this because it's in that much great detail and very well written.

 

She didn't get out of the camp until 1945 and the first edition of the book was published in 1946 so she wrote it pretty sharpish after getting her freedom.

 

Yes I do the same when on the Kindle, or kindle app on the phone. I’ve always had a pretty good vocabulary but this just helps to remind me what some obscure words mean.

I was probably about two chapters in when I thought “ how on earth does she remember all this detail?” It was published in 1946, in French and only made it into English in 1995. It’s a mesmerising account of the sheer bestiality of the SS who not only carried out unspeakable acts but forced many of their captives to do the same for fear of being killed. If wasn’t long though before these people took their turn in the gas chambers and crematory ovens.

I think it helps reading this kind of book if you’ve been to see where it happened. My visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau a few years ago still haunts me.

 

My daughter went with her boyfriend last year, it's on our things to do, I wouldn't say wishlist - doesn't seem appropriate.

 

Update 1 Jan 2024

All 7 of George Martin's Game Of Thrones books are on offer today at 99p each.

Note - make sure you buy them as 7 separate books. "A Storm of Swords" and "A Dance With Dragons" both come as two books, Part 1 and Part 2. If you buy them as single books, with part 1 and 2 combined into one book, you'll pay a lot more.

Note 2 - be prepared for a long wait until the last 2 books are released!