A moving; deeply researched account of survivors’ experiences of liberation from Nazi death camps and the long; difficult years that followed Seventy years have passed since the tortured inmates of Hitler’s concentration and extermination camps were liberated. When the horror of the atrocities came fully to light; it was easy for others to imagine the joyful relief of freed prisoners. Yet for those who had survived the unimaginable; the experience of liberation was a slow; grueling journey back to life. In this unprecedented inquiry into the days; months; and years following the arrival of Allied forces at the Nazi camps; a foremost historian of the Holocaust draws on archival sources and especially on eyewitness testimonies to reveal the complex challenges liberated victims faced and the daunting tasks their liberators undertook to help them reclaim their shattered lives. Historian Dan Stone focuses on the survivors—their feelings of guilt; exhaustion; fear; shame for having survived; and devastating grief for lost family members; their immense medical problems; and their later demands to be released from Displaced Persons camps and resettled in countries of their own choosing. Stone also tracks the efforts of British; American; Canadian; and Russian liberators as they contended with survivors’ immediate needs; then grappled with longer-term issues that shaped the postwar world and ushered in the first chill of the Cold War years ahead.
#708163 in Books Yale University Press 2012-09-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .60 x 6.10l; .90 #File Name: 0300188021272 pages
Review
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Tough subject; good bookBy jrc griffinThis must be a very difficult subject to write a book about because after several tries I haven't found one yet that hasn't been; as another reviewer said; overwhelmingly "dry or New Age". Having said that I think this is the best yet for someone like me who doesn't have an academic background in the field. It is certainly well written and eminently readable for the layman as an overview of the subject; but In the end it is disappointing.The real question the reader wants answered is "why" and; apparently so far; that answer is simply unknown. But that doesn't stop other authors from profoundly speculating.Thankfully this book does not focus on that type of guessing game. Ms. Desdemaines-Hugon does a very good job of sticking to what it is and not why it is.The problem however; it seems to me; based on what is actually known this is a subject for a book of illustrations; not page after page after page of text. If you haven't seen at least a copy the painting a glowing description of the "Mona Lisa"; no matter how accurate; is a rather useless and frustrating experience. I found myself simultaneously ( and for the most part unsuccessfully ) searching other sources for some visual confirmation of the authors rapturous opinions.Bottom line; good but not great.53 of 54 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant accessible narrative about complex topicsBy Laura FitzSimmonsI was heading back to the caves in the Dordogne for a second look and someone suggested this book to me. I ordered it; thinking in the back of my mind that it in spite of my best intentions it would likely remain unread in the bookshelf because most books about rock art are either excruciatingly dry or dippy New Age. This book is neither. I read it bit by bit over about a week. The author has such a deep understanding and length of exposure to these treasures that she was able to create a real page turner. Her explanation of the context in which these works of art were created; and of the evoultion of our species; is a very valuable source.I could not recommend this book more highly and have ordered copies to give friends and family members who may never be able to experience these wonders first hand. This book is the next best thing.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Brings the art to lifeBy dsI bought this book as a companion to a recent (September 2013) visit to the Dordogne region. I knew about "cave art" but I did not know much more than the very basics. After reading this book I knew a whole lot more. In addition to describing the major caves in Les Eysies/Vezere Valley and the prehistorical/cultural context for the cave art; this book helped me appreciate the complexity of expression and "humanity" of the art in a quite modern sense. On a practical level; the book helped me plan a very nice two-day itinerary in Les Eysies/Vezere Valley. A big plus; when we toured the Font-de-Gaume cave our guide spoke no English - and I speak nearly no French - but since I had just re-read that chapter I was actually able to follow the guide's descriptions well enough.For what it's worth; this book is one of the few English language books that is on sale in *all* of the museum shops in the region.And; for anyone thinking of visiting the region it is absolutely awesome to stand in places with 50;000 years or more of human history under foot.
