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Liked It “A book that is impossible to put down, even though you are drawn into the horrors of the holocaust. |
Didn’t Like It “It was definitely interesting, but it was very much like a textbook. If you're not very interested in the Holocaust and events surrounding it, you will not like this book. It also follows one person's journey very closely, so it you don't like memoirs, I wouldn't recommend it either. In terms...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A book that is impossible to put down, even though you are drawn into the horrors of the holocaust.
Lesley B wrote this review Saturday, October 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Daniel Mendelsohn has been curious about his Great Uncle's family, ever since he was a small boy. Relatives weep when they see him, he reminds them so much of "Shmiel". So Daniel embarks on a journey that will take him around the world. A journey of discovery, bitter disappointment, exciting revelations and self- discovery.
I was gripped by the adult Daniel's realisation that the scary relatives whom he often avoided at get-togethers as a child, Aunt Minnie and Herman the Barber, were in fact the people who held the key to the past. His narrative is peppered with co-incidences, of amazing stories that he so nearly missed hearing, were it not for the refrain of his freind Froma
"Take another look!" "Go back, and look again!"
His very human take on the history that unfolds is engaging. He cannnot judge. He cannot condemn. If there were bad people in this story, well, there were good people too. And what would he have done, in circumstances that he can't even imagine?
The only thing I found hard (and this says more about my ignorance) as the frequent passages referring to the Bible, and to the Rbbi's intepretation of the text. I understand that the author was trying to place the holocaust into some kind of religious perspective, but I found it too scholarly and it interfered with the gripping narrative.
Moving and wonderful. The photography was also incredible. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime read. You'lll be thinking about it for a very long time after you have finished .........”“It was definitely interesting, but it was very much like a textbook. If you're not very interested in the Holocaust and events surrounding it, you will not like this book. It also follows one person's journey very closely, so it you don't like memoirs, I wouldn't recommend it either. In terms of the writing, it was put together very uniquely with an interesting style that had biblical implications all throughout the book. It was great in some aspects, but not so much in others. ”
Ginny W wrote this review Wednesday, September 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Lost is an exploration of our relationship with the past. It chronicle's the author's efforts to gather "facts" about his lost relatives and to understand those facts both cognitively and emotively. "Killed by the Nazi's" takes on a more awful substance as the author's journey of discovery progresses.
Jim E wrote this review Friday, August 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Interspersed with the story are commentary on the Torah, especially sections dealing with siblings. The commentary, and the author's musings and comments on the commentary, deepens our understanding of what was going on among the earlier generations and the author's cohort as well.”“If you love family history, this is a great story/historial documentation of six family members killed during the Holocaust and the author's search for the story of their lives. The six were his great uncle, wife, and four daughters. He had grown up hearing stories from his grandfather about his "lost brother". Mr. Mendelsohn traveled the world to meet people who had known them or knew of them to give their loss of life meaning and purpose. ”
Diane M wrote this review Friday, July 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This was, simply, the single best book I have ever read. Not because Mendelsohn is a fantastic writer (I actually find it hard to follow some of his more rambling sentences) and not because it made me feel good. Far from it. I have never been sucker punched in the gut by a book before. The truth in this book and the story it tells of the suffering during the Holocaust is unbelievable. Six million is hard to grasp, but personalizing it to six made the Holocaust that much more real to me. God help us if we ever forget. This book should be read by every single person in the world, lest we do forget.”
Jodie Bailey wrote this review Sunday, July 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book touched me; it is one of the most personal books I have ever read. While the author's search for his family contributes to this it's really the author himself in the pages of the story and the way in which he writes and tells the story that makes it so moving. And in the end I think what touched me the most was the author's reconciliation with and love for his brother (who did the photography in the book). This is what the author would've wished for his grandfather, if that had been possible.
Lauran L wrote this review Sunday, June 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The author parallels family history with current day family dynamics and with the stories of Genesis. When I read the first side bar on Genesis I was confused and not sure where the author was going with it, but as I progressed through the chapters it became obvious and I started looking forward to each section and his explanation of the similarities between Genesis and the Holocaust. I learned alot from this portion of the book having not read the Bible or Torah or any other religious text.
The author's search for his grandfather's brother made me think about my own family. One side of my family is from Poland and it's a part of my family that I will lose touch with when my father's passes because he himself has lost touch with them. As a result of this book I have had this conversation with my dad (a point the author makes several times - taking advantage of stories/connections while we can) and have connected with some of that family.
The story of the survivors he met/interviewed and the author's affection for them is difficult to put into words. We cannot even presume to know/understand what they went through and how it feels to have experienced that loss.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Holocaust and for anyone interested in family dynamics and family history.
”
“The best, most moving non-fiction book I've ever read.”
Bob W wrote this review Friday, May 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked this book and gave it 4 stars. Don't know if I would recommend to many. Tedious and long, but very interesting to me. This author tells a good story from his travels and discussions and biblical reading and research and personal feelings. I enjoyed how he puts it all together.
Stacie R wrote this review Sunday, April 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
”“Daniel Mendelsohn chronicles his search through interviews with survivors from Bolechow, Poland, in order to find out what happened to his grandfather's brother's family--the lost six. I've broken this review down into 3 parts: What I like, What I found difficult, Why I recommend it.
Cindy G wrote this review Friday, March 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What I like: This book covers many stories about one family from many different sources. The author mentions throughout how while some stories seem to match what his family had been told, and others change or add to it, it is still difficult to know exactly what happened to his relatives.
I also loved reading this due to my own religious beliefs (LDS) and how some of the rabbinical commentaries that he uses to lead into what occurred parallel my own while others are very different in relation to how I view the stories of Genesis. For example, I believe according to LDS doctrine that that Fall of Adam and Eve was necessary for us to be able to live on earth, and was planned for by Heavenly Father long beforehand. One of the rabbis (Rashi, I believe) that he quotes teaches that without Eve choosing to eat the fruit, no procreation would have occurred.
For me, personally, I believe that the choice Eve made was correct, in that she had to eat (literally) of the Forbidden Fruit in order to be able to become a mother, but was a transgression against God because she didn't ask Him if what the serpent told her was accurate and if it were, could she and Adam have permission to eat the fruit, knowing that they would indeed bring death into the world. (Sorry for the long aside.)
What I found difficult: The book (at least the paperback version) is printed in finer font and with narrower margins than most books. This took me some time to get used to this, but if my eyes were older, I'm not sure how easily I'd be able to read this wonderful story.
As far as the story line goes, it also takes some getting used to that he jumps around a lot (though he explains that the beginning why he likes to tell a story this way), but once you realize what he's doing, it's fine.
It is also difficult to hear some of the stories related from the survivors, but it is not as graphic as some stories are, perhaps because Mendelsohn is dwelling more on trying to find out who and what his relatives were like in addition to what might have happened to them and when they died.
Why I recommend it: Mendelsohn presents us with a fascinating story of the miracles of meeting people who can tell him of his famiy; of their stories, while also helping us see the effects of the Holocaust on individuals and families even today.”“I found this book extremely moving. I particularly liked the way the author weaved the story of his search with the stories of the Genesis. It is a very long book that I did not find boring at any point. It should be chosen as one of the best works dealing with the very difficult subject of the Shoah. The photos taken by Daniel's brother, Matt, are a very good complement to the writing but, since they are very small it is a good idea to search them on his site in the internet.Daniel Mendelsohn deserves a , Bravo !”
Gloria Stokol wrote this review Tuesday, March 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
