Poland Books

This is not a book for children. Rather it is a recollection of images and perceptions of the adult/child who survived the camps of World War Two to tell the tale. Cordelia Edvardson is a humanist who wants the world to abolish all that is inhumane most especially when it comes to children. She knows what its like to be taunted, terrified and have a tortured soul. A must for every policy maker, teacher, and whoever still believes in preserving a sane world.
glenys sugarman

This was just a great book. No books that I've read on this subject have been quite so compelling!

The author mesmerizes you with the simplicity and eloquence of her writing. She moves you with her childhood, her courage in the camps and the power of her spirit in returning to choose life again.

For so few books covering this vital tradition, this is a real keeper. It really is gorgeous and an important addition to any graphic arts library.

I have both of Mr. Noyce's books covering Polish painting and graphic arts. They represent an excellent overview of current art in Poland. I lived in Poland for two years and purchased many pieces by artists represented in Noyce's books. The only flaw I found in this book is that there are so many additional artists who could have been included. I would have also liked to have seen more on the classical techniques the Polish artists are required to study during their educational training. Having collected similar art in the States, I strongly believe that Polish, Romanian, and Czech artists have better technique, training, and imagination.

It is wonderful to have these books accompanying my art collection.

I have both of Mr. Noyce's books covering Polish painting and graphic arts. They represent an excellent overview of current art in Poland. I lived in Poland for two years and purchased many pieces by artists represented in Noyce's books. The only flaw I found in this book is that there are so many additional artists who could have been included. I would have also liked to have seen more on the classical techniques the Polish artists are required to study during their educational training. Having collected similar art in the States, I strongly believe that Polish, Romanian, and Czech artists have better technique, training, and imagination.

It is wonderful to have these books accompanying my art collection.

In November 1940, the Nazis sealed off the Warsaw Ghetto. Among the 400 000 Jews were incarcerated in the hell of the Warsaw Ghetto was 47 year old schoolteacher Abraham Lewin, whose diary chronicles the suffering, sickness, starvation, brutality and death in the Warsaw Ghetto, and the genocide of nearly all of it's 400 000 people by the Nazis.
Particularly heartrending is the fate of children under the Nazi terror. Many murders of children and young people are recounted here, as well as the strvation of Jewish children in the ghetto , their bodies swollen with starvation, crying for food. We read of such heartbreaking incidents such as the arrest of a prettily dressed ten year old girl as she cried "Mr Policeman".
The author's own young daughter, who was taken to her death by the Nazis , was a member of the Zionist youth group Hashomer Hatzair, which was to play a large role in the resistance against Nazi rule during the Warsaw Ghetto uprisings.
Hitler's threats to anihilate the Jews are mirrored by those of Iranian modern day Hitler Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Islamo-Nazi regime, Hamas and Hezbollah. What begins with the Jews does not however end with the Jews- that the Nazis would go on to murder Gypsies, Poles, Czechs, Serbs, Russians and many others.

Abraham Lewin kept a diary from early 1942 through early 1943. He focused on the mass deportation of Warsaw's Jews to their deaths at Treblinka in mid-late 1942.

Lewin elaborates on the cooperation of Poles and Jews in the smuggling of food and other items into the Warsaw Ghetto, including the habit of the Polish Blue Police (Policja Granatowa) turning a blind eye to such smuggling (p. 62). He sided with those Jews who believed that Polish-Jewish relations had improved as a result of their common suffering (pp. 123-124). And, although Lewin mentions some examples of Poles denouncing fugitive Jews, he later makes it clear that Poles were not responsible for the roundup and extermination of Jews. For example: "Twenty Ukrainians, Jewish policemen (a few dozen) and a small number of Germans lead a crowd of 3,000 Jews to the slaughter." (p. 151).

In common with some other chroniclers, Lewin reserves his harshest criticism for the collaborationist Jewish ghetto police. For example: "Russian pogromists would have been unable to make a more thorough and shattering pogrom than that carried out by the Jewish police." (p. 160). "Today, the Jewish police carried out the `action' with savage brutality. They simply ran riot." (p. 164).

Some recent Holocaust materials have included the totally preposterous suggestion that the Poles somehow consented to the extermination of the Jews on their soil, or that Polish protests may have saved the Jews. In actuality, the Germans had not the slightest concern about the wishes of the Polish untermenschen. A protest was a form of suicide, as Lewin relates: "A Christian woman on Leszno Street, seeing the wagons with those who have been rounded up, curses the Germans. She presents her chest and is shot. On Nowy Swiat, a Christian woman stands defiantly, kneels on the pavement and prays to God to turn his sword against the executioners--she had seen how a gendarme killed a Jewish boy." (p. 141)

Although Jews and Poles may have been "unequal victims", Lewin doesn't neglect the latter: "Let us not forget: the Poles are in second place in the table of tragic losses among the nations, just behind the Jews. They have given, after us, the greatest number of victims to the Gestapo, and this does not take into account the destruction of the country." (p. 124). "Jewish and Polish blood is spilled, it mingles together and, crying to the heavens, it demands revenge!" (p. 125).

Lewin mentions the German "action" against the rural Poles in the Zamosc region (p. 227), and comments: "In fact, there are reports of unrest and turmoil among the Poles over the mass-expulsions of Poles in the Zamosc area." (p. 233). Lewin had no illusions as to what the Germans were capable of: "They began with us and will finish with other peoples: Poles, Czechs, Serbs and many others." (p. 239).

In the 19th century, Polish mystic Andrzej Towianski thought of the Polish people as the "Jesus Christ of Nations", whose sufferings would save the world (p. 264). But Poles were not alone in such musings. Interestingly, Lewin wrote of his entertaining of Towianski-like thoughts about the Jewish people (p. 117).

Abraham Lewin, the author, is a Jewish eyewitness of events the Warsaw Ghetto. His narratives are in striking contrast to most popular-level Holocaust materials, which portray Poles in a unilaterally negative light while also completely ignoring the negative aspects of Jewish behavior. Lewin, for instance, focuses on the marked depravity of the Jewish collaborators, especially the Jewish ghetto police, and strongly condemns them for helping send then-200,000 Jews to their deaths. Lewin demonstrates, with examples, that large-scale Polish behavior of helping Jews far exceeded the few Poles who harmed Jews. And, despite observing the sufferings and deaths of his fellow Jews firsthand, Lewin refrains from a purely Judeo-centric approach to the Holocaust. In several places in his narratives, he speaks of German crimes against Polish gentiles. In particular, he discusses the widespread German terror (murders of Polish gentiles, and the destruction of Polish villages) in the Zamosc region. He even acknowledges that, after the Jews, Poles were in second place as victims of the Nazi Germans. He concludes: "Jewish and Polish blood is spilled, it mingles together and, crying to the heavens, it demands revenge!"
I only wish that modern approaches to Holocaust education displayed the same attitude, and balance, that Lewin did.

This review is based on the 1996 Oxford hardback edition, and focuses on matters not developed by other reviewers.

Sierakowiak devotes a considerable number of entries to the 1939 German-Soviet conquest of Poland. On Sept. 14, it rained. Sierakowiak notes that, had this been going on since Sept. 1, the German tanks would've gotten stuck in the mire (p. 38). On Sept. 19, Sierakowiak repudiated Hitler's lies, in which the Fuhrer, in a radio broadcast, had blamed Poland for starting the war and for mistreating the German minority (p. 42).

A radio program from London mentioned the Germans' vain seeking of Prince Janusz Radziwill to form a collaborationist government (Nov. 5, 1939; p. 59). This adds refutation to the claim that there was no Polish Quisling because the Germans never wanted one.

No sooner had the German entered Lodz then they began to persecute both Jews and Poles. On Nov. 17, 1939, the Germans forced Polish priests to destroy the Kosciuszko statue with sledge hammers. This being ineffective, the Germans resorted to dynamite (p. 63).

A common Polonophobic Holocaust theme is the one about Poles habitually delighting in Jewish humiliation and suffering. In contrast, Sierakowiak writes (Nov. 18, 1939; p. 64): "The Poles cast down their eyes at the sight of the Jews with their armbands; friends assure us that `it won't be for long.'" In view of the fact that Sierakowiak otherwise never mentions Polish attitudes, and that negative incidents are more likely to be remembered and recorded in diaries than positive ones, this takes on further significance.

Sierakowiak was irreligious (p. 38). And, not only was he pro-Communist, but in fact he praised Communists and condemned capitalism many times (p. 88, 92, 102, 105, 155, 220, 260, 263, etc.).

As for leader Chaim Rumkowski (Rumkovsky) and his privileged Jews, Sierakowiak elaborates on the inequities between the well-fed, well-clad Jews and the starving, ragged Jews (p. 176, 198, 245). When Rumkowski ordered the timely and obedient fulfillment of the German order to deport Jewish children and the elderly ("useless eaters" for extermination), Sierakowiak noted the many kinds of privileged Jews whose children and elderly relatives had been exempt from this order (pp. 216-217).

The Germans used some Jews to beat other Jews (March 16, 1943; p. 258). During the deportations, one unarmed Jewish policeman each was assigned to supervise the loading of about 100 Jews onto the trains (p. 270). Armed Germans didn't usually get involved until the latter phases of the day's loadings.

Owing to the fact that the Jews in the Lodz ghetto had been exploited for German war production, they were spared for most of the duration of the war. Not until August 1944 did the Germans liquidate the Lodz ghetto.

Be still when you read this book. Find a place with no distractions, no children asking for help with homework, no chores to do in the next room. Because you will need the stillness to grapple with the images from Lodz.

The book opens with an idyllic calm, when Dawid is being the young boy he was born to be. Anyone who has been to a youth camp will see himself in Dawid. This identification is critical to grasping the horror that is to come.

And no! There are no answers to the questions you cannot ask. The Whys and Hows cannot be riddled. You may think about them when you have put the book down for the last time, but let Dawid show you his world as it is destroyed around his ears. Worry about the nature of good and evil and humanity and war and peace and betrayal when you are done.

But first, let the young man tell his story. We are lucky this story survived.

This book is quite moving and powerful as its young, sardonic, incisive author leads us vicariously into the world of the ghetto. The brilliance of this young man is readily apparent through his keen observations of his desperate situation and horrendous surroundings. This is a must-read for anyone, and would be especially good for young people who sometimes ask how the Jews "let" this happen to them. The author is also very honest about his father's moral breakdown, as well as his bitter thoughts on the role of Chaim Rumkowski, the leader of the ghetto community. The preface is excellent, giving backround information about David, the war, the ghetto system, and Nazi methods of deceit and control. Highly recommended.

An interesting book. The first section describes the gradual tightening of legal restrictions on the Jewish people of Germany. Each decree gradually stripping another layer of civil protection by defining them as second class citizens. The final legal step was to define what a Jew was, and how they no longer qualified even as a second class citizen.

The second part of the book tells the story of the same process in Poland. Each step was carefully calculated as part of the final solution of the "Jewish problem." Interesting is Heydrichs order in 1939 where it is obvious that extermination was the final goal. Also interesting, at least for me, was how clearly Hitler considered Jews and Communists one and the same. Rather, you could be a communist without being a Jew, but all communists took orders from the international Jewish conspiracy.

The final section describes the events in the Soviet Union where the Holocaust operated without any restraints. This book is about the destruction of the Jewish population so you will not find any reference to the deaths of millions of Poles, Ukranians, etc.

An interesting book. If you have minimal knowledge of the Holocaust this would give the reader a starting point. Please remember this not going to read like a novel although in its own way it is a narrative. A narrative of the destruction of the Jewish people.

This series of legal documents, decrees, orders, instructions or live accounts describes better than any litterary form the progression in horror which our Jewish parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nevews had to suffer from April fools' day of 1933 when waring the David star was enforced to this community until the end of the second world war in mid 1945.

As a Christian I was surprised to discover that the trauma resulting from the horrifying murders is so deep in the Jewish community that, for most, its members if they do know about the holocaust, actually don't have a real view of it. Naturally the massive and sadistic aggresion against the Jewish people screens, in this book, the fate of the ones who shared their fate for having protected them or for having fought the Nazis.
After all Jewish people suffered between two third and three quarter of the enormous human non-military losses under surrealistically inhuman conditions.

This book should be handled with the respect normally due to religious books: it represents the steps of the martyrdom of the Jewish families under Nazi madness.

The content of the book should be remembered in details by every western culture including Israel's right wing (after all "Nazi" represents the danger of mixing nationalism and socialism...) Americans should learn from this book that being more powerful doesn't mean being better. Europeans could find in it how non elected "public servants" laugh at democratically elected representatives (elected ones disappear over the time, bureaucrats remain and never have to respond for diffused results).

For the content of this book to be fully meaningful, it should be enlightened by Milgram's explanation of how "Obedience to authority" made it possible for these horror to happen.

A major book which supplies everything Jewish and non Jewish need to know. A reedition with a lot of proper photographs of the murders by the Einsatzgruppen, of the Gettos and of the concentration camps conditions would be welcome.

This series of legal documents, decrees, orders, instructions or live accounts describes better than any litterary form the progression in horror which our Jewish parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nevews had to suffer from April fools' day of 1933 when waring the David star was enforced to this community until the end of the second world war in mid 1945.

As a Christian I was surprised to discover that the trauma resulting from the horrifying murders is so deep in the Jewish community that, for most, its members if they do know about the holocaust, actually don't have a real view of it. Naturally the massive and sadistic aggresion against the Jewish people screens, in this book, the fate of the ones who shared their fate for having protected them or for having fought the Nazis.
After all Jewish people suffered between two third and three quarter of the enormous human non-military losses under surrealistically inhuman conditions.

This book should be handled with the respect normally due to religious books: it represents the steps of the martyrdom of the Jewish families under Nazi madness.

The content of the book should be remembered in details by every western culture including Israel's right wing (after all "Nazi" represents the danger of mixing nationalism and socialism...) Americans should learn from this book that being more powerful doesn't mean being better. Europeans could find in it how non elected "public servants" laugh at democratically elected representatives (elected ones disappear over the time, bureaucrats remain and never have to respond for diffused results).

For the content of this book to be fully meaningful, it should be enlightened by Milgram's explanation of how "Obedience to authority" made it possible for these horror to happen.

A major book which supplies everything Jewish and non Jewish need to know. A reedition with a lot of proper photographs of the murders by the Einsatzgruppen, of the Gettos and of the concentration camps conditions would be welcome.

Echoes from the Holocaust by Mira Ryczke Kimmelman is a riveting memoir that recounts her life as a child in Danzig to her life in the United States after World War II. Mira describes how the innocence, effulgence, and peace of her youth are shattered once the Nazi troops force her family to leave their home in Poland in October 1939. Embracing her Jewish heritage, Mira tells of how she strives to preserve her identity and pride as a Jew alive by receiving secret Hebrew lessons, attending prohibited Jewish gatherings, and becoming a member of the Zionist movement. Kimmelman refuses to let herself become discouraged when she learns that more than twenty of her family members and friends are killed by the SS officers.

Infused with aspirations, Mira does whatever she can to cope with the persecution she and others receive at the ghettos and concentration camps. After suffering from typhoid, physical torture, starvation, horrendous living conditions, and simple dehumanization, Mira continues to be a burning flame among all the melted candles. All her struggles and lucky moments become learning experiences.

Mira is able to move on with her life, after the end of the war in 1945. She marries Max Kimmelman, another Holocaust survivor, and has several children and grandchildren after. She gives them the names of her relatives and close companions so that her memories of them will live on. Although life in the United States becomes a bit of a struggle, Mira manages to carve out a content life with her husband and family. She continues to encompass her traditions and tell her story of survival.

The memoir is written simplistically, but with very powerful imagery and episodes, that capture Mira's moments effectively. Metaphors, similes, or hyperboles are not necessary to make this memoir memorable. The book is divided into several short chapters that make it an easy read. With cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, this book becomes a real page-turner. An atmosphere of hope surrounds the events Kimmelman depicts and reiterates the idea that Mira has survived for a purpose. No history book can tell a story such as this one. To capture the meaning and depth of the Holocaust, one must go out and read Mira Kimmelman's account.

Mira lived to tell the tale of the holocaust. She's carried the message of strength and forgiveness, of working through the horrors she's lived by bringing the message to all who will listen. This is a strange and different book: on the one hand, so repulsive, so unbelievable, yet, on the other hand, compelling. Several questions ran through my mind: how does a person continue to live with any humanity at all after such an experience; why does one person live, while all the rest die; what kind of magnetism did Mira have that encouraged people to help her?
I've met Mira; she lives here in my home town of Oak Ridge. She will speak before my class. Perhaps my questons will be answered, and I will know who Mira is after all.

From a priveleged upbringing in pre-war Gdansk, the author and her family are deported first to Warsaw then to other ghettos and camps. The book is written in a frank, no-nonsense fashion and she really states the facts about what happened to her and her family. An amazing book and one that everyone should read.

A surprising and delightful read for readers of all ages. The romance is real and deep, unlike most novels. The setting makes the communist era and "Iron Curtain" dangers come alive and feel relevant to today. And the language of the narrative rings of Chekov. Don't let this book slip between the cracks. Read it and pass the good word.

This is a magnificent example of how a writer can write on a topic seldom covered and bring the reader right to a time and place he or she has never thought about before. Mackall does an awesome job of showing what life was like behind the "Iron Curtain." This book has it all--intrigue, romance, relationships, suspense, and characters that stay with you after you're done reading.

Eva's dad forces her to move to poland to help with the underground freedom movement against communism. The government is watching their every move, there is no hot water, there isn't even meat! All she wants is to go home.
She plans the perfect escape. While her father is at a political funeral (great place for speaking against communism in public) she is going to sneak away to an airport. Too bad there isn't one in the city and even the closest ones don't even have flights to America!
Soon Poland grows on her. She's made friends, found a dog and maybe even a new boyfriend. But happiness doesn't last forever. When the freedom movement is broken up she has a choice to make. She can stay in Poland and help put the movement back together, or she can go back home to Chicago.

This story of the forgotten victims of WWII is told from a unique perspective. Two friends--the author and the subject--were personally touched by the war in very different ways. One, a german child, victimized only by the disemination of misinformation and, the other, a polish child, victimized both physically and psychologically, enslaved by the Russian allies, separated from family, seizes the opportunity to search for better life for himself and his sister. The author artfully intertwines history and real life experiences. The story is, in many parts, heartbreaking and, in all parts, facinating.

Exiled To Siberia: A Polish Child's WWII Journey is the engaging biography of a ten-year-old Polish boy deported by the Soviets at the outbreak of World War II. From Henryk Birecki's childhood in a Polish village to his ultimate integration into American society after the war, the reader is treated to a candid and informative story of the hardships and cruelties brought about by the forcible deportation of Polish men, women and children to the bleak and hazardous interior of the Soviet Union. Thousands of Poles died during transport and in the penal and forced labor camps, remote settlements, and the Kolkhozes to which they were banished. After the end of the war Henryk and his sister made it out of the Soviet Union (where his mother died), through Iran and Iraq, then Mexico, and finally to America. Exiled To Siberia is sobering reading and brings those times and events vividly to life for new generations of readers to know and understand the inhumanity and tragedy that afflicted the civilian populace of Eastern Europe during those dark and deadly days.

When I initially read this book just after it was published I called the author and thanked him for writing the book. Most of my mother's family was killed in Ark Angel, Russia and my mother grandmother, and great-aunt were all interned in many of the same places that were described in the book. It is well researched and should be necessary reading for all school aged children. it is both inspiring and educational.

Spent two years and Europe and can only wish they had these books for every major city. But about Warsaw - excellent detail, highlights, and places to visit along with hotel listing. The highlighted area are so well documented and photographed you may not need to take pictures of everything you see (especially the photo areas). But the detailed/cut-out section maps of certain structures/features get you there quickly instead of having to search around and wasting time. This book will save you time and energy looking for items that are only "written" - (i.e Fodor's) ex - such as in the back corner of this building there is a statue from the 12th century. That doesn't do much when there are 5 statues and the book doesn't tell you which one. DK shows exactly where is it and detailed info about. The walking tours are highly encouraged. Well worth it. The maps and restaurants sections are somewhat outdated but with changes occurring everyday in Poland/Eastern Europe - you can't fault the publishers. Street names change as new building are constructed or just renamed to replace former communists name. For the hotel section - may not be the most detail but I tell you what - you get a name, location and price range - anything else get on the Internet and do a search on your hotel and that should complete all travel arrangements. Had no problems staying in the hotels listed in this book - even with the lower 2 star hotels. The publishers do their homework when it comes to hotels (but if you want more detail - the Internet is there) Will never use another tour book again - DK is the only way to go. And you'll see about 70% of other visitors using these books - even other Europeans visitors to Warsaw. Top notch!

Dorling Kindersley guides are the best. Have several of them including this one and the Poland guide. I highly recommend the
Poland, Warsaw and Cracow guides for anyone going to Poland on their next vacation or business trip !!!!

Lots of beautiful photographs and the descriptions of points of interest are not too lengthy (a good thing) but to the point. This is definitely THE guide for the harried tourist.

Just recently returned from Poland and Warsaw. Found the guide very good after the fact for puting together a pictorial of my visit. Could not remember all the sites I had seen but the book had them all. I wish I had purchased this book before my visit, it would have helped immensely. Covers with history and detailed descrpitions of every possible thing that you would care to see and visit.

This book gripped me from start to finish. Melson draws you in to this suspenseful story using the voices of his mother and father to narrate this unbelievable tale of a young couple, baby in tow, outwitting the Nazis and surviving the holocaust while posing as a Count and Countess! I can't believe it's true. A must for anyone interested in WWII, or in a great love story for that matter...

Many books have been written about the holocaust both by impartial observers and intimate survivors. False Papers: Deception and Survival in the Holocaust by Robert Melson will stand out among them because it is more than observation and personal reflection-it is a psychological study of a young man's search for identity and meaning in a world that keeps changing the rules.

False Papers tells the story of the Melson (Mendelsohn) family's escape from the Nazi ovens by posing as Polish royalty, a feat they are able to accomplish because Nina Melson, the author's mother, was able to buy false papers. What is unique about their life during the war was that they not only lived openly among the Gestapo, but also became quite friendly with their neighbors. The story of their deception and survival as told through the eyes of Nina, Willy (the author's father) and Bobi (the author's reflections through his own youthful memory) is compelling enough to keep the reader involved in the book. This is only one dimension of the book-an incredibly true adventure story.

Bt there is another important dimension to the book that cannot, and must not, be overlooked: the search on the part of the author-first as young Bobi and later as American Bob-for his true identity in a world that is constantly changing for him. First he knows himself as Count Boguslaw Zamojski the Catholic; after the war as Bobi Melson the Jew until he is enrolled in Le Rosey, an exclusive Swiss prep school, when he must again become Catholic; next to America where he settles in New York as a young Jewish immigrant; then against his deepest wishes he is dragged to Japan where his father has set up a sewing machine factory. Each time young Melson must learn to survive and question "Who am I this time?". Fortunately, he is clever enough to pick up environmental clues to guide his behavior and survival, but the reader feels his sense of pain as he struggles to find his true self.

What makes this a deeply probing psychological exploration of one's search for identity is Melson's ability to step back from the action to view his family dynamics-his father's struggle with his compulsive need for adoration, his mother's deepening depression and her inappropriate use of the young Bobi as her personal confidant, and the parent's obsession with appearances.

It is in the Epilogue that everything comes together. We are told about the deaths of Willy and Nina, how Bobi becomes Robert the MIT PhD, and how Robert finally realizes who he is. The reader feels at peace at the end of the journey.

Of all the writers on the holocaust, his writing style is closest to that of Primo Levi. However, there is a difference: Levi always keeps the cool distance of a scientist in his descriptions of behavior and events while Melson uses warm, personal description of the behavioral scientist that he is. It is a must reading for those who want to know more about the holocaust, family dynamics or a young man's search for self. No matter what your reason is, False Papers: Deception and Survival in the Holocaust is a book you will read, reread, and pass on to others.

This book gripped me from start to finish. Melson draws you in to this suspenseful story using the voices of his mother and father to narrate this unbelievable tale of a young couple, baby in tow, outwitting the Nazis and surviving the holocaust while posing as a Count and Countess! I can't believe it's true. A must for anyone interested in WWII, or in a great love story for that matter...