It is difficult to adequately describe the impact this book had on me. Through the process of uncovering the history of an object, a grim object from Nazi concentration camps, the author takes you on an exploration of human cruelty, hatred and injustice. The exploration starts in Nazi Germany and spans countries, time and space - with players that include neo-Nazis, New Orleans coroner post-Katrina, a charismatic Holocaust denier, just to name a few.
"The protective boundary between the inside and out, the skin is the largest organ and the most personal, the palette of individuality and free will. Without the skin, the rest of the body becomes a dripping pile of anonymous spare parts. Without the skin, the soul is nothing but a vaporous presence on the hunt for a new host." Pg 99
"These people claimed to be innocent [people who lived around Buchenwald] but I knew they weren't. I knew that because I knew them. They said they were crying because they didn't know. But that was a lie. They were crying because they did know. They were hoping their tears would absolve them, as if someone would pat them on the head and say, don't worry, it's going to be all right. But they had the wrong guy for that. The trains ran to Buchenwald every day. People from Weimar worked at the Gustloff factory next to the camp. Guards lived in the town. So don't say you didn't know, because you did. You knew." Pg 164 - Albert Rosenberg, one of the first Americans in Buchanwald tasked with chronicling what took place there and documenting stories, objects and facts
After finding out that Buchanwald was used by the Russians for a killing field post-WWII the historian of Buchenwald is turned inside out. "I realized I would have to o back to t
Publish Post
Books to read:
"Literature or Life" by Jorge Semprun (Remember Rosenburg)
Book 24
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