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cinglis's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
booksof_fern's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
thatbookishgem's review against another edition
4.0
This is the powerful testimony to a strong young woman who survived the Holocaust, retaining both her spirit and compassion in the darkest moments of human history.
It is impossible to imagine, even in the most gruesome of details, exactly what life was like in the German concentration camps that Franci lived in. And I enjoyed the way that, as a state of disassociation, the narrative structure switches from first to third as Franci delves into her memories of Auschwitz-Birkenau up until her liberation from Bergen Belsen in 1945.
Full review available on my blog: https://thatbookishgem.com/2021/01/27/readalong-francis-war-by-franci-rabinek-epstein/
It is impossible to imagine, even in the most gruesome of details, exactly what life was like in the German concentration camps that Franci lived in. And I enjoyed the way that, as a state of disassociation, the narrative structure switches from first to third as Franci delves into her memories of Auschwitz-Birkenau up until her liberation from Bergen Belsen in 1945.
Full review available on my blog: https://thatbookishgem.com/2021/01/27/readalong-francis-war-by-franci-rabinek-epstein/
jacquelinej's review against another edition
2.0
“They belonged to different political parties and everyone wanted me to join theirs. All I wanted was to join the human race.”
“There was not a soul around to take away the sudden intimacy between myself and the universe.”
“There was not a soul around to take away the sudden intimacy between myself and the universe.”
littlehappyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
katrinaburch's review against another edition
3.0
I won this book through Goodreads giveaways.
A very interesting memoir from a group that does not have a lot of personal stories from, Czech Jews who were not practicing.
The one thing about this book that bugged me was there was no explanation of why the author switched from using I statements to using her number given to her in Auschwitz. Was that her decision or her daughter (who edited the manuscript). That would have been nice to have an explanation for that.
A very interesting memoir from a group that does not have a lot of personal stories from, Czech Jews who were not practicing.
The one thing about this book that bugged me was there was no explanation of why the author switched from using I statements to using her number given to her in Auschwitz. Was that her decision or her daughter (who edited the manuscript). That would have been nice to have an explanation for that.
jessica_fitzhenry's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a must read. I have read numerous books on the Holocaust, both fiction and memoir but this one really stands out. Franci brings an intense honesty in how she tells her story. She is open about how she lied or had to steal food to survive. In how she made herself indispensable by mending clothes or even by learning how to be an electrician. Franci’s courage and bravery carried her through five concentration camps including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. She always tried to focus on the good, like memories of her family, music and poetry. She never once gave up even though she had so many reasons to do so.
Even though this is an emotional and harrowing account, it also shows love and strength and even positivity. Franci’s bravery and her will to live and taking one day at a time carried her through.
I think there is a lot we can all learn from this memoir.
Even though this is an emotional and harrowing account, it also shows love and strength and even positivity. Franci’s bravery and her will to live and taking one day at a time carried her through.
I think there is a lot we can all learn from this memoir.
annc's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing account of one woman’s survival of the Nazi concentration camps. This is a true story and all the more shocking for it. It’s quite unbelievable what the human spirit can withstand
annc's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing account of one woman’s survival of the Nazi concentration camps. This is a true story and all the more shocking for it. It’s quite unbelievable what the human spirit can withstand
allthebooksandi's review against another edition
5.0
This was definitely an emotional yet candid read of one person's lived experience in the concentration camps. What I enjoyed was the focus on how women in particular experienced it. She most definitely has a story that leaves you with a feeling of shock and awe at what some human beings have had to live through!