The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
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- Create Date：2022-11-16 11:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jonathan Freedland
- ISBN：B0B14BCXQM
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Reviews
Jeffrey （Akiva） Savett
，
This will be a highly personal review。For the sake of my own sanity， I’ve avoided engaging in a lot of Holocaust material over the last couple decades。 For one， I was obsessed with reading memoirs and histories， and after a while， I felt I was starting to lose the surprise and horror they are meant to evoke。 So I needed a break。 The other reason is that in my own spiritual journey， I’ve tried to avoid engaging in Jewish observance when motivated by unity through victimhood。 There are thousands o This will be a highly personal review。For the sake of my own sanity， I’ve avoided engaging in a lot of Holocaust material over the last couple decades。 For one， I was obsessed with reading memoirs and histories， and after a while， I felt I was starting to lose the surprise and horror they are meant to evoke。 So I needed a break。 The other reason is that in my own spiritual journey， I’ve tried to avoid engaging in Jewish observance when motivated by unity through victimhood。 There are thousands of very positive and beautiful elements of Jewish life to celebrate。 I’d been feeling like—at the time—many of my Jewish friends and fellow congregants held on to the Holocaust as their own Book of Genesis。 I’m thankful that I took that break because reading Freedman’s The Escape Artist had all of the affect on me that the author and his subject intended。For instance， and one small example， it’s wildly different to engage in such material when you have children as opposed to when you don’t。 When you’re 46 and have had a lot of health issues rather than when you’re 25， filled with piss and vinegar about such atrocities。So that’s the context for this review。As far as the actual book goes， it is “wonderful” in the absurd way that such material CAN be。 Rudi’s true story of escape is electric and kept me on the edge of each page。 But to be honest， I was even more moved by everything that happened to him AFTER the escape。 Moved by watching him keep trying to escape things: his name， his marriage， his friendship with his fellow escapee， and especially his attempts to escape basing HIS identity on what he’d seen and suffered。 You can imagine how difficult it would be to simultaneously downplay the very reason you’re in the public light while also trying to deliver the message you’ve sworn to deliver but that you’re disgusted by。 Most of all， Freedman does a wonderful job at depicting Rudi as a man in full。 There’s no idolatry or encomia of Rudi because he’s a survivor。 We see him make decisions that hurt others; we see his personality detract from the message he tried to make inescapable。Most interesting for me were two things。 First， despite many of those decisions and public personality issues， Rudi’s aggressive zest for life and experience are beautiful to read about。 Whether just being thankful that he’s inside during a rain storm or jumping off a boat to swim because the water just looks too wonderful。 Second was the way Freedman explored Rudi’s fundamental beliefs about truth and information。 Readers will find some obvious connections to our contemporary fake news/Trumpo-Orwellian world。 But beyond that， Freedman takes us through Rudi’s experiences with disbelief， apathy， and prejudice。 Through Rudi’s story， he explores just how powerful stories can be and how powerful they CAN’T be if listeners/readers don’t want to hear or believe them。 。。。more
Bonnie
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Very powerful and necessary book
Dan Weisselberg
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Excellent。 Brilliant detail。 Incredibly vivid。
Michael Howells
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Essential information about a fascinating man AND a riveting page turner。
Garry Walton
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After years of hearing my father talk about being a medic during World War II and experiencing the comforts of camaraderie and the horrors of war， in the mid-1960s I found and read and never forgot the autobiography of Rudolf Vrba entitled I Cannot Forgive。 In his gripping， horrifying true account of his life in and escape from Auschwitz， written in 1963 with London Daily Herald reporter Alan Bestic， Vrba raged against the Nazi extermination of millions and decried the Jewish and Allied leaders After years of hearing my father talk about being a medic during World War II and experiencing the comforts of camaraderie and the horrors of war， in the mid-1960s I found and read and never forgot the autobiography of Rudolf Vrba entitled I Cannot Forgive。 In his gripping， horrifying true account of his life in and escape from Auschwitz， written in 1963 with London Daily Herald reporter Alan Bestic， Vrba raged against the Nazi extermination of millions and decried the Jewish and Allied leaders who disbelieved， ignored， or delayed in responding to it。Now， 15 years after Vrba's death， another British journalist has authored a new retelling of Vrba's story。 His talent and experience as a writer are at once apparent， as he finds a way to recount the mind-numbing， stomach-turning details of the Holocaust while keeping the reader engaged。 The book quickly introduces its central character， the Slovakian Jew Walter Rosenberg， as a bright， observant， ambitious， determined boy。 The work details first his repeated attempts to evade and escape from Nazi control of his homeland， then the torturous two years he spent miraculously surviving in Nazi extermination camps， before focusing on what seems from the title to be the book's centerpiece， his success as the first Jew to escape from Auschwitz/Birkenau。 But a new tragedy awaits Rosenberg， reborn with the new Aryan identity of Rudolf Vrba after his escape -- convincing the world that the Holocaust was real and must speedily be ended to save hundreds of thousands of Jews from slaughter。Key themes of Freedland's narrative are distrust and grace。 Both （along with his youth） enabled Rosenberg to survive。 He quickly learned to suspect everything and trust virtually no one， but he also repeatedly encountered startling moments of luck - captors' whims that spared him from certain death， unexpected kindnesses from strangers who offered food or concealment at great risk to themselves and their families。 Aided by interviews with Vrba's two wives and information furnished by his colleagues as well as scholars and historians， Freedland excels at dramatizing all three phases of this biography: the internment， the escape， and the crusade to halt the exterminations。 Though the reader knows the outcome from the beginning， tension and suspense build throughout the recounting of Vrba's struggle against the Holocaust， which scarred his whole life。 One of Freedland's strategies is to end many of the short chapters with a cliff-hanging phrase: - "。 。 。 now he faced things almost impossible to fathom。" （72） - "He was about 。 。 。 to meet the man who would change his life。" （126） - "。 。 。 now， for the first time， they were to confront a threat which could not be swerved or outwitted[:] 。 。 。 a Nazi bullet。" （183）Freedland works neither to overwhelm the reader nor to glorify his hero。 In some ways the last section is the most poignant， as the author relates the ongoing personal costs of Vrba's traumatic early life。 As he summarizes， "His life was defined by what he had endured as a teenager" （313）。 It was also marked by his profound disappointment that factual information about the Holocaust was not sufficient to end it。 Such action required belief， and for a modern nation to engage in mass genocide was simply unbelievable to too many for too long -- even today。 Ultimately， the title of Freedland's new biography seems less apt than Vrba's own title for his autobiography 60 years ago。 He never did escape from the horrors he experienced， and he never could forgive - the Nazis， the disbelieving world， himself。 。。。more
Sheila McCarthy
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Another history that reads at times like a novel， THE ESCAPE ARTIST tells the story of Rudi Vrba （né Walter Rosenberg）。 As a teenager， Vrba finds himself a prisoner in Auschwitz surrounded by unimaginable horror。 He is determined to survive and escape so that he can tell other Jews of the fate that awaits them after they are transported to the east for "resettlement。" Blessed with an incredible mind， he records in his mind the camp's awful facts and figures。 His experiences in the camp， the stor Another history that reads at times like a novel， THE ESCAPE ARTIST tells the story of Rudi Vrba （né Walter Rosenberg）。 As a teenager， Vrba finds himself a prisoner in Auschwitz surrounded by unimaginable horror。 He is determined to survive and escape so that he can tell other Jews of the fate that awaits them after they are transported to the east for "resettlement。" Blessed with an incredible mind， he records in his mind the camp's awful facts and figures。 His experiences in the camp， the story of his escape and the account of what happened after he shared his knowledge of what was going on at Auschwitz form the bulk of the book。 The final section details Vrba's post-war life and helps to explain somewhat why Vrba is not better known to history。 The book gives one of the most detailed accounts of daily life in Auschwitz that I have ever read and also discusses controversial topics like the role of the Jewish leadership in Hungary and Slovakia and the attitude of post-war Communist governments toward the Holocaust。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Taylor
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Why had I never heard of this story before？ Four people EVER escaped Auschwitz and this man was one of them。 It seems as though the precision of the Nazis in these camps is what ultimately led to Walter’s noticing and calculating， thus making him able to figure out how to escape。 Fascinating and nearly unbelievable！
Pamela
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Read this during 2 days riding in the car。 Nonfiction is a genre I don’t often choose or enjoy reading; however， this book was exceptional！ The writing is well-done， smooth， well-researched， and moves along at a fast pace。 The Holocaust subject matter is devastatingly horrific and intense， and brings to light details about the mishandling of the information the escapees reported that I hadn’t known about。 Highly recommend！
Jeanie
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Non-fiction book you can not put down。Incredible story of fortitude， passion and true grit。It is hard for me to think of such cruelty existing; yet after the current attack of Jan 6， it is obvious that some spirit of sadistic behavior exists in human beings。First I could only read a chapter at a time， but second time I picked up the book I had to keep reading to the end。
Ginny Hanson
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Another WW2 book！I learned a lot more about Auschwitz Amazing story
Sue Garwood
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Well written in a detached journalistic style， a remarkable account of an escape from Auschwitz but still with the power to chill and horrify， not only with the eye witness testimony from within the camp， but the reaction or lack of it from top people in all nations who read the ensuing report documented by the escapees。
Dennis Hogan
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Finished The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland and I am outraged。 Outraged at those who would deny the Holocaust; outraged at man’s inhumanity to man， outraged by the Allied Leaders who knew about the mass execution of men， women and children in 1944 and failed to do anything to stop it， outraged by Hungarian Jewish leaders who failed to act in time to save the last Jews burned in Auschwitz。 This book is about Rudolf Vrba who was born Walte Finished The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland and I am outraged。 Outraged at those who would deny the Holocaust; outraged at man’s inhumanity to man， outraged by the Allied Leaders who knew about the mass execution of men， women and children in 1944 and failed to do anything to stop it， outraged by Hungarian Jewish leaders who failed to act in time to save the last Jews burned in Auschwitz。 This book is about Rudolf Vrba who was born Walter Rosenberg on 11 September 1924 in Slovakia。 On June 30， 1942 at age 17 he arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau and worked in various roles and observed daily life from prisoner arrivals， day to day survival with meager rations and rampant disease all the while watching millions go to their death。 He was one of only four Jews who escaped from Auschwitz-Birkenau with his main goal was to tell the world what was going on and attempt to save the last group of Jews bound for the death camps from Hungary。 He dictated a detail account with drawings but was unsuccessful in stopping all Hungarian deaths， however he ultimately saved 200，000。 In later life we moved to Canada and was a scientist。 He testified at numerous Nazi trials。 An amazing person who never completely escaped the horror he witnessed。 。。。more
Jakki
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Compelling
Crystal Bramwell
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Recommend to anyone who can handle this material
David
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Very few Jews escaped from Auschwitz。 This is the story of one of them。 Freedland recounts Vrba’s youth， horrific experiences in the camp， his escape and his life after escaping。 Perhaps due to Vrba’s animosity toward Jews who cooperated with the Nazis， his story was not well known nor was is celebrated。 This book helps to correct that historical error。 The information Vrba and his companion brought to the world saved the lives of 200，000 Hungarian Jews。
Royce
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One man’s remarkable story of ESCAPING from the Auschwitz concentration camp。 Walter Rosenberg， along with Fred Wetzler， they （and two more men after them） accomplished the impossible。 Although all four men went on to live their lives and have families of their own and grow old， the horrors and atrocities they witnessed never left them。 Walter Rosenberg who became Rudolf Vrbo “escaped from Auschwitz， from his past， even from his own name。 He escaped his home country， his adopted country and the One man’s remarkable story of ESCAPING from the Auschwitz concentration camp。 Walter Rosenberg， along with Fred Wetzler， they （and two more men after them） accomplished the impossible。 Although all four men went on to live their lives and have families of their own and grow old， the horrors and atrocities they witnessed never left them。 Walter Rosenberg who became Rudolf Vrbo “escaped from Auschwitz， from his past， even from his own name。 He escaped his home country， his adopted country and the country after that。 He escaped and escaped and escaped-but he could never fully break from the horror he had witnessed and which he laid bare before the world。”The most tragic failure was the public’s disbelief that what he and others witnessed was false。 Specifically， the Americans did not believe the Nazis were murdering thousands and thousands of Jewish people。 It wasn’t until their eyewitness report landed before Winston Churchill， that it was acted upon。The one regret Mr。 Vrbo expressed late in his life was that he had not been able to save more lives。 He could not imagine no one would believe him as many can not believe the lies and threats to democracy today。 。。。more
Becky
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First sentence: FROM THE START he knew he was special。 He was not yet Rudolf Vrba， that would come later。 His name was Walter Rosenberg and he had only to look into his mother’s eyes to know he was a one-off。 Ilona Rosenberg had waited so long for him， desperate for his arrival。 She was already a stepmother – her husband， Elias， came with three children from a previous marriage – but that was not the same as holding a baby of her own。 For ten years， she had yearned for a child; the doctors told First sentence: FROM THE START he knew he was special。 He was not yet Rudolf Vrba， that would come later。 His name was Walter Rosenberg and he had only to look into his mother’s eyes to know he was a one-off。 Ilona Rosenberg had waited so long for him， desperate for his arrival。 She was already a stepmother – her husband， Elias， came with three children from a previous marriage – but that was not the same as holding a baby of her own。 For ten years， she had yearned for a child; the doctors told her she should stop hoping。 So when Walter arrived on 11 September 1924， she greeted him like a miracle。Premise/plot: The Escape Artist is a biography of Walter Rosenberg/Rudolf Vrba。 He and Fred Wetzler escaped from Auschwitz--quite a feat--and tried their best to warn the world--especially， especially the Hungarian Jews who were the next target of the Nazis--about the "Final Solution。" But that is only a fraction of his story。 This is his life story， not only the story of those horrifying war years。 Those chapters--which are considerable--are heart-shattering。 But just because the contents are heart-shattering and horrifyingly tragic， doesn't mean that readers should look away。 All voices should be heard。 My thoughts: Words don't do this book justice。 I know that。 I found it an incredible read。 Incredibly thought-provoking。 Incredibly sad。 Incredibly memorable。 Sad seems an obvious description due to the subject， but， different kinds of sadness。 His life after the war， for example， and how his early experiences effected his marriages （there were two） his children （there were two） and his overall health （mental and physical）。 The book never once uses the term PTSD， but， certainly I think that might explain so much。 Another kind of sadness is that as heart-breaking， heart-shattering， horrifying， and haunting as the Holocaust was--and he witnessed so， so， so， so much， he didn't think that was the most tragic thing that ever happened to him。 But I hesitate to spoil this one。Quotes:And yet Walter only really began to know of it that moment in Kanada where， in that pile of tiny shoes， the truth was staring him too hard in the face and he could not look away。 Perhaps he could be forgiven for taking so long to understand what would eventually seem obvious， for failing to absorb the evidence that surrounded him， for failing to turn clear facts into knowledge。 The SS had taken great pains to keep this operation hidden， even from those who were living at the scene of the crime。The Nazis lied to their victims at every step of their journey towards destruction， step after step after step。 Those people falling out of those stinking cattle trucks had boarded them believing they were being taken to new lives in a new place: ‘resettlement in the east’， they called it。 Those Jews had packed up their belongings and held on tight to them because they thought they were building a new home， one that would need pots and pans， clothes for their backs and toys for their children。 They believed that because that was what the Nazis had told them and it was what their own friends and families had told them， in the form of those postcards home that they did not realise had been written at gunpoint – those messages of forced cheer that Walter had heard read out on the train on the way to Majdanek – and which were designed to seal the lie。For at eighteen years old Walter would witness events so harrowing they could change the life of the person who glimpsed them。 He was witnessing such moments not once or twice， but day after day after day。 He was in Auschwitz， a place where moral boundaries had dissolved long ago， where everything was permissible。 This was a place where Dr Mengele once punished a Jewish woman by making a dog of her young son， because she had， in self-defence， killed an SS attack dog: he had the boy trained at the point of a whip to run on all fours， bark without pause and attack and bite Jews。 Walter was in a place where one inmate might steal bread from another， even when that prisoner was dying and when the bread was covered in faeces。 He had drawn a conclusion that would become an article of faith， an unshakeable creed that would drive every decision he took next。 He now understood that the difference between knowledge and ignorance， between truth and lies， was the difference between life and death。It was clear to him from then on that the Jews destined for destruction could defy their fate here only if they knew of it， incontrovertibly and before it was too late。 Somehow Walter had to get out of this place and tell the world what was happening。 He did not know it yet， but he was about to meet the people who could help。If he had to be a spectator to horror， then he would make himself a witness。 He would be a reporter。 Christmas came and went， the SS forcing their Jewish captives to learn and sing ‘Stille Nacht’ – ‘Silent Night’ – perhaps to remind the Germans of home。 Those who did not sing it properly were murdered。 In Birkenau， the SS put up a huge Christmas tree and on Christmas Eve they brought out a group of prisoners。 For their own entertainment， they gave the men a pointless task， ordering them to gather up soil in their coats， shooting any man who collected too little。 Then they stacked the corpses in a heap under the tree， piled up like festive gifts。The way Walter saw it， they had been written off by the world the day they stopped being Alfréd Wetzler and Walter Rosenberg and became prisoners 29162 and 44070， if not the day they stepped on to those deportation trains。 True， they had become people of standing in the Auschwitz inmate hierarchy， but all that was lost now。 The moment they crept out from under that fence they had entered a social vacuum。 They knew no one; they had no one。Rudolf Vrba was not an entirely new creation。 There had been an influential Czech Catholic priest of that name who had died five years earlier， having built a reputation as an energetic antisemite: he had proposed a set of measures to secure the exclusion of Jews from Bohemian life。 But the new Rudi， as he was to become， was not bothered by that association， if he was aware of it at all。 （Nor， apparently， was he much fazed by sharing his new first name with the commandant of Auschwitz。） All that mattered was to be free of what， to him， was the Germanic taint of ‘Rosenberg’。 He wanted to sever every connection with that supposedly ‘civilised’ nation。 Walter Rosenberg was no more。 From now on， and for the rest of his days， he would be Rudolf Vrba， with a name that was impeccably Czech， carrying no hint of German or， for that matter， Jew。 The two men， reborn as Jozef and Rudi， headed for the mountains。 Meanwhile， the work of their lives， the Auschwitz Report， was about to embark on a journey of its own。Those audiences would have thrilled to hear the story of his escape and his mission to tell the world of Auschwitz， but he never left it at that。 He would not serve up a morally comfortable narrative in which the only villains were the Nazis。 Instead he always insisted on hitting out at Kasztner and the Hungarian Jewish leadership， as well as the Jewish council in Slovakia。 He faulted them for failing to pass on his report and， in the Slovak case， for compiling the lists that had put him on a deportation train in the first place。What made Rudi a more awkward witness still was his tendency to refer to the Jews whom he blamed as ‘Zionists’。 As it happened， Rudolf Vrba was a supporter of Israel and rooted for it: he believed that the existence of the state of Israel was a good thing for Jews and for the world。 But he could not contain his anger against those Zionists who he felt had betrayed the Jewish people， starting with Kasztner。Rudolf Vrba refused to conform to what the world expects of a Holocaust survivor。Rudi had to confront the fact that his younger self had been wrong to believe that the Allies did not know， and wrong to believe that they would come to the rescue of the Jews if they had。 But he could cling to one last conviction: that if the Jews of Hungary had only known what he and Fred knew and had written down in their report， then they would have refused to go to their deaths。Rudi held fast to that belief， and yet in his later years that too would be challenged。 。。。more
Cheryl
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I have read a lot of books over the years regarding the Holocaust; this one gave a much more intimate view of Auschwitz。 I was literally filled with rage when I read the words regarding "The Vrba-Wetzler Report"。 It is hard to believe in the good of mankind， when folks in high positions would sit on this information while watching jam packed cattle cars aimed for Auschwitz and their impending death。 Churchill， FDR， the Catholic church， the Jewish in charge of gathering folks for transports， etc。 I have read a lot of books over the years regarding the Holocaust; this one gave a much more intimate view of Auschwitz。 I was literally filled with rage when I read the words regarding "The Vrba-Wetzler Report"。 It is hard to believe in the good of mankind， when folks in high positions would sit on this information while watching jam packed cattle cars aimed for Auschwitz and their impending death。 Churchill， FDR， the Catholic church， the Jewish in charge of gathering folks for transports， etc。 failed due to greed， disbelief， discrimination and for what？？？？ I am just shocked over and over as the lack of humanity the world over。 This book left me with a lot of existential questions regarding humankind。 。。。more
Andy Gunton
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4。5 stars。 As I'm sure every other reviewer has said already， this is quite an amazing story， written in a very readable style。 That's not to say that it's at all easy to read in places， as the information contained in parts of this book is quite harrowing。There have been a lot of books written in recent years about Auschwitz， all with the word 'Auschwitz' in the title。 This book is set apart from the rest， which I admit I haven't read。 Partly by not using the 'A' word in the main title， but als 4。5 stars。 As I'm sure every other reviewer has said already， this is quite an amazing story， written in a very readable style。 That's not to say that it's at all easy to read in places， as the information contained in parts of this book is quite harrowing。There have been a lot of books written in recent years about Auschwitz， all with the word 'Auschwitz' in the title。 This book is set apart from the rest， which I admit I haven't read。 Partly by not using the 'A' word in the main title， but also by giving a different view to the history of the camp & its victims。Recommended。 。。。more
Liz Maddox
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One of these best non- fiction books I’ve ever read。 Just when you think you know loads about the Holocaust， along comes a book like this。 It reads more like a piece of fiction， but it’s absolutely real。 How different things could have been。 I loved it！
Mob Razor
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Audiobook。 Another amazing holocaust story。 Some very seemingly timely themes of disbelief and denial。 Less about the escape itself and more about the man。
Joel Garcia
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Information by itself isn't enough。 Only when belief comes into play will it become knowledge and finally knowledge will bring forth action。 What a book。 What a message。 Totally recommend it。 Information by itself isn't enough。 Only when belief comes into play will it become knowledge and finally knowledge will bring forth action。 What a book。 What a message。 Totally recommend it。 。。。more
Carolyn Drake
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Painstakingly researched， but never dry and academic， this award-winning true story by journalist Jonathan Freedland is difficult to review because of the horrors it contains。 Freeland pulls off quite a feat here， never shying away from the unthinkable， unbearable atrocities of the holocaust， but allowing us to see it through the consciously meticulous eyes of the teenage Walter Rosenberg。 Aged just 17， he made the prescient decision to catalogue the minutiae， numbers， and processes of the death Painstakingly researched， but never dry and academic， this award-winning true story by journalist Jonathan Freedland is difficult to review because of the horrors it contains。 Freeland pulls off quite a feat here， never shying away from the unthinkable， unbearable atrocities of the holocaust， but allowing us to see it through the consciously meticulous eyes of the teenage Walter Rosenberg。 Aged just 17， he made the prescient decision to catalogue the minutiae， numbers， and processes of the death camp hell he was caught up in， in order to escape and tell the world what was going on。 It's an astonishing story of the human spirit refusing to succumb to inhumanity。 The second part of the book， when Walter， now known as Rudolf Vrba， rails against the slow response from various governments and organisations to his revelations， is a damning indictment of how evil can flourish when the good refuse to recognise it。 。。。more
Kelly_Hunsaker_reads 。。。
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Jonathan Freedland has written a powerful， informational， emotive nonfiction book about a man whose name everyone should know and few do。 This one is an important read。The Escape Artist is about Rudolf Vrba， a nineteen year old man who escaped from Auschwitz with the intent of informing the world about what was happening。 He was born in Czechoslovakia， and deported to Auschwitz in 1942。 He spent nearly two years planning his escape and memorizing the numbers of trains， where they originated and Jonathan Freedland has written a powerful， informational， emotive nonfiction book about a man whose name everyone should know and few do。 This one is an important read。The Escape Artist is about Rudolf Vrba， a nineteen year old man who escaped from Auschwitz with the intent of informing the world about what was happening。 He was born in Czechoslovakia， and deported to Auschwitz in 1942。 He spent nearly two years planning his escape and memorizing the numbers of trains， where they originated and the approximate numbers of those killed。 He had worked in many parts of the camp and he was anxious to warn the world。 His was the first report to reach the Allies and they were able to verify all of his data。 His news made it to Churchill， Roosevelt and the Pope。 His report saved 200，000 lives， but it should have been many more。This book is hard to take but also inspiring。 I was really happy that Freedland also shared details about Rudolf's life post-war。I received a finished copy of the book from the publisher， but the review is my own。 。。。more
Swapna Peri （ Books Review Cafe ）
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The Netflix and History Channels have given me a chance to read and watch the most inhuman episodes of the world during the world wars – The Holocaust。 Little did I know that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were such brutal and demonic？ In this book The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland is a story of 19-year-old Rudolf Vrba’s （born Walter Rosenberg） escape from Auschwitz along with fellow prisoner Alfréd Wetzler， a Slovak Jew。 The book is about The Netflix and History Channels have given me a chance to read and watch the most inhuman episodes of the world during the world wars – The Holocaust。 Little did I know that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were such brutal and demonic？ In this book The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland is a story of 19-year-old Rudolf Vrba’s （born Walter Rosenberg） escape from Auschwitz along with fellow prisoner Alfréd Wetzler， a Slovak Jew。 The book is about Walter’s life and the troubles that taunt him often since the time he left studying。 The book is a reflection of the inhuman nature of the Nazis and the mass murder of Jews。 The but also for serving as a reminder of how people can turn against their friends and neighbors， lovers and strangers， at the drumbeat of propaganda。 The story follows 19-year-old Rudolf Vrba’s （born Walter Rosenberg） escape from Auschwitz along with fellow prisoner Alfréd Wetzler， a Slovak Jew。 It gives a glimpse of Walter’s life and the troubles that shadow him from the time he is barred from attending school。Freedland’s prose is so clean that it does not appear as though he is jumping through fancy hoops to nail an incandescent turn of phrase。 He presents the facts in a detailed and chronological manner。 As a journalist， he seems to say that his job is not to adorn the language with pom-poms。 A work of historical account， such as this one， is marked for exposing the skeletons of the past， whereas a memoir is assessed on the basis of its ability to move the readers。The Jews， Freedland explains in The Escape Artist， were unaware of their impending fate。 They were being lied to from the very beginning of the war。 Their fears of losing their homes and jewelry were allayed by promises that they would be resettled。 They were obviously not resettled， and their captors took their clothes， shoes， and money。The Jews were carefully brought to Auschwitz with the promise of a better future because the Nazis did not want them to send panic signals to their relatives back home。 If anyone grew suspicious of the happenings in the death camps， there would be chaos， which could snowball into a rebellion。 The Nazis did not want to take any chances as it would derail their plans。 。。。more
Amanda
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Excellent book， and full of suspense。 Highly recommend！
Emily
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This is the incredible story of Walter Rosenberg （later changed to Rudolf Vrba）， who along with his friend Fred， were the first Jews to escape from Auschwitz （with only 2 more accomplishing this feat）。 His motivation was to inform the world of the horrific atrocities happening there， and help prevent more Jews from unknowingly heading to their death。 He worked hard to commit an astonishing amount of information to memory so that he could warn the world during the war and then later help bring Na This is the incredible story of Walter Rosenberg （later changed to Rudolf Vrba）， who along with his friend Fred， were the first Jews to escape from Auschwitz （with only 2 more accomplishing this feat）。 His motivation was to inform the world of the horrific atrocities happening there， and help prevent more Jews from unknowingly heading to their death。 He worked hard to commit an astonishing amount of information to memory so that he could warn the world during the war and then later help bring Nazi criminals to justice through his testimony。 His escape was harrowing and his work to bring darkness to light was bold and courageous （even though it didn’t always work out as he hoped）。 I have read many WWII books， and this was a new story for me， bringing me another heroic figure from this horrific part of history。 -I found it interesting that in the randomness of the timing of their escape plan （which kept getting pushed because things weren’t lining up）， it ended up landing on the start of the Jewish Passover， where Jews celebrate God delivering His people from bondage。 -Before losing his lover to the gas chamber: “She whispered in Walter’s ear that they would meet again one day。 ‘It will be wonderful’ she said before pausing。 ‘But if we don’t，’ she hesitated again， ‘it has been wonderful。” 。。。more
Sarah Beth
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I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review。 In 1944， Rudolf Vrba became one of only four Jews who ever successfully pulled off the feat of escaping from the Nazi death camp Auschwitz。 After a year of watching Jews unknowingly led to their deaths in the gas chambers of the camp， Rudi was determined to escape and alert the world of the atrocities being committed and to avert future deaths。 Rudi and his fellow escapee defied the odds and were able to create a I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review。 In 1944， Rudolf Vrba became one of only four Jews who ever successfully pulled off the feat of escaping from the Nazi death camp Auschwitz。 After a year of watching Jews unknowingly led to their deaths in the gas chambers of the camp， Rudi was determined to escape and alert the world of the atrocities being committed and to avert future deaths。 Rudi and his fellow escapee defied the odds and were able to create a report that would eventually reach world leaders around the globe。 While too few acted on its warning， his heroic actions did ultimately result in saving 200，000 Jewish lives， although he forever regretted that the number wasn't far higher as it should have been if his warning had been heeded。A complicated individual， Vrba was uniquely placed to report on Auschwitz。 During his time as a slave within the camp， he held positions in virtually every job within the camp， including in the morturary， sorting through the luggage and belongings of the killed， and assisting in unloading the newly arrived transports before their murders。 Armed with an excellent memory， he made mental maps of the camp and committed to memory virtually every detail he could， in order to eventually report it to the outside world。 For ten months， he was forced to work unloading the transports of Jews as they arrived in the camp， in the final moments before they would be ushered into the gas chambers。 In those months， he saw roughly 300，00 people right before their deaths。 This experience fundamentally changed him。 This book was incredibly hard to read。 The gruesome details of the deaths of Auschwitz are fully laid bare。 The casual cruelty and overwhelmingly death surrounding Vrba in the camp are soul crushing in every sense of the word。 Despite it all， Vrba survived， although he was plagued by a temper and unresolved issues that marred his life at times。 But he went on to become a father， completed a doctorate， worked successfully as a chemist， and even secured a lectureship at Harvard Medical School。 Yet he never forgave those who refused to act quickly on his warning and cost the lives of thousands more people。 Author Jonathan Freedland did an excellent job researching and organizing this story。 He was able to talk to many who knew Vrba and had primary documents to help organize the story。 He also did an excellent job of presenting it to reel in the reader， opening the book with the hair-rising scene of Vrba lying inside the wood pile in Auschwitz， poised to run。 An important story and individual that fully deserves more recognition， as hard as it was to read， I'm so glad I was able to。 。。。more
Ipek （ipekreading）
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Who needs fiction when you have non-fiction to keep you at the edge of your seat？ I was so captivated， I almost forgot this was a non-fiction at times。 I also kept wishing this was just a dystopian novel。。。In 1944， Rudolf Vrba was the first Jew to break out of Auschwitz to warn the world about the death camp。 This book tells the story of how he ended up at Auschwitz， his experiences there， his escape with Fred Wetzler and his incredibly detailed account of Auschwitz - an account that would reach Who needs fiction when you have non-fiction to keep you at the edge of your seat？ I was so captivated， I almost forgot this was a non-fiction at times。 I also kept wishing this was just a dystopian novel。。。In 1944， Rudolf Vrba was the first Jew to break out of Auschwitz to warn the world about the death camp。 This book tells the story of how he ended up at Auschwitz， his experiences there， his escape with Fred Wetzler and his incredibly detailed account of Auschwitz - an account that would reach many world leaders。Vrba， an exceptionally observant and smart person， was able to provide harrowing details that left little to doubt in the trustworthiness of his report。 Being aware of the arrival schedules to Auschwitz， he knew time was of the essence。 And yet the world took so long to believe him and take action。Freedland's telling was at times heartbreaking （not surprising， given the subject） and at times made me so anxious， even knowing the end of the story。 I was surprised to only have heard about Vrba now。 It was also incredibly interesting to learn about how his later life was impacted by his survival。 Not only was this a great biography for anyone interested in WW2， many of it's components are （somehow） still timely。I alternated between the physical and the audiobook while reading this and found the narration by the author to be excellent。 Thank you so much to @harperbooks for the #gifted copy and @harperaudio for the ALC。View this and more of my reviews on my instagram @ipekreading 。。。more
BOOKLOVER EB
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