Hope Is the Last to Die: A Coming of Age Under Nazi Terror : A Classic of Holocaust Literature by Halina Birenbaum

Hope Is the Last to Die: A Coming of Age Under Nazi Terror : A Classic of Holocaust Literature Reviews

• 
  Katie

  "One day as we were passing a column of Jewish people from Hungary, our labour gang halted for a while. During this short pause I found myself close to a young married couple, the mother holding an infant in her arms. It was crying. The father looked at his watch, then at a straw basket from which a baby's bottle projected. He asked us, the "locals" whether it was far to the work camp and the barracks of the Jewish settlement at Birkenau, as if it was almost the child's feeding time. They had only a few yards to go to the gas chambers. No one answered his question."
  
  I try to read at least one Holocaust memoir every year. It seems the least I can do considering what these people had to go through to write these books. Of course, you always have to be prepared to hear about unimaginable awful things, a life so unbearable it's hard to imagine how anyone got through it. On the other hand, you also learn about the resourcefulness, generosity and courage of the human spirit. So, it's not by any means all demoralising. There's often much in these accounts that celebrates the human spirit in a manner that is more moving than anything in fictional literature. We see the worst of what human beings are capable of but we also see the best in many ways.
  
  The author was twelve when she arrived at her first concentration camp. In the confusion of arrival, she lost her mother. Only when she was in the barracks did she realise her mother was no longer with her. Her mother had failed the selection.
  
  Halina Birenbaum writes of her experiences in the death camps of Majdanek, Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and NeustadtGlewe in a very simple direct style. Unlike more intellectual authors she doesn't shy away from details about personal hygiene and sanitary conditions which make you realise how these people lived in a constant state of humiliation. Even at night when the Nazis were not to be seen they had to endure experiences which would severely test the spirit. Add to that the cruelty of some fellow inmates.
  
  One fascinating detail was the behaviour of the camp guards and commandant when they realised the war was almost over. They gave the prisoners food parcels and politely called for order. It was like the effects of a hallucinogenic drug had worn off and these monsters suddenly became human beings again. Halina talks of the euphoria of shoving aside one of these monsters who had tormented her every day to get to the food and I shared her euphoria.
  
• 
  Johnson

  Pamiętam, że kupiłem tę książkę podczas wycieczki do niemieckiego obozu koncentracyjnego KL Auschwitz w Oświęcimiu - ładnych kilka lat temu. Pamiętam, że zrobiła na mnie bardzo duże wrażenie. Ciężko czytać takie książki, nie dlatego, że źle napisana, ale zawsze i za każdym razem podczas podobnych lektur po prostu nie mieści się w głowie - jak jeden człowiek może zrobić coś takiego drugiemu człowiekowi.
• 
  Mary Frances

  I bought this book at Auschwitz. I found it compelling and powerful. It is the memoir of a girl who was swept up in the Warsaw Ghetto as a young teen, survived Auschwitz through luck, the love of her mother and then her young sister-in-law, and who eventually moved to Israel and married. It is pretty disturbing but really does make clear not just the big horrors, but the little daily horrors that were a purposeful part of the camp experience.
• 
  Eva Rovňáková

  I feel like I cannot rate this book since it is an autobiography and it wouldn’t be right.
  
  There are many books from WW2 that have made me tear up and want to shout at the world for being so old and mature and yet so incredibly cruel and stupid. But this was my first autobiography, a true story. A true, unbelievable, nightmare-like story. It’s made me (yet again) realise how lucky I am. That the hell is empty and all the devils are here, in this world, only wearing human faces. What we are capable of when combining ambition, hatred, indifference, cruelty, selfishness and the sense of self-preservation. I, we, can only hope that this mixture will never be as strong and worldwide as it was in the past, and that love, understanding and empathy are far stronger in today’s era.
  Are they really though? I feel heartbroken just thinking about it, for there aren’t nearly as many people living today that would be as strong and brave and selfless as the unfortunate victims (and survivors) of the concentration camps whose will, inner power, want to live and luck enabled them to live longer.
• 
  ansvarcova

  Knih o holocaustu jsem četla už několik, tahle se ale bezpochyby řadí mezi jedny z těch nejlepších. Kniha není rozdělena na kapitoly, jde pouze o jeden dlouhý text, což mi zprvu trochu vadilo, nakonec jsem si ale na tento styl vyprávění zvykla, ba co víc, přišel mi vhodnější, než kdyby se text členil.
  Halina Birenmaumová, polská Židovka, zde popisuje svůj vlastní příběh, mající počátek v době propuknutí druhé světové války, kdy bylo autorce pouhých deset let. Společně s ní vzpomínáme na doby vyhlazování (nejen) Židů, na hrůzu koncentračních táborů ... Sama autorka ale díky náhodám a štěstí tuto šílenou dobu přežila. Kniha krom dění v koncentračních táborech Majdanek, Osvětim a Neustadt - Glewe popisuje i život ve varšavském ghettu.
  Na konci knihy, kolem let 1989, kdy se autorka vrací zpět na "místa činu" - do koncentračních táborů - jsem měla nejednou husí kůži a slzy v očích. Jak je možné, že se něco takového vůbec mohlo dít?! ...
• 
  Stephanie Ng

  Absolutely amazing. Such an in depth book which talks of the horrors of time spent in the Warsaw Ghetto, and 4 labor/concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
  The detail Halina goes into is incredible, but not as incredible as her survival.
• 
  denudatio_pulpae

  "Ludzie zwiedzają obóz jak wiele innych muzealnych zabytków, słuchają rzeczowych wyjaśnień, które dla mnie brzmiały banalnie, mimo że używa się w nich ciągle słów: "strasznie, okropnie, brutalnie" itp. Słowa tylko, puste jakieś".
  
  Halina Birenbaum komentując obecną funkcję obozów, przypadkowo bardzo trafnie ujęła w słowa moje odczucia dotyczące literatury obozowej. Czytając wspomnienia ludzi, którzy przetrwali piekło getta i obozów koncentracyjnych, czuję się trochę jak taka turystka - z jednej strony wszystkie te wydarzenia wywołują we mnie wielkie emocje, ale z drugiej strony, mogę taką książkę odłożyć w dowolnym momencie, kiedy uznam, że na teraz już dość. To wszystko jednak to tylko słowa, nawet wylanie nad nimi morza łez nie przybliża nas ani odrobinę do zrozumienia cierpienia tych ludzi. Oni nie mogli odłożyć swoich katuszy na później, przerwać na chwilę, popłakać...
  
  Mimo wszystko nadal uważam, że warto te książki czytać i nie wolno nam zapomnieć. Moim zdaniem "Nadzieja umiera ostatnia" jest jednym z najbardziej poruszających świadectw dotyczących Holocaustu, z jakimi miałam okazję dotąd się zapoznać.
  9/10
• 
  Paula

  I bought this book after my son and I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau this past Easter. What can I truly say, this recollection made me cry, made me angry, made me shake my head. To be torn from your family, your friends and your home, and to survive such horrific conditions shows a will to live that can never be understood. Thank you Halina for sharing your story.
• 
  Lenka Řízek

  What to say. Only a strong person could have written such a horrifying story. Recommend for reading....sad, that it is a true story.
• 
  Jared McDonald

  This was definitely the most extensive personal account I have ever read from a Holocaust survivor. The things she witnessed and went through from 1939 to 1945, from the Warsaw Ghetto to various concentration camps including Auschwitz must be the closest thing to hell on earth a human can possibly experience. It's truly a miracle Halina Birenbaum survived and as I read through all I could wonder was how anyone survived those camps at all. This is such an important book and should be mandatory reading in all schools in my opinion. As a species we must ensure the atrocities seen in the Holocaust are never repeated again and I think this can only be done by keeping the stories such as Birenbaum's fresh in our minds for generations to come. These accounts show us the true depravity and evil that humans are capable of should we lose our vigilance. As of writing this Halina Birenbaum is 91 years old and I wish her many more decades of life.
• 
  emvva

  3.5
  Jeśli wspomnienia z Auschwitz byłyby jedyną częścią tej książki, na pewno dostałaby lepsza ocenę. Były ciekawe, prawdziwe i dowiedziałam się jeszcze więcej na ten temat. Natomiast cała fabuła przed i po obozie była straszliwie nudna. W dodatku styl pisania Pani Birenbaum nie do końca przypadł mi do gustu.
  Ale i tak uważam tę książkę za wartościowa i wartą przeczytania, bo każda historia więźnia Auschwitz opowiada i uczy o czymś innym.
• 
  Enara Alcalde

  Una historia real muy interesante y necesaria, dura pero esperanzadora.
  En este libro se nos narra básicamente la biografía de la autora, cómo ella nació en Polonia y sobrevivió al Holocausto con todo lo que esto implica. Os lo recomiendo muchísimo por todo lo que ella cuenta, aunque por el tema que trata obviamente es muy duro.
• 
  Suzanne Simpson

  One of the most descriptive and heartbreaking books I have read about Jews in WW2. I don't know how so many people managed to survive such awful conditions. I am for ever thankful to those who write down their stories in the hope this never happens again.
• 
  Katie

  "One day as we were passing a column of Jewish people from Hungary, our labour gang halted for a while. During this short pause I found myself close to a young married couple, the mother holding an infant in her arms. It was crying. The father looked at his watch, then at a straw basket from which a baby's bottle projected. He asked us, the "locals" whether it was far to the work camp and the barracks of the Jewish settlement at Birkenau, as if it was almost the child's feeding time. They had only a few yards to go to the gas chambers. No one answered his question."
  
  I try to read at least one Holocaust memoir every year. It seems the least I can do considering what these people had to go through to write these books. Of course, you always have to be prepared to hear about unimaginable awful things, a life so unbearable it's hard to imagine how anyone got through it. On the other hand, you also learn about the resourcefulness, generosity and courage of the human spirit. So, it's not by any means all demoralising. There's often much in these accounts that celebrates the human spirit in a manner that is more moving than anything in fictional literature. We see the worst of what human beings are capable of but we also see the best in many ways.
  
  The author was twelve when she arrived at her first concentration camp. In the confusion of arrival, she lost her mother. Only when she was in the barracks did she realise her mother was no longer with her. Her mother had failed the selection.
  
  Halina Birenbaum writes of her experiences in the death camps of Majdanek, Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and NeustadtGlewe in a very simple direct style. Unlike more intellectual authors she doesn't shy away from details about personal hygiene and sanitary conditions which make you realise how these people lived in a constant state of humiliation. Even at night when the Nazis were not to be seen they had to endure experiences which would severely test the spirit. Add to that the cruelty of some fellow inmates.
  
  One fascinating detail was the behaviour of the camp guards and commandant when they realised the war was almost over. They gave the prisoners food parcels and politely called for order. It was like the effects of a hallucinogenic drug had worn off and these monsters suddenly became human beings again. Halina talks of the euphoria of shoving aside one of these monsters who had tormented her every day to get to the food and I shared her euphoria.
• 
  Ivana

  Ďalší z mnohých silných príbehov. O dievčatku, ktoré žilo najskôr vo varšavskom ghette, aby potom prešlo cez niekoľko koncentračných táborov, až sa napokon dočkalo konca vojny. Opäť pohľad do zverstiev v ghette i táboroch, opis jednotlivých osudov okolo Haliny, vývoj vzťahov, šťastie i smola.
  Výborne napísané kruté spomienky.
  
  "Stávalo se, že se utěšované plačící dítě jednoduše udusilo. A matka neměla právo bránit své maličké, dokonce ani nahlas zoufat...!
  Kvůli jednomu nemluvněti nemůže zemřít několik desítek dospělých - tak přísné byly zákony panující ve skrýších ghetta."
  
  "V těžkých, nebezpečných chvílích měla ve zvyku říkat: "Já chci moc, moc žít a dočkat se porážky našich katů, proto dělám a budu vždy dělat vše, co je v mých silách, abychom přetrvali, abychom unikli jejich spárům! Ale jestliže se to nepodaří, nedá se nic dělat. Umírá se pouze jednou. Ačkoliv mi bude života líto, smrti se nebojím!""
  
  "Všichni ti zemřelí, zavraždění přátelé, kamarádi z dětských her ve varšavském ghettu žili už je v mé paměti."
  
  "Vešla jsem do plynové komory, v níž mě tehdy drželi, skoro před půlstoletím, celou noc. (Dostala jsem se z ní druhý den živá, protože údajně došel plyn.)
  Lidé právé poslouchali obvyklý statistický výklad průvodce. Připojila jsem se do něj svévolně a přerušila průvodce. Postavila jsem se drze doprostřed té komory, jako by patřila jenom mně, a začala jsem vyprávět, co tu bylo, odkud nás sem přivezli a jakým způsobem. Skočila jsem mu do řeči, nežádaná, neprošená, bez dovolení. Příliv emocí se stal zdrojem slov poznamenaných slzami. Všichni plakali. Slyšela jsem popotahování, posmrkávání, na nikoho jsem se však nedívala. Měla jsem před očima je to, o čem jsem živě a s největším vypětím vyprávěla. Neplakala jsem, nemluvila jsem zoufale. Bylo to přeci pro mě tehdy obvyklé a "přirozené" během oněch strašných let a také dnes, zvláště na tomto místě, v té stejné plynové komoře. Jenom jsem vyprávěla. Ale tady to vyznělo tak, jako by všichni, kteří tam tehdy byli se mnou, rázem vstali a promluvili."
• 
  Maeganr(:

  Hope Is the Last to Die is a very unique book in the way that it is written, and the subject matter is different from other books. This book is about the Holocaust, told by a little girl, Helena, and her family's experience in Auschwitz. In this way, the book captures the reader, and takes them into their view point of what they experienced. Even if you knew nothing about the Holocaust, this book describes the horrors and lives of people who were sent to Auschwitz or who were threatened to go. Halina Birenbaum's descriptive language really puts the reader into the narrators point of view.
• 
  Izzy

  I think I've read way too many Holocaust books, but this book interested me particularly because it takes place in Warsaw. It's a young girl's coming of age story as well, as the title says. And what a more trying time to come of age than WWII? I think it's hard to get, though; I purchased it at a ksiegarnia (small bookstore) inside Auschwitz.
• 
  Daniel M Caballero

  Un relato descorazonador de una victima mas del nazismo.
  Las paginas te absorben a medida que vas leyendo esta terrible historia, mas de una vez han querido brotar lagrimas de mis ojos al leer las situaciones que se describen, situaciones inimaginables para la mayoría de nosotros...
• 
  Jill Smith

  One of the best books ever written by a first hand Holocaust survivor, it has stayed with me throughout my life.
• 
  Sheena

  Terrifyingly true ... Not for sensitive hearts
• 
  Madara

  Nopirku šo grāmatu Aušvicas apmeklējuma laikā, kas, noteikti, lasot grāmatas sāpīgās rindas, deva papildu emocionālo fonu.
  Katra grāmatas lappuse pauž ārkārtīgi skarbu rakstnieces pieredzi, kas, mūsdienu pasaulē dzīvojot, šķiet nereāli un nesaprotami - kā līdz kam tādam vispār iespējams aizdomāties? Un tas noticis nebūt ne tik senā pagātnē.
  Grāmatā ir 225 lappuses. Kad tiku līdz 25.lappusei, iekšēji pie sevis nodomāju, ka priekšā vēl 200 tikpat nežēlīgas lappuses. Lasītājs, zinot hronoloģiskos kara notikumus un uz grāmatas vāka izlasīto informāciju par autori, protams, nojauš, kas sagaidāms grāmatas izskaņā, bet holokaustā izdzīvojušie līdz pēdējam dzīvoja neziņas stāvoklī, vai, kad un kā šī netaisnība tiem beigsies.
• 
  Alex McGuinness

  I bought this book in Auschwitz after a recommendation from our guide, who told us this lady still visited the site and used to talk to tourists. She never expressed any hatred or I'll thought towards the nazis. The first part of the book in the ghetto is hard to read as it appears quite repetitive but I imagine that it was!? And only 10x worse for those living through that hell so I perseveered. The second half of the book is less 'monotonous' (I feels awful even typing that!?) and again is hard to read but for a different reason. It is so unimaginable what these poor people went through, but the strength of this woman and her will to survive is inspiring. I think I'm waffling now so I'll leave it there...
• 
  Christine Brucker

  Our guide in Auschwitz-Birkenau 7/7/22 highly recommended this book, which I picked up in the bookstore. 225 pages didn't make it any easier to read, though, as the autobiographical content is still so inconceivable of the extreme inhumanity. Halina credits those around her for keeping her alive, beginning with her mother insisting she claim to be 17 rather than 10 when they were first deported from the Warsaw Ghetto to KL Majdanek. Mrs. Birenbaum shares her most intimate thoughts, feelings, desperation, loneliness and gratitude about the subtleties of survival under the brutal Nazis and conditions of the extermination camps. Never forget. The world has no place for anti-semitism and white-supremacy. We need to actively crush them.
• 
  Debbie Shoulders

  Birenbaum does an exceptional job of conveying life under Nazi terror. At ten years old she was forced into hiding in Warsaw to avoid selections to Treblinka. After their luck ran out the she and the remaining members of her family were sent to Majdanek. Halina was sent to three more camps until liberation in May of 1945 during which the teen lived through events few ever had. What makes this outstanding is her memory of the little things, which ultimately made the difference in whether one lived or died.
• 
  Ouii Ungboriboonpisal

  I bought this book at Auschwitz. The clarity of the fact that human beings can be so inhumane to one another has never left me since. This book further shed light in great details on conditions, manners of Nazi-sided guards and feelings experienced by a young girl in her road in and out of the Nazi concentration camp. Power can change people’s behavior. The hard time brought the best and the worst in people. It inspires me to study human rights law and be in a position to prevent any human rights violation, one way or another.
• 
  Dan

  I purchased this at Auschwitz Birkenau when I visited Krakow in February.
  I'm glad I did. After visiting those places and finding out more detail of what happened to all those people, this book makes the visions even clearer.
  
  The terror, treatment and the way of living these people done in the camps really puts life into perspective. This book will always stay with me, I have no other words to explain.
  
  Its a must read if Holocaust is of an interest.