All But My Life: A Memoir
Mar 1995 · Sold by Hill and Wang
4.6star
77 reviews
Ebook
256
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
All But My Life is the unforgettable story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty.
From her comfortable home in Bielitz (present-day Bielsko) in Poland to her miraculous survival and her liberation by American troops--including the man who was to become her husband--in Volary, Czechoslovakia, in 1945, Gerda takes the reader on a terrifying journey.
Gerda's serene and idyllic childhood is shattered when Nazis march into Poland on September 3, 1939. Although the Weissmanns were permitted to live for a while in the basement of their home, they were eventually separated and sent to German labor camps. Over the next few years Gerda experienced the slow, inexorable stripping away of "all but her life." By the end of the war she had lost her parents, brother, home, possessions, and community; even the dear friends she made in the labor camps, with whom she had shared so many hardships, were dead.
Despite her horrifying experiences, Klein conveys great strength of spirit and faith in humanity. In the darkness of the camps, Gerda and her young friends manage to create a community of friendship and love. Although stripped of the essence of life, they were able to survive the barbarity of their captors. Gerda's beautifully written story gives an invaluable message to everyone. It introduces them to last century's terrible history of devastation and prejudice, yet offers them hope that the effects of hatred can be overcome.
From her comfortable home in Bielitz (present-day Bielsko) in Poland to her miraculous survival and her liberation by American troops--including the man who was to become her husband--in Volary, Czechoslovakia, in 1945, Gerda takes the reader on a terrifying journey.
Gerda's serene and idyllic childhood is shattered when Nazis march into Poland on September 3, 1939. Although the Weissmanns were permitted to live for a while in the basement of their home, they were eventually separated and sent to German labor camps. Over the next few years Gerda experienced the slow, inexorable stripping away of "all but her life." By the end of the war she had lost her parents, brother, home, possessions, and community; even the dear friends she made in the labor camps, with whom she had shared so many hardships, were dead.
Despite her horrifying experiences, Klein conveys great strength of spirit and faith in humanity. In the darkness of the camps, Gerda and her young friends manage to create a community of friendship and love. Although stripped of the essence of life, they were able to survive the barbarity of their captors. Gerda's beautifully written story gives an invaluable message to everyone. It introduces them to last century's terrible history of devastation and prejudice, yet offers them hope that the effects of hatred can be overcome.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
77 reviews
Alpha Altamirano
- Flag inappropriate
March 29, 2017
I loved this book. It's so immersive and it demonstates perfectly the horrors of the holocaust. Made me very emotional and she took things to another level. Her experiences at a time where she lived hell were well told.
2 people found this review helpful
Lori O
- Flag inappropriate
July 11, 2017
What an amazing memoir of a woman with unwavering faith & determination to not only survive the atrocities that happened to her and loved ones, but thrive in spite of! So well written that I as the reader could feel a part of myself experiencing Gerda's life with her. I smiled, I prayed. I feared. I cried.
7 people found this review helpful
Ivan Randall Orndorff Jr
- Flag inappropriate
March 18, 2014
I first read this novel when I was 16 years old and it was the first book that I literally could not put down. So powerful and inspirational. I later had the privilege of meet the author, Mrs Weidman Klein which further ensured that this memoir leave an impact on me and my life.
8 people found this review helpful
About the author
Gerda Weissmann Klein was born in Bielsko, Poland, in 1924. She and her husband, and Kurt Klein, are advocates of Holocaust education and human rights. They lecture frequently and have written extensively about their experiences during the Holocaust. They have been married for over 50 years and reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Gerda's memoir, All But My Life, was adapted into the Academy- and Emmy Award-winning short film One Survivor Remains. With her husband, she edited The Hours After, a collection of letters they had exchanged while separated for a year after their engagement following World War II.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
