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The Heart Has Reasons: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage

by Mark Klempner

ISBN13: 9780829816990
ISBN10: 0829816992
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The author, a first generation Jewish-American, seeks out some of the last surviving rescuers of Jewish children during the Nazi occupation of Holland to produce this collective portrait of ten heroic individuals.

Review:

"Asked why she helped save Jewish children during Germany's occupation of Holland in WWII while so many others stood by, Clara Dijkstra replies, 'The heart has reasons.' Klempner, a folklorist and oral historian, attempts to explore some of those reasons through interviews with 10 Dutch resisters who rescued Jews from the Nazis. Each of the chapters includes a short introduction, a first-person narrative from the rescuer, followed by a question and answer format and historical information. The result is often choppy; a straight and more integrated narrative throughout each chapter would serve these powerful stories better. As the son of a Holocaust survivor, the author uses the book to come to terms with his family's past and figure out what to do with his life. The dual objectives of profiling rescuers and wrestling with personal issues don't always work well together; the narrative often shifts uncomfortably between a focus on the rescuers and the author's focus on himself. But the summary chapter, which explores the lessons learned from the resisters and the application of those lessons for today's world is a highlight." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

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: mhigby, August 18, 2006 (view all comments by mhigby)
Being of Dutch origin myself, I found Mark's book fascinating because I wanted to know just what it was that separated the rescuers from their peers and why they would risk their lives and families to save a few people. To see the thread of similarity in the lives of those who rescued regardless of their diverse backgrounds and lifeviews was very insightful to me and challenging as well. What drove these people to do what they did at such a great cost? Mark takes us into the lives of 10 rescuers so we can see just what it was that made them different enough to make a difference.
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: Dave in Portland, June 19, 2006 (view all comments by Dave in Portland)
The stories in this book touched me profoundly. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and I love to read! The author has a God-given talent to write and tell stories, and through these stories, we remember, cherish, and honor those righteous persons of a generation that is now leaving us.
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: Philo, May 5, 2006 (view all comments by Philo)
I have become cynical, discouraged, and depressed about the world, its leaders, and religious figures such as Osho aka Rajneesh, who is one of the best-sellers?again (the only person to have orchestrated a biological terrorist attack during the Oregon election they were trying to win). Reading "The Heart Has Reasons" has brought, how can i say it, the simple but oh so easily forgotten miracles of courage and forgiveness that people are capable of.

The stories Klempner relates are of those who were willing to take risks most of us never are faced with in our little mundane lives. The Dutch he writes of have certainly, for me, brought back into focus the true potential of the human spirit for goodness, and what courage! Their stories, and the vivid and passionate writing have brought a new and refreshed energy to me as I am sure it will to other readers.

This book must be a worthy addition to the literature of that horrid time, I'm not well read in Holocaust literature so I cannot give it a ranking, but I have to think it will be read and valued by all those who experienced, or will experience, events of this nature as our world bounces along its uneven path towards hopefully a slightly more enlightened peoplekind.
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Product Details

ISBN:: 9780829816990
Subtitle:: Holocaust Rescuers and Their Stories of Courage
Foreword:: Browning, Christopher R.
Foreword:: Browning, Christopher R.
Author:: Klempner, Mark
Publisher:: Pilgrim Press
Subject:: World war, 1939-1945
Subject:: Jews
Subject:: Holocaust
Subject:: Netherlands Ethnic relations.
Publication Date:: March 2006
Binding:: Hardcover
Language:: English
Illustrations:: Y
Pages:: 235
Dimensions:: 9.32x6.14x.86 in. 1.23 lbs.

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