Synopses & Reviews
Fewer than 100,000 Jews survived the death camps. This is the story of 732 of those Jews--all under the age of sixteen in 1945. It is the story of what they lost, of what they, as children, suffered, and, most of all, of what they overcame. Robbed of their childhoods, orphaned by violence and bestiality, they ought to have become sociopaths. Instead, they rebuilt their lives and dedicated them to the memory of those who were not as lucky. Told in their voices, The Boys bears witness to the power of the human spirit.
Martin Gilbert, one of Britain's most distinguished historians, was knighted in 1995. A fellow of Merton College, Oxford, he is also the official biographer of Winston Churchill. Among his books are The Holocaust, The Second World War, Churchill: A Life, Auschwitz and the Allies, The First World War, and Never Again.
Fewer than 100,000 Jews survived the death camps. This is the story of 732 of those Jewsall under the age of sixteen in 1945. It is the story of what they lost, of what they, as children, suffered, and, most of all, of what they overcame. Robbed of their childhoods, orphaned by violence, they rebuilt their lives and dedicated them to the memory of those who were not as lucky. Told in their own voices, The Boys profoundly contributes to our undestanding, as well as our scholarship, of the Holocaust. Moreover, as The Washington Post Book World observed, this is "a story not only of the horrors of the Holocaust but also of the triumphs of the human spirit."
"A major contribution."The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A superb, accessible, vibrant historical text."The New Leader
"A fervent and incisive chronicle of the horrors of the Holocaust . . . A harrowing and heartbreaking oral history."San Francisco Chronicle
"Using the historical method that worked so brilliantly in his multi-volume life of Churchill, Martin Gilbert seldom intrudes, and lets the survivors speak for themselves. To be sure, he is always there, assembling the thousands of scraps of memory into a coherent, compelling, moving narrative. The result is undoubtedly part of the healing process."The New York Times Book Review
"A story not only horrors of the Holocaust but also of the triumph of the spirit . . . A brilliant to the vast literature of the Holocaust."The Washington Post Book World
"Thank you, Martin Gilbert. Thank you for listening with your heart and soul to these 'boys' who remained compassionate human beings in a dark world dominated by violence and cruelty. Thank you for your talent in giving a gentle voice to their burning memories."Elie Wiesel
"Gilbert has created a fitting tribute to the children who survived, and whose stories need to be heard."The Boston Sunday Globe
"This is a book about coming out of hell, about great evil, about the triumph of the human spirit. One is left with hope, and admiration."The Times (London)
"This should be required reading. Through the horror of these pagesa seminal contribution to the literature of the Holocaust and to the history of Nazi Germanythere shines the determination of the human spirit to soldier on and ultimately to triumph in the face of the most extreme adversity imaginable."Literary Review
Review
"A story not only of the horrors of the Holocaust but also of the triumphs of the human spirit."--The Washington Post Book World
"Thank you, Martin Gilbert. Thank you for listening with your heart and soul to these 'boys' who remained compassionate human beings in a dark world dominated by violence and cruelty. Thank you for your talent in giving a gentle voice to their burning memories."--Elie Wiesel
"A harrowing and heartbreaking oral history." --San Francisco Chronicle
"A compelling, moving narrative."--The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Fewer than 100,000 Jews survived the death camps. This is the story of 732 of those Jews--all under the age of sixteen in 1945. It is the story of what they lost, of what they, as children, suffered, and, most of all, of what they overcame. Robbed of their childhoods, orphaned by violence and bestiality, they ought to have become sociopaths. Instead, they rebuilt their lives and dedicated them to the memory of those who were not as lucky. Told in their voices, The Boys bears witness to the power of the human spirit.
About the Author
One of Britain's most distinguished historians, Martin Gilbert was knighted in 1995. A fellow of Merton College, Oxford, he is also the official biographer of Winston Churchill. Among his books are
The Holocaust, The Second World War, Churchill: A Life,
Auschwitz and the Allies, The First World War, and
Never Again. His most recent book is
The Righteous.