The Holocaust
Since the 1960s, the term “Holocaust,” from the Greek for “a burned offering,” has been used to refer to the murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazis during WWII. Now Doris L. Bergen provides a concise history of this mind-numbing genocide in The Holocaust.
Unlike many other treatments of the Holocaust, this history traces not only the persecution of the Jews, but also other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazis, including Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals, Soviet POWs and the disabled. Written in clear and eloquent prose, and drawing on firsthand accounts from perpetrators, victims and eyewitnesses, The Holocaust is a concise, thoughtful account of horrors that, despite all analysis, will forever remain unthinkable.
Hardcover: 296 pages
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ( October 25, 2009 )
Item #: 13-7438
ISBN: 9780742557147
Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 0.72 inches
Product Weight: 16.0 ounces
6 million????????
August 15, 2010
That number has been reduced significantly.
Six million is a lie and a distortion of the facts.
Reviewer: utavonschatz
a lukewarm review of A Concise History
February 22, 2010
The book is about 230 pages long, so concise is one word for it. Another would be very brief and superficial. The author covers all the main events in WWII in Europe in a chronological fashion. Only some of the history has much to do with the holocaust. I have read quite a bit on WWII, and would recommend other books, such as Why We Watched, The Lost, or Hitler's Willing Executioners, as more interesting, in depth studies of the tragedy. Several times while reading, I found myself questioning the source of some of the broad generalizations made by the author, but since the book wasn't footnoted, had no opportunity to do so. One jarring factual error (or perhaps just an unfortunate choice of words)was when she referred to Klaus von Stauffenberg hearing the explosion at the Wolf's Lair while he was "driving to Berlin".
Let me say a little about the writing style. The author writes in very simple, short declarative sentences. It had the feel of a high school textbook (also because of its brevity). And in fact, this may not be a bad introduction to the topic for a high school level student. The author used the term "race and space" repetitively throughout the book, with enough frequency that it became annoying.
Overall, not a book I'd recommend for adults with any prior knowledge of these events.
Reviewer: andy d
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