If you would like to learn more about the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, you are just in the right place!
Specifically, in this article we will look at the importance of literature in passing on and understanding the history of the Holocaust.
In addition, I will tell you about the most famous books that exist on this topic, pointing you to a careful selection of must-reads for us.
Reading has had, and still has, a fundamental role in transmitting memory and raising awareness of difficult issues such as the Shoah among new generations.
The relationship with the page, moreover, allows for a more intimate, personal and quiet approach, a characteristic that enables reflection with greater depth and time than, for example, watching a film.
Table of Contents
The best books on Auschwitz: our selection
ID 340991005 | Frank © Aleksandr Dyskin | Dreamstime.com
As we said, there are many books related to the Holocaust, and they are varied in nature.
Each, in its own way, has contributed and still contributes to spreading the testimony of survivors and some important lessons related to that atrocious period in history.
Let’s discover together the most famous titles!
Direct testimonials
Among the most famous books related to the Holocaust are undoubtedly the direct testimonies. Indeed, there are many survivors who, upon returning home, wanted to tell their terrible experience firsthand.
Some did so already with the purpose of making known what happened in Auschwitz and in the various concentration camps, and some did so initially only for therapeutic purposes.
If This is a Man (Primo Levi)
One of the great classics among direct accounts isPrimo Levi’s “If This is a Man ,” a classic of Italian and world literature.
In this work, Levi tells us about his experience related to the concentration camp: the rules that applied and the unwritten rules for surviving.
He tells of the relationships among the inmates, the very poor and insufficient food, and the tragic barracks in which he had to sleep.
The author gives back in a very raw way what the Lager was like, without rhetoric or smoothing over the edges of an aberrant experience.
Not surprisingly, in the famous opening poem that opens the book, he asks us to consider whether being forced into those conditions can be called “Man.”
The Night (Elie Wiesel)
Another unmissable direct testimony is that of Elie Wiesel with his “The Night,” one of the most moving accounts of the Holocaust experience.
Just over 100 autobiographical pages published more than a decade after the author returned to normal life: for him, talking about Auschwitz was impossible.
The author recounts how that experience made him lose faith in God and toward humanity, how he had to care for his ailing father until his death as an inmate, and the values of a young man swept away by a warning confided to him by a Kapo: “Everyone lives and dies in solitude.”
We, Little Girls at Auschwitz (Tatiana and Andra Bucci)
Another very important direct testimony is that of Tatiana and Andra Bucci, narrated in the book Noi, bambine ad Auschwitz.
The book recounts the terrible experience of the two little sisters, deported from Rijeka together with their family during World War II. Tatiana was only six years old, Andra four, and with them was their little cousin Sergio, who was seven years old.
After being taken to the Birkenau camp, the children were locked up in the Kinderblock, an area designated for young prisoners used for medical experiments.
Through their voices, the book offers a lucid and disruptive account of the daily horror of the camp: the constant fear, inhumane conditions and helplessness experienced by the most fragile.
But the narrative does not stop there. Tatiana and Andra, survivors by an extraordinary chance, also narrate the very difficult phase following liberation: the orphanage, the slow road to recovery and the return to life, an aspect rarely explored in accounts of the Holocaust.
Commandant at Auschwitz (Rudolf Höss)
Another valuable, if disturbing, read is Commandant at Auschwitz, written by Rudolf Höss, the SS officer who was commandant of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp for two years.
This book represents a unique and chilling document: written by Höss during his last days before his execution, it is a ruthless monologue that takes us directly into the psychology of one of the protagonists of the Nazi system.
Through his words, the reader is confronted with the moral abyss that allowed the death camps to exist.
Höss describes the mechanisms, processes and operation of the “death workshops” with a coldness that shocks, offering a stark and disturbing insight into the Holocaust machine.
Accompanied by a preface by Primo Levi and an incisive article by Alberto Moravia, the book invites the reader to confront the terrible gap between the sheer volume of atrocities perpetrated and the absurdity of the justifications put forward by the author.
Fiction inspired by historical facts
There are important novels that are intended to amplify the voice of Memory.
They tell stories inspired by the sad historical events in question and set in concentration camps.
The Auschwitz Tattooist (Heather Morris)
Among the most successful novels we have “The Auschwitz Tattooist” by Heather Morris. It tells of a love story born in concentration camps, precisely where this feeling was brutally wiped out.
The novel tells of Lale, the man assigned to tattoo the number that represented the prisoners by substituting his name. The young man’s life, however, receives a jolt when he meets Gita’s eyes.
The two will try to love each other despite the atrocious world they are living in.
The Little Girl Who Watched the Trains Leave (Ruperto Long)
Another excellent novel set during the Nazi rampage is “The Little Girl Who Watched the Trains Leave” by Ruperto Long.
Featuring a moving narrative against the backdrop of Nazi persecution, it tells of a father who is willing to do anything to save his family and tries to escape deportations.
The book tells of a constant wandering, a flight from town to town without ever finding a safe place and always coming face to face with the atrocities committed against Jews.
Historical essays
An important chapter regarding books dealing with the subject of the Holocaust is that composed of historical essays.
These are in fact in-depth, documented analyses of the Holocaust that aim to deliver to history the precise narrative of what happened.
Auschwitz. I was number 220543 (Denis Avey)
Among the most appreciable in this genre we find “Auschwitz. I was number 220543″ by Denis Avey. A de facto autobiographical novel, which also came about through collaboration between the surviving author and BBC journalist Rob Broomby.
Denis was a British soldier fighting in North Africa. He was captured and underwent various displacements until he arrived in Auschwitz.
There, having heard of the atrocities inflicted on the Jews, he decided to exchange with one of them to see firsthand what they had to endure.
When the conflict ended, he was released and was only able after years to recount what he had experienced and the sense of helplessness the prisoners experienced.
The Kingdom of Auschwitz (Otto Friedrich)
It is also recommended to read another excellent historical essay, namely “The Kingdom of Auschwitz” by Otto Friedrich.
This is an essential historical introduction, an account from the construction of the camp to its end collecting testimonies of deportees but also of the perpetrators.
On the Trail of Nazi Criminals (Andrew Nagorski)
And among works of nonfiction,Andrew Nagorski’s On the Trail of Nazi Criminals , a book that explores one of the most disturbing questions of the postwar period, also deserves attention: what happened to the Nazis who escaped the Nuremberg Trials?
This essay, filled with documents and investigations, recounts the stories of the “Nazi hunters” and the long journey to unmask and bring the escaped criminals to justice.
Books about Auschwitz for children
Finally, there are books dealing with stories adapted for students and children.
This is a most valuable resource, as they allow even the youngest to approach the subject of the Holocaust and begin to acquire an awareness that is most important, especially in the younger generation.
The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank)
This is the case, for example, with “The Diary of Anne Frank,” although it does not actually deal directly with the Auschwitz camp.
It remains fundamental to understanding the horror of the Holocaust and consists of the diary kept by Anne Frank, a Jewish girl refugee in Amsterdam with her family in an attempt to escape Nazi persecution.
The only member of the Frank family to survive was Otto, Anna’s father, who published his writings in 1947 once he returned to Holland.
It was his friends who kept them hidden, well aware of the value they might have had, affectively and historically.
Erika’s Story (Ruth Vander Zee)
Another book suitable for young readers is “Erika’s Story” by Ruth Vander Zee. It is an illustrated story to explain the Holocaust to young children.
However, it can be considered a valuable find in an awareness journey for older children as well.
It tells the story of Erika, a deportee, through her words and pictures that clearly show what Jews had to endure.
The Suitcases of Auschwitz (Daniela Palumbo)
In conclusion, in our section dedicated to young readers, Daniela Palumbo’s The Suitcases of Auschwitz is a work that deserves a special place.
Winner of the 2010 Battello a Vapore Prize, this book offers an intense and touching journey through History, through the stories of four children who, in a Europe torn apart by racial laws, face discrimination and deportation.
Charles, Hannah, Émeline and Dawid are the protagonists of stories that are as fictional as they are realistic: Charles takes refuge among the trains he loves so much; Hannah gazes at the stars to seek solace after the loss of her brother; Émeline refuses to wear the yellow star, a symbol of marginalization; Dawid, with his violin, escapes from the Warsaw ghetto.
Their stories intertwine in an exciting mosaic that captures the reader and invites reflection.
We point out that the High Readability edition uses the Leggimi© font and an inclusive layout, making it accessible even to children with DSA and BES, without sacrificing the depth of the content.
Giulia Tomai’s black-and-white illustrations further enrich the text, making it even more engaging.
Why read books about the Holocaust and concentration camps?
Book of remembrance of people who died during the Holocaust in Auschwitz (Poland) – ID 168401702 © Maryna Konoplytska | Dreamstime.com
Literature also plays a very important role in the maintenance of Memory related to the tragedy of the Holocaust.
The more intimate and reflective approach to the book allows the user to approach the subject matter with more time, thus rooting certain fundamental thoughts and reasoning deeper.
The emotional impact of a book is very strong: it is easy for the reader to process the material with greater participation, creating within him or herself a very strong awareness of the topic.
In fact, it is no coincidence that the printed medium was used from the very beginning to popularize accounts related to the Shoah, with the aim of making the atrocious facts related to the concentration camps known to the general public.
The book is also easily used in schools, thus fulfilling a strong educational role.
Many of the survivors themselves, once they returned home, preferred to entrust their stories to the pages, which they knew were also a comfort, a therapy to try to cope with the ugliness they had endured.
Those writings then became valuable testimonies that had to be shared with the world: thus the first books related to the Holocaust were born.
Subsequently, however, not only direct testimonies helped enlarge the bibliography concerning the Shoah, but also novels set in concentration camps and ghettos, historical essays, and invaluable educational books for young readers.
Frequently asked questions
Primo Levi’s If This is a Man is one of the most well-known and influential texts on the subject, but Elie Wiesel’s The Night is also highlighted.
Yes, The Auschwitz Tattooist and Sophie’s Choice are examples of fiction based on historical events.
The Diary of Anne Frank and The Story of Erika are good starting points for young readers, but there are also others such as Art Spiegelman’s Maus.
Many books on concentration camps are available at major online bookstores such as Amazon, or at specialized physical bookstores.
Auschwitz and Literature: Conclusions
So here we have come to the concluding part of our article. Together, we have seen the importance of literature and books in passing on information and accounts of the Holocaust.
I explained to you about their strong emotional impact andthe importance they also had for survivors themselves: back home after the war and imprisonment, writing was like therapy and a way to draw out those chilling stories.
I then told you about some of the main books pertaining to the subject of the Shoah, illustrating the different types of books that exist: firsthand accounts, novels inspired by historical facts, historical essays, and fiction for young readers.
To conclude, I answered the most frequently asked questions that regarding the link between literature and the Holocaust.
Should you have any other questions for us, please feel free to do so by leaving a comment below.
Finally, consider the many resources you will find on our site: I invite you to browse and read the other articles where you will find other stories related to Auschwitz or thanks to which you can get the information you need to organize your visit.
In conclusion, I would like to remind you of the importance of considering, when organizing your visit, the purchase of a skip-the-line ticket and booking an experienced guide.
With priority entry you can circumvent the long waits to enter the museum-campus that could on the emotional preparation of the visit itself.
With the expert escort, on the other hand, you will truly experience in depth what Auschwitz-Birkenau actually means, since you will have plenty of historical information during your visit and will be told the testimonies of survivors.
Visiting Auschwitz is essential because it allows us to grow and really reflect on what the Holocaust meant, in addition to that, it also allows us to become aware of a plague that was ignored at the time and is still alive today: indifference. Because, as Elie Wiesel, writer of “The Night” quoted in this article, said, “The opposite of love is not hate, indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it is indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it is indifference. And the opposite of life is not the dead, it is indifference.”
Cover photo: The diary of Anne Frank at Madame Tussauds museum on April 25, 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ID 212765108 | Anne Frank © Nikolai Sorokin | Dreamstime.com
