Book Review: I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba

January 30, 2025

About:

I Escaped from Auschwitz: The Shocking True Story of the World War II Hero Who Escaped the Nazis and Helped Save Over 200,000 Jews by Rudolf Vrba is a memoir of his time, and eventual escape from the infamous camp. Mr. Vrba was a Jewish biochemist born in Slovakia and after his escape co-written a report on the mass murder taking place there.

  • 480 pages
  • Publisher ‏ : Racehorse
  • Language ‏ : English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : 1631584715

Book Review: I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba
My rating for I Escaped from Auschwitz5

Buy I Escaped from Auschwitz from Amazon.com*
More books by Rudolf Vrba*

Thoughts:

The author, born Walter Rosenberg, was a teenager when he was deported to Auschwitz and survived for two years before escaping. During his time, the young man documented the atrocities, believing they would act if the world knew about it.

I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba (original title I Cannot Forgive) describes the daily brutalities and humiliations. While I didn’t find it as brutal as Auschwitz by Dr. Miklós NyiszliI still found many of the parts difficult to get through. Mr. Vrba, however, was a prisoner for two years, living in Auschwitz’s main camp, Birkenau. He held several jobs in various groups (commandos) so he gives the reader an excellent rundown of how the camp is run, why escape is almost impossible

The author was determined to survive, his escape plan was part meticulous planning, part luck. Together with Alfred Wetzler they planned to alert Jewish leaders to what was happening behind the electric fence, sure that when people will find out they are taken to be murdered, they would rebel. The written account, the Verba-Weltzer report, is included in the appendix and reached world leaders such as Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Obviously, there was a lot of effort in writing. The narrative is well-written and flows seamlessly. Mr. Vrba gives a concise, clear view of the role Jewish leaders played in ignoring his dire warning, instead of heading to him they tried to cut a deal with Himmler to save themselves and those close to them.

This book, originally published in the 1960s, is an important testament to courage, honesty, and selfless bravery. Mr. Verba’s commitment to others is stuff of legends and his story should be told for generations.

Buy I Escaped from Auschwitz from Amazon.com*
More books by Rudolf Vrba*

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I bought this book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account, the money is usually spent on books

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Summary
Review Date
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I Escaped from Auschwitz: The Shocking True Story of the World War II Hero Who Escaped the Nazis and Helped Save Over 200,000 Jews by Rudolf Vrba
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Wrap Up

I Escaped from Auschwitz: The Shocking True Story of the World War II Hero Who Escaped the Nazis and Helped Save Over 200,000 Jews by Rudolf Vrba

Book Review: I Escaped from Auschwitz by Rudolf Vrba

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