Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor & Classmate of Anne Frank (Holocaust Survivor Memoirs World War II)

Nanette really brought to life the horrors of survival in a concentration camp. That she was lucky enough to survive when so many others (including Anne and Margot Frank) died of disease is beyond belief. Lack of food and water, no chance to be clean, lice everywhere, how many of us today could have gotten through the hell of life these innocent people were stuck in, all because they were Jewish, or Gypsies, or Gay. None are a reason to starve them or work them to death. But sadly it happened. And because Nanette finally wrote down what happened to her during the war, the loss of her immediate family, horrible diseases, death all around, we can continue to tell future generations of the horrors done by the Nazis who had no qualms of following the orders of their beloved Furor, Adopt Hitler. A cruel man with a sick mind. As were many of his high ranking officers.We must never forget those terrible years, because like they say, if we forget, we will repeat them. I pray to never see such atrocities in my lifetime.

Not just another Holocaust book, Nanette Blitz Konig ties the past to the present and, hopefully, contributes to preventing repetition of events that resulted in the Holocaust. She remembers and explains exactly what it was that led to the horrors and how entire populations were led to stand by or participate in the horrors that could not have been imagined. Someone who was a victim inside the vortex of hate explains clearly how it could have happened. She states, "Clearly, Hitler was not looking for regular workers but followers of his doctrine who would be able to make his system work... in 1933, German citizens had democratically elected a leader who preached that the country should get rid of everything impure...you cannot fully grasp it because you cannot comprehend that which exists cannot be comprehended...We were living in a fabricated reality without the right to react," and warns all of us, "Society should be alarmed when ideology becomes so deep seated that it supports barbarians with such an abominable purpose."From those times to these, the phrase "Never Again" repeats and repeats itself so that over the last decades most, if not all, believed it could never happen again.Konig's book, directly from one who experienced it all, warns, the events we see in places around the world today bear a stark resemblance to what she experienced and may serve to awaken us all to make "Never Again" a reality. This is a book all should read.

Let me start by saying that I am in awe and applaud the author’s strength and will to survive that horrific experience. Her’s, like so many others’, is a story that MUST be told, and I am glad that she wrote it and that I read it. That said, I must also say that I was disappointed in the repetitiveness of her narrative (which may also be the fault of the one who assisted her in writing the story) and I think there was a bit of an effort to “capitalize” on her association with Anne Frank. The book cover and part of the title that states “Classmate of Anne Frank” with photos of them put together on the cover,, would lead one to believe they were close associates in school and possibly in the camp. Reading the book reveals a very cursory relationship, if any other than briefly being in the same class in The Jewish School....Although one would possibly be drawn to this book based on the way the title and cover advertise a purported relationship, a reading of the story does not back it up nor any real relationship in camp, where the author really basically “saw” Anne before she died there. Based on my perception of the repetitiveness and the way I think the Anne Frank “connection” was used, I think this book would have been better if it stood on it’s own merit and did not use being a “classmate of Anne Frank” as the “hook”. This is the first review I have ever written but I felt it needed to be said. pda

This is a very well written book about the Holocaust and it gives a lot of history information about the time. The author also speaks of how things were in Holland and their lives before their deportation to Westbrook, the transitional camp. And about the horrors, cruelty, torments and atrocities in the camp by the Nazis. She also speaks of her encounters with her classmate: Anne Frank and how Anne wanted to be a writer and use her diary to tell the world about the Holocaust, after the war.This is a very good book and it's also good for research and for information about what the beloved people of God went through during such a horrible time in history!I enjoyed the pictures at the end of the book to put the faces behind the persons spoken in the book and testimony of the author, together.Very well written! May we all learn from this history and never let it happen again, especially to the people of God, the Jewish people.

The most intriguing aspect of this book is Nanette (e.s. In Anne's diary) sharing her journey after liberation from Bergen Belsen. One could almost imagine that had Anne lived she would have made the same journey and gone on to live a life like Nanette. It was very sad when Nanette reveals the fate of her family, her struggle to live once again a normal life. I had mostly heard of Hanneli (Lies Goosen? in the book) but I understand that Nanette didn't share her story until 1999. So she wasn't part of Anne Frank remembered. Thank you for sharing your story Nanette! It's nothing short of a miracle.

I read the Dairy of Anne Frank. I couldn't stop with that...there had to be more of this remarkable child's story. I then read her "Tales" book of fictional stories. It still seemed almost unfair that the world was deprived of this child with insight and wisdom far beyond her young years. There are no more of Anne by Anne, but there is this by a childhood friend and classmate, and who is also a friend in Anne's final days. It is only here, after the last page is turned, that we must all let Anne go. And it is only here that we can.Highly recommended.

It’s hard to put into words as well as rate a book that deals with the Holocaust. When you award a book five stars it’s because you’ve loved it! Really enjoyed it, blown you away even. When you read a book like this though, you can’t use words like that. Not because it isn’t worthy of five stars, if anything its worthy of so many more but they all feel so wrong to say about someone’s life story who has endured and witnessed such horrors in their lifetime. I felt privileged and honoured to read Nanette’s story and people need to keep reading these types of books so that we can learn from it.This isn’t an overly long book but it’s one that will no doubt have an impact on its reader. Nanette starts off by sharing what life was like before and in the run up to the war starting. Life well before the war officially started for Jewish people was made to be unbearable even then. Businesses started to suffer, schools were divided, it’s hard to believe how callous the human race can be at times. Then we are shown what life is like in one of the many camps that were set up to destroy and demoralise not just Jewish people but anyone that was different to the Aryan race that Hitler envisioned.Nanette also shows us what life was like after surviving the camp in the immediate as well as long after and how it affected her. My heart broke as people tried to find out what had happened to their loved ones. To survive and not even have a home to return to. Not every survivor wanted to talk about their experiences during the war, Nanette though began to speak about her experiences, first in schools and then further afield. There are some mentions of Anne Frank who of course due to her diary is a very prominent figure from that period of time. At the end there are also some photographs of Nanette and her family as well as other images from the camp.Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor & Classmate of Anne Frank whilst a harrowing and at times upsetting read, it’s one that must be read and learned from. Nanette tells her story in a way that is both compelling and emotional for the reader. Whilst there are many books out there to do with the Holocaust, I think this one stands out in its own merit.

We all know the story of Anne Frank. However, we often forget that she was just one of millions affected by the Holocaust. Unlike Anne Frank however, her classmate Nanette Blitz lived to tell her story. Nanette vividly describes her time spent in Bergen-Belsen, including her brief reunion with Anne shortly before her death.While truly heartbreaking and desperately tragic, Nanette's is also a remarkable story of bravery, resilience and hope. Despite losing her entire family by the age of 16, Nanette built a life for herself after the horrors she endured, and refused to let her experiences hold her back. A truly incredible woman.

I can't day I enjoyed this book but it is a c compulsive read the lives the people in these camps had is a reflection on how your mind tells them that they must surviveHow can other humans inflict these unimaginable crimes to fellow humans and their strength to surviveLeast we forgetBrilliantly written and from the heartLet's hope that by reading these types of books we can make the world a very different place with love leading the way

Stories such as these will become more rare with the passing of the last of these courageous Holocaust survivors. This book sometimes made for difficult reading, but the author spared us the gritty detail of what it must have been like to have no food, no water and no sanitisation.Maybe it is still too painful for her to recall. It's almost unfathomable that she survived.All the same, it is a powerful story, made real by her account of knowing Anne Frank.

An inspiring story of how a young girl overcame the loss of her family and incarceration at Bergen-Belsen. The book also covers sorting her life out after the war which took many years to overcome the physical problems alone. I was not keen on the practice of highlighting and repeating sentences. It pads the book out but who wants to read something they have just read?