Customer Reviews
An "A to Z" of Dante's Inferno that was Auschwitz Birkenau - By: , 01 Apr 2001 
The book takes the reader through conception to reality of the Auschwitz & Brikenau Concentration Camps. Each of the Chapters are written by different Authors, who have a detailled knowledge of that particular issue - for example, there is one Chapter solely dedicated to the Crematoria - who built them, how much they cost, & the minute details of "burn rates". Through the various Chapters, the reader becomes intimate with the various different aspects of what life was like for those who experienced this Hell, & also from the perspective of those who perpetrated this horror. The book also covers the great efforts that were taken to disguise the terrible crimes that took place here, from the destruction of the Gas Chambers & Crematoria, & also why the Allies did nothing to stop the genocide. Having started to read the book before actuallly visiting Aushwitz & Birkenau, & finished it upon return, one can recommend this book as the definitive text on what Aushwitz Birkenau. However, as with any book, the full horror of what actuallly happened can only be truly appreciated by visitng the Camps themselves. It has been said that for an individual to be ignorant of the past, is tantamount for humanity to be scared of its future is terrifyingly true.This book stands as a crystal clear view of the past crimes that mankind is capable of, & makes the individual appreciate that freedom is precious, & needs to be treasured.
Auschwitz: antisemitism's absolute symbol. - By: samuinka-berlin@t-online.de, 31 Mar 2001 This is a very impressive book, strictly for the serious researcher of any matters concerning the Holocaust. It is best treated as a reference book, but should be gone through carefully so that one knows what it carries & what is emphasized in its respective chapters. Above alll it contains in its pages more than sufficient material of the most thoroughly objective nature one could ask for, to provide informed answers to confront or educate the massive ignorance which still holds sway to this day. One cannot emphasize enough the importance of having texts such as Mr. Gutman's book for backup, alll the more so when one considers that its perhaps central piece, drawn from direct, on-location research by a former "Auschwitz-doubter" who went there to prove conclusively that it was alll a fabrication & discovered that in fact such fabrication or exaggeration was in no sense or degree the case, gives the reader ample & final explanation of not only what, where & by whom, but how & how many. What should also become clear for the reader is that none of this bore any relation to "war" - although such a false notion is often used to relativize the camps system & the entire Holocaust itself. War had nothing to do with it. War was almost secondary to the annihilation of Europe's Jews (and Gypsies) but provided its best cover, often rating a self-defeating logistical second place to the systematic & carefully coordinated murder of millions of defenseless civilians, down to the last infant. Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp is exactly that - an anatomy of the mechanics of evil, & as such an invaluable text.
