"Poland's Concentration Camp"???

Aaaah. Sorry about jumping on you but after reading some of the conversation here I thought I saw a "see - he's in with the Jews" thing coming.

In fact, I only took the pictures for the CSM story about Siemiatycze. Someone else wrote the articles.

As far as the book goes, I think it's worth reading if you're interested in that segment of history. However, I'd say the first volume is probably more valuable as a primary source because of the method in which the stories were collected - as a survey for association membership, originally not meant for publication. That means they're much more matter-of-fact than the second book, where some of the authors try to get artistic with their account, sometimes to no great effect.
Both give a slightly different perspective than most Holocaust stories because the people involved actually stayed in Poland and often had normal, full lives afterwards. The gradations of good and evil are much more subtly distributed than in some other accounts I've seen/read. That doesn't mean they're a pleasant read, though.

I’m not at all interested in the conclusion of the author or the politics involved when reading such accounts but rather how people manage to cope with hardship of life. War time stories are of particular interest to me because they represent the extremes of what life can throw at you. Being the accounts of a common soldier or a civilian it gives a small insight to their thoughts, feelings and state of mind at that particular situation and how they manage to deal with it. Since I’m not familiar with authors’ style of writing I was hoping you would give me a bit more insight. The more actual quotes in the book, the better. If you could elaborate a bit more from this perspective I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Both volumes are collections of first-person accounts by survivors, with only an introduction added by the main editor, himself a Holocaust survivor. I'm not sure how much editing was done on the individual pieces before I got them to translate, though my understanding was that they wanted to keep them as authentic as possible.

Maybe jewish soap found use in polish concentration camps as well.Harry has to search for soap.

Really useful info, thank you very much cyg.

You know i dont know what this fuss is about.
my mothers family was her mother father 11 brother and sisters. my father had his father and mother and 13 brothers and sisters. After 3 years of war can anyone guess how many surrvived ?
my 2 parents and my mothers brother. THATS 3 OUT OF 28. God bless the WAR. all of my liftime my father slept with a hammer under his bed because of fear someone in a uniform would come to the door to drag us kids away. he feared all uniformed people. finally he hung himself in our garage. i tried to help him but what could i do i couldnt even think how to get him down sure.
i suppose i could get a big knife and slice the rope ........ you figure the rest.
The very worst part was waiting for my brother to get home from school. i got a neighbour to ring an ambulance. . could you ring an ambulance my dad has just hung himself. and i took off and waited at the street corner. I waited and waited and waited............................................................ it was an eternity
no ambulance no brother. How often do you gentlemen try to kill yourselves because of your grief or go online to see a bit of merriment. and yet you see people who spit nonsense.

It is a tragic tale, quite upsetting to read. But it does put so much humanity into the subject that is being discussed - one of the most inhumane acts in recorded history. But the personal, the emotional, the responses regard the loss of lives and the devastating consequences for the ones who are left behind.

People making light of the subject only do themselves a discredit, but likewise those who react with greed - people who look for what they can get out of the descendents of their fellow victims.

i wrote this in a quite neutal state of mind so it really didnt do much to me. but what it seems is that truth is just stranger than fiction i have known a few people personally who have lived terrible lives because of the war. i have also read a bit of words. but words on paper are not the truth. mangled limbs family instead of families left or should i say fam.... pieces of a baby covered up brought back to a mother to prove that it is her child who is dead. otherwise she cannot believe it can be so she runs aroud looking everywhere for it and doesnt stop. my own mother seperated from her daughter at 1 year of age (my half sister) she never got over this. her first husband died. she met my father in a camp. she never recovered she used to dress me like a girl and have me wear long hair. i looked cute i still have photos. my daughter looked a lot like me as a child. its quite funny. one thing my father said never go to war and hate noone. we had czech german english russian friends my father new all the languages. he would talk to everyone equally. i have followed. but others dont help why hate. ? ? ?