A cleareyed, meditative account of an unfathomable evil.
A memoir of a Polish priest’s harrowing imprisonment, including at a concentration camp, during World War II.
Fabisiak (The Nativity of Jesus, 2017) was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1939 in Poland; just three months later, Germany, under the orders of Hitler, invaded. Fabisiak’s ophthalmologist told him to flee while he still could, but he dithered and was arrested. His treatment was grim; his “days were filled with fear and humiliation.” Fabisiak eventually managed to escape—he was well-equipped with the necessary false documents. The Germans recaptured him, beat him brutally, and summarily sentenced him to hard labor for espionage. After being imprisoned at eight different prisons and two labor camps, he was finally incarcerated at the infamous concentration camp at Dachau, a “place of inhumane suffering and extermination.” This account is a remarkable combination of personal testimony and almost sociological observation. Fabisiak reveals innumerable facets of Dachau—the food, the different kinds of prisoners, the guards, as well as the physical and sexual abuse of the prisoners, the chilling experiments conducted on them, the gas chambers, and the crematorium. The memoir is unsparingly detailed, a brave but disturbing act of bearing historical witness. However, for all the degradations described, this is far from a hopeless indictment of humankind—the author repeatedly records the kindnesses he encountered, even among his German captors and, in some cases, at great risk to themselves. Regarding Dachau, the author heard the worst: “It was said that God’s entrance would be prohibited there.” Though his hardships were grotesque, his remembrance of human decency in the unlikeliest of places is infinitely inspiriting.
A cleareyed, meditative account of an unfathomable evil.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-73211-700-6
Page Count: 452
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
