Surviving the Angel of Death // by Eva Mozes Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri

I generally like to mix up my genres to avoid getting burned out and so that I don’t read a lot of serious books one after the other. I just finished a fantastic fantasy book (see my review here) so I thought this would be a good time to read another serious book. Well, it does not get much more serious than this and I sobered up rather quickly. It starts like so many books about the survivors of the Holocaust do: with a cattle cart headed for Auschwitz.

As a German myself, I have often been on the receiving end of both questions about our education on the Holocaust as well as Nazi jokes to the point of practicing my English so much that I have lost my accent enough to not sound German anymore. While I’m glad to say that we receive much more education about the horrors of the time of our country than the US does about their atrocities, there are still so many things that I have not heard of. The evils of the Nazi regime knew no bounds and this book is another testament to that. As the remaining survivors continue to leave this earth, we are receiving less and less first-hand details about this time in history. It is important to never forget what happened, which is why I continue to pick up these books despite the pain they bring of knowing that my own country has been so cruel.

While I knew about the propaganda in Germany against Jews and how, step-by-step, Hitler and his government managed to spread hate for Jews and other minorities, I did not know the extent to which that was shown to young children in school in other countries as well, using math problems and short films about how to kill Jews. I also have often heard about the denial of many Germans that did not believe that things were as bad as people made it out to be but I did not realize that there were also Jews that felt the same way, believing things just could not be that bad until it was too late for them and they arrived in the ghettos or even the concentration camps. Every time you think that something has to be the worst thing you learned about, something else comes along to shatter that illusion, such as finding out about the experiments that Mengele performed on twins and other groups of people. When I read that after the death of one twin due to a purposely caused disease, the other (healthy) twin would be killed so they could compare their organs to each other, I had to put down the book and walk away to work through all the emotions.

I am so thankful that Eva Mozes Kor did the difficult work of remembering her experiences in detail to pass along the story of what happened to her and her family. I am in awe of the work she did throughout her life as well to spread awareness about what happened during the Holocaust in an effort to never let the world forget about it. While I have some mixed feelings about certain choices in her later life, especially after reading The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, there is no doubt that she did what she felt was right to honor the memory of her family and the many lives that were lost. As someone that often skips over acknowledgements, afterwords, etc., I highly recommend you continue reading through everything after her Epilogue. There is a lot of interesting information there and I appreciate that we get to hear even the criticism that she received as well. It helps paint a complete picture of who she was and what her goals were.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is based on the true story of Eva Mozes Kor, who along with her twin sister Miriam were used as test subjects for one of the Mengele's experiments. Josef Mengele was the one known as "Angel of Death". The fact that this is actually a true story itself was unbelievable and as a reader, you can never imagine the type of horrors that the Holocaust survivors, including Eva and her twin sister had gone through. It was actually emotional, terrifying and also I admire how brave and courage both Eva and her sister were, as they were determined to survive and go through the horrors of the Holocaust. It's really disturbing to read the experiment part in Auschwitz, how Mengele conducted the experiments on the twins. I also loved reading about how the twins led their lives before the war--Eva was a strong one while Miriam was the quiet one, how the twins wore identical clothes so people would not be able to identify which one is which one. Then with the war, the attack against the Jews in their small village Portz in Romania coupled with them taken to the ghetto and eventually to Auschwitz was so sad and emotional to read, particularly when her parents and her older sisters did not survive the war. I also like reading about their lives after the war, how communism would soon affect them, how they eventually emigrated to Israel where Eva was a draftsman and where she met her future husband Michael Kor and moved with him to U.S.A to start new life. I like how Eva still struggled with the nightmares of the Holocaust and how she eventually overcame her nightmares by simply forgiving the Nazis.

This book is actually the new edition, with a detailed page of what Eva's life was after the war. Her willingness to forgive the Nazis and how even survivors also didn't agree with her idea of forgiveness. Eva actually teaches us, readers how to give forgiveness and then only you will be able to survive whatever the nightmares you are going through. The story is actually really a good lesson to all of us, as it will remind us, never to forget the horrors of the WWII. A must read for those interested in WWII history and Holocaust.

I personally was not a fan of the voice of the book. But it was a different take on the Holocaust, I love that it was about Dr Mengle, and that it was a survivor’s story. I think my students will love it!

What an inspiring story! I love the determination and moxie of Eva Kor. I’ve seen her liberation picture so many times, and to finally know the story behind it makes me happy.

"At Auschwitz dying was so easy. Surviving was a fulltime job. We gave them our blood, our bodies, our pride, our dignity, and in turn, they let us live one more day."

What It’s About: Eva and Miriam Mozes were Romanian Jews, who were only ten years old when they were taken to Auschwitz concentration camp. Because they were twins, they were chosen and subjected to human experimentation ran by SS Doctor Josef Mengele’s (Angel of Death).

The twins survived the Holocaust. Eva shared her harrowing and remarkable account in this book – from their capture, experiments, liberation to her life-long dedication work for peace, forgiveness, and Holocaust education. In this updated edition, there are more details about Eva’s work on forgiveness and the decisions she made which caused controversies later in her life.

My thoughts: Eva was truly one remarkable woman! She was a Holocaust survivor and used the experience she had to educate people about this tragedy. She founded CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center and was a forgiveness advocate.

This heartfelt and engaging memoir about Holocaust is geared towards teens and YA , and I think it is a good book to start with if you want to read about Holocaust. The writing held my interest, easy to read and despite the grotesque experiments, there is no gory details about them, other than the horrifying living conditions in these camps.

I think what is so inspirational about Eva was her forgiveness towards her oppressors. It was the path she chose which strengthened her and enabled her to heal from all this, because “Anger and hate are seeds that germinate war. Forgiveness is a seed for peace. It is the ultimate act of self-healing.”

Pub. Date: Oct 13, 2020

*** Thank you Tanglewood Publishing and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

A true story about Eva Mozes, a Jewish twin that was sent to Auschwitz during WWII with her family. Upon arrival Eva and her twin Miriam are pulled aside and taken to a special part of the camp where they are met with many sets of twins. The twins are part of the human experimentation run by Dr. Mengele aka The Angel of Death. The girls survived the terrible experiments, injections and starvation they had to endure while living in the camp. At 10 years old Eva was a determined and strong individual to survive what she did but how she chose to live her life until her final days was truely inspiring.
This book was geared toward teens and is an important resource to have to help learn about the Holocaust.

Thanks to Net Galley and Tanglewood Publishing for the advanced copy.

ThIs an updated edition of the original 2009 publication. I read it again and it was worth the second read. The epilogue is updated to reflect Eva's activities since the book first came out and unfortunately her demise in 2019. I found some of her words epecially relevant in today's turbulent world, especially about inherited guilt. She was an incredible strong person to forgive what was done to her. I'm glad she never negated that, despite criticism. No matter which edition is read, it's a poweful story.

This is not a long story, but nonetheless extremely harrowing. Not because it is written that way, it is actually written in an extremely matter of fact way, detailing the events, but because it is a true story and about a set of 10 year old twins who were caught up in the most evil of wars, and the most evil of atrocities, that completely shocks you to the core. You think these things couldn't happen now? They were convinced these things couldn't happen then, so they missed their chance to escape to freedom with others of their family.

Eva and her sister Miriam grew up in Romania - the only Jews in the area as they lived on a remote farm. They got on with their neighbours, and must have thought life was good. When the war started they thought they were far enough away to be left untouched, but the attitudes of their neighbours slowly changed and they experienced antisemitism.

One day, the family were rounded up and put on cattle cars to be taken to Germany, and no one spoke up for them. They managed to survive the journey, as many didn't, and they then found themselves in Auschwitz. As Eva and Miriam were not only identical but wearing the same dresses it was obvious that they were twins, and it was this that saved their life at the time, whilst the rest of their family were killed.

Eva and Miriam had become one in a huge set of twins who were experimented on by Josef Mengele, one of the most evil men who ever lived. Their suffering at this time was unimaginable, and it was only due to their absolute determination that they made it through the war alive. Unfortunately the story doesn't end there with a happy ending, and Eva and Miriam had many hard years documented in the story before they found a home with people who really cares about them.

There is also a long epilogue, where Eva describes how she comes to the realisation that to move on she needs to forgive the Nazis who killed all her family and who almost killed her and her sister. Obviously this wasn't a popular attitude amongst all the death camp survivors, but it felt right to her.

An amazing story, told in a brilliant way, and one which everyone should read. We must never forget.

As expected, "Surviving the Angel of Death" was deeply moving. Despite having read dozens of stories, both real and fictitious, about the Second World War throughout my childhood, I am always deeply touched by the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust, and this book was no exception: it made me shed tears, especially the afterword.

Narrated through Eva's point of view, her story, told in a simple and straightforward manner, was one more testimony to the horrors of antisemitism and the Holocaust, a testimony that is needed so we never forget the horrors that humans can commit in the name of ideology. It's the story of a girl who was ready to do anything to survive the death camps with her twin sister.
Addressed to a rather young audience, such as middle schoolers (as Eva spares us from detailed descriptions of the horrors she lived in Birkenau), this book could also suit an older readers. The afterword, which touches upon the question of forgiveness, was particularly interesting — young or old are encouraged to think about human nature, about moving forward, about being survivors rather than victims, and choosing one's own destiny, thanks to Eva's wonderful example. I had already heard about Eva and I greatly admire her, so it was an honour to read her biography. This book is just one part of the immense heritage she left behind for humanity. May she be remembered for who she was and what she represented: hope and forgiveness.

This is a true story of Eva Mozes and her sister Miriam - one set of many twins who were subjected to Josef Mengele’s experiments during WWII. This felt more like a historical retelling than a fiction novel, and was a quick read. It is a miracle that Eva & Miriam survived Dr. Deaths experiments at Auschwitz, as many twins we’re not as fortunate. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading history or WWII novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In Surviving the Angel of Death, Lisa Rojany Buccieri has helped Eva Moses Kor write a first-person account of her Holocaust experience. Eva and her twin sister Miriam were just 10 years old when they were taken to Auschwitz. They were selected to be test subjects in Dr. Mengele's experiments on twins and separated from the rest of their family, whom they never saw again. Mengele used “his” twins to perform brutal testing, comparing what would happen to a person if one twin was inflicted with something but not the other. Eva had to use every ounce of her bravery and determination to see them through the war until they were rescued by Soviet troops. In this book, Eva also tells what happened to her in the years after the war and how, decades later, she made a public declaration that she forgave all Nazis. She spent the latter half of her life working to promote peace, human rights, and Holocaust education.

When Eva-7063 came out, I watched a screening of it at our local movie theater. While Eva was not able to come talk to us in person after the screening, as had originally been planned, we were able to do a video call with her, and I have to say, her personality on that call matched spot on 100% with her personality in this book. I remain in awe of not only the fact that she survived what she had to endure at Auschwitz but that she ended up in a place where she was able to forgive those who had committed the atrocities, and I greatly admire everything she did to further education and awareness of the Holocaust. I liked that this book was a first-person account from her point of view, that we got to know exactly what she was thinking. This book has been written for young adults, so there are no graphic descriptions of gore or such so it is suitable for children, but I would recommend it as a book to people of all ages.

Identical twins Eva and Miriam Mozes have a happy childhood in the small village of Plotz, Transylvania (now Romania). Their family owns a successful farm and, even though they are the only Jews in Plotz, they are well-liked members of the community. Everything changes in 1940, when the Hungarian army invades their town. The family is relocated to an internment camp with thousands of other Jewish families. Eventually, they are sent to Auschwitz and the family is torn apart. The twins become two of Josef Mengele’s “research” victims.

The electronic ARC that I received is for a new edition of this book. The first edition was published in 2009, and this update discusses the last ten years of Eva’s life. In her later years, she worked tirelessly as an advocate for other Holocaust survivors and Mengele twins. She continually emphasized the need for Holocaust education, so that the world would never forget Nazi atrocities.

I am amazed that I never heard the story of Eva and Miriam during my career as a school library media specialist. This book, unlike many others I’ve read on the topic, looks at the emotional impact of Holocaust events on a child and isn’t as descriptive as other books (“Night” by Elie Wiesel, for example). For that reason, it is appropriate for younger students- possibly those in grades five to six. I recommend this book as an essential purchase for all public and school libraries.

Surviving the Angel of Death is the true story of Eva Mozes and how she and her twin survived the camps at Auschwitz and the experiments they endured by Dr. Josef Mengele. It is a hard book to read but a necessary one. This book should be required reading for all students. It is short enough for students to be able to read with no problems and tells the horrors of the Nazi regime in words they can understand. In this day and age of rising hatred and racism, we need to be reminded of the past so we do not repeat it. Read this book and share it with others.

Books about Auschwitz tear apart my heart. And yet I cannot stop reading the accounts. Why? Because we need to remember history and what really happened. We are doomed to repeat history if nothing is done to prevent it or we allow future generations to not learn about the past.
Eva’s story is extremely haunting and hard to comprehend the horror. It is a hard book to not lose all your emotions. But yet she drew the strength to have it told to preserve the history.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Wow. Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor retells her story of living through the Holocaust as one of Josef Mengele’s experimental twins.

There’s nothing really to say other than Eva tells her very terrible, horrific story in the best way you can. She takes your through her life start to finish, and the lessons she teaches are incredibly valuable.

I visited Auschwitz just two weeks after Eva’s death, where I learned some about her at the time, but this book gives a much needed extensive look at who she was. It’s a quick read, but packs in so much value.

Surviving the Angel of Death
By: Eva Mozes Kor; Lisa Rojany Buccieri
I enjoy reading about true accounts and survivor stories of the Holocaust. I have read several of these stories. But I have never read one about Dr. Josef Mengele, I have only heard about him.
This book is an educational, easy read. I liked that it told the back story of Eva and Miriam as well as what happened after, clear up to the passing of Eva Mozes Kor. Even though Eva was 10 years old when she went to Auschwitz you can tell she had the survivor mentality. The driving force, life optimism, social support, interpersonal connections, and a feeling of hope. When you read this book, you will see all those key things in not just Eva but other survivors her and her sister interact with. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be put through what these heroes have had to endure. This book is a testament to how powerful inner strength and the will to survive is, even in extremely adverse conditions.

****Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Heartfelt and easy to read, this book is a fantastic view into what it meant to be a Mengele Twin during The Holocaust.

I enjoyed seeing the back story as well as seeing Eva and Miriam find their way home. I feel like those aspects are just as important to know about, as much as the atrocities of The Holocaust.

Although it dives into confronting themes and practices, this title isn't graphic or doesn't depict more than it needs to, to get its main point across. It is gentle in its delivery which will make it easier to process and to understand for a lot of readers.

What an honor to read the words of Eva Mozes Kor as she told us of her life, her time in concentration camps, and what it was like to be a victim of Dr. Mengele. Eva and Miriam didn't owe anyone their story but I will be forever grateful that they did. This will be a book that my children will read and I pray that it effects them the way it has effected me.

This book leaves you breathless, and shocked, and heartbroken, and angry. It is still, to this day, a subject that I read about constantly because somewhere in my mind I can never process the horrors of the Holocaust. However, this is one of the books that hits you to the core.. I recommend it highly. Still in tears.

Quite simply as an educationalist passionate about giving young people the opportunity to learn, to discuss, to become caring citizens I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I feel it should be in every school around the world and read and discussed as part of the citizenship curriculum.

My huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this new edition.