Did the Children Cry: Hitler's War Against Jewish and Polish Children, 1939-45

• Utgivningsdatum: 2001-07-19
• Mått: 152 x 229 x 14 mm
• Vikt: 368 g
• Format: Häftad
• Språk: Engelska
• Antal sidor: 272
• Förlag: Hippocrene Books Inc.,U.S.
• ISBN: 9780781808705

• Europas historia
• Förintelsen
• Andra världskriget
• Modern militärhistoria

1 recensioner, genomsnitt 4/5

1. 4/5 Andrew A 2021-03-26

   Richard C Lukas, himself of Polish heritage, has written about the Polish experience during the Second World War for many years and should be regard as an authority. He has received a bad press from some quarters for including the plight of the gentile Poles in The Holocaust which has usually been associated exclusively with the Jews. The argument is that after Hitler had murdered all of the Jews, he would slaughter all of the gentile Poles and take their land to be an extension of Germany, populated by Germans. There is strong evidence for this. The ruthlessness with which the Poles were treated, the starvation, murder, imprisonment - even at Auschwitz and other extermination camps - can only lead one to the conclusion that the Poles were next.
   
   Did the Children Cry? focuses on the childhood of Polish Jews and Gentiles during the Nazi occupation of Poland, with many facts, quotations and anecdotes.
   
   I did not give this book five points because:
   1) Whilst this book goes deeply into the subject, I felt that I wanted to hear more about the individuals that Lukas cites. He gives us many short examples, I would have preferred to get to know these individuals better, to read more about their experiences.
   2) In places I was unsure about Lukas' meaning due to his syntax, and I am inquisitive about this topic and want to be clear on what happened then, apart from that, it is a readable account.
   
   I was impressed by the last chapter that reflected on the psychological (dehumanising) impact of the experiences on the children - one of many frightening aspects of the whole book.
   
   Great thanks to Richard Lukas for his work - may we never forget the evil the Nazis did and strive towards a world where human rights exist for all in the true spirit of the UN Declaration.
   
   There's now Polish book - Mały Oświęcim. Dziecięcy obóz w Łodzi - about the plight of gentile Polish children in a camp for children. I hope that it will soon be available in English or Swedish soon.