jbronderbookreviews

Anything But His Soul: A Holocaust Memoir by Moshe Bomberg & Aviva Hershko

Meeting his brother in Auschwitz, he understood that they are all alone

A young boy’s world falls apart! He can trust no one and does not know what his tomorrow holds or if he will live to see it.

Poland 1944, Mjetek finds himself in Auschwitz after taking part in Zionist underground activities trying to fight against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. He meets his brother and understands that their entire family has been massacred and that their days are numbered. Mjetek decides to not give up and says he is a blacksmith, though he has never worked with metal. At work in one of the factories, a melted piece of iron falls and burns him. He manages to go back to the camp and his brother takes care of him, selling his golden tooth for medical supplies. Staying in the “clinic” was supposed to be the end of Mjetek but this is actually what saves him. When his brother is marched to his death and they have to say their final goodbye.

Mjetek’s story of survival is marked with small miracles, determination and unbelievable bravery. This memoir will leave you breathless and heartbroken, yet, inspired.

Amazon     Goodreads

About the Author

Moshe Mjetek Bomberg was born in 1920 in Warsaw – Poland. WWII brought him to the Warsaw Ghetto, the Osrowitz camp and the Auschwitz concentration camp where he understood that he was the only one survivor of his entire family. After the Soviets freed the camp and Mjetek was saved, he joined the Polish Security Service and from there, as a refugee, tried to make his way to Israel. His journey to Israel was not a success due to the British Mandate and he was sent to Cyprus. This is where he met his wife Sara.

In January 1949, Mjetek and Sara came to Israel and at the end of that year had their first daughter whom they named Zehava – after his mother. Their son was born 5 years later and named Yechezkel – after Mjetek’s brother.

In Israel, Mjetek worked as a wrestling coach and a referee and took part in the Munich Olympics, where 11 of the Israeli team members were murdered.
Mjetek’s children gave him five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

My Review

5 stars

This is the story of Mjetek Bomberg’s survival of World War II. Mjetek grew up in Poland and watched as the antisemitism blazed through his home country. He relates how him and his family found themselves in the ghetto then send to the concentration camps. Mjetek was separated from his family but when he got to Auschwitz he meets his brother and learns that the rest of his family have been killed. But that meeting was short lived as they were separated and his brother was killed. But an accident that sent him to the hospital is what ended up saving him.

I am a strong advocate for reading stories from the Holocaust because I feel that those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Plus we have an obligation to the survivor’s to keep their memories even as horrible as they were. This can be hard initially since most survivors don’t want to talk about what they lived through.

Mjetek is one of those survivors that didn’t talk about his time but left tapes for his grandchildren. His granddaughter has put his story together and created a heartbreaking but wonderful memorial for her grandfather. But the story is not based on just his time in the concentration camps. His story goes on to talk about how the Jewish were prosecuted even after World War II.

We also learn of how Mjetek tried to get to Israel and how he met his wife in Cyprus. He goes on to become a wrestling coach and was part of the Munich Olympic where 11 members of the Israeli team were murdered. Mjetek definitely lived quite the life and I feel honored to read about it.

I strongly recommend checking out Anything But His Soul. This is one of those books that needs to be read so we don’t forget the horrors that happened during World War II and afterwards.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Ari at Candid Book Reviews for the opportunity to read and share this book.

Read Full Post »

St. Benet’s (DI Tanner – 2) by David Blake

A girl thrown from a church tower, a man sacrificed to Satan, and a priest murdered at the hands of the Devil.

When the body of an old man is found lying in the ruins of St Benet’s Abbey, his throat cut, a knife resting in his open hand, DI John Tanner and DC Jenny Evans are given no choice but to accept a ruling of death by misadventure.

But when the body goes missing from its tomb, after a priest is found nailed to a cross, and another impaled on a stake, everything begins to point back to the murder of a teenage girl, thrown from the top of a church tower, some forty-three years before.

Set within the mysterious beauty of the Norfolk Broads, this fast-paced British detective series is a murder mystery with a slice of humour and a touch of romance, one that will have you guessing until the very end, when the last shocking twist is finally revealed.

St. Benet’s is a totally addictive gripping crime thriller, the second in a chilling series of serial killer books, ones which will rapidly convert followers of L J Ross, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Damien Boyd and Helen H. Durrant into David Blake devotees.

Amazon UK     Amazon US     Goodreads

THE DEBUT CRIME THRILLER SERIES OF THE YEAR!
“Wow! Even better than Broadland!” Anna Burke

About the Author

David Blake is a full-time author living in North London. To date he has written fourteen books along with a collection of short stories. He’s currently working on his fifteenth, St. Benet’s, which is the follow-up to his debut crime fiction thriller, Broadland.

When not writing, David likes to spend his time mucking about in boats, often in the Norfolk Broads, where his crime fiction books are based.

Website     Amazon Profile     Facebook Readers’ Group     Facebook Site     Goodreads

My Review

5 Stars

An elderly man is found dressed as a monk in the ruins of the St. Benet’s Abbey. His throat is cut and the police don’t know if it was suicide, murder, or misadventure. They end up ruling the death as misadventure. The man said that he had a book that made him believe that he could rise from the dead. Then the body disappears from its tomb. Then more bodies start showing up and it is starting to look like they are connected to a murder for forty years earlier.

This is my first book from author David Blake and the second in the series. I had no problem hopping right into the story and not feeling too lost. But I do think that reading the books in order would give you more of a feel for the characters.

You have a strange death, a missing body, a murder from forty years earlier, and more bodies starting to show up. If that wasn’t enough you also have Tanner and Evans working together and their personal drama too. There is a lot going on but everything is relevant to the story. No fluff to fill in pages or throw you off the case.

I loved this story and was kept guessing until the end. I recommend this book for anyone that likes a great police procedure thriller. I can’t wait to catch up on what I have missed from the Broadland.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Book on the Bright Side for the opportunity to read and share this book.

Read Full Post »