Survivor: Auschwitz, The Death March and My Fight for Freedom
Jun 2013 · Macmillan + ORM
star
7 reviews
Ebook
321
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
"[A] deeply intimate account . . . Masterfully conveys the grim absurdity of the Nazi mentality and the utter dejection of the concentration-camp prisoner." — Kirkus Reviews
Sam Pivnik is the ultimate survivor from a world that no longer exists. On fourteen occasions he should have been killed, but luck, his physical strength, and his determination not to die all played a part in Sam Pivnik living to tell his extraordinary story.
In 1939, on his thirteenth birthday, Pivnik's life changed forever when the Nazis invaded Poland. He survived the two ghettoes set up in his home town of Bedzin and six months on Auschwitz's notorious Rampe Kommando where prisoners were either taken away for entry to the camp or gassing. After this harrowing experience he was sent to work at the brutal Fürstengrube mining camp. He could have died on the 'Death March' that took him west as the Third Reich collapsed and he was one of only a handful of people who swam to safety when the Royal Air Force sank the prison ship Cap Arcona in 1945, mistakenly believing it to be carrying fleeing members of the SS.
He eventually made his way to London where he found people too preoccupied with their own wartime experiences on the Home Front to be interested in what had happened to him.
Now in his eighties, Sam Pivnik tells for the first time the story of his life, a true tale of survival against the most extraordinary odds.
"Absorbing and often riveting . . . another worthy addition to the books on the horrors of Nazi occupation." — Booklist
Sam Pivnik is the ultimate survivor from a world that no longer exists. On fourteen occasions he should have been killed, but luck, his physical strength, and his determination not to die all played a part in Sam Pivnik living to tell his extraordinary story.
In 1939, on his thirteenth birthday, Pivnik's life changed forever when the Nazis invaded Poland. He survived the two ghettoes set up in his home town of Bedzin and six months on Auschwitz's notorious Rampe Kommando where prisoners were either taken away for entry to the camp or gassing. After this harrowing experience he was sent to work at the brutal Fürstengrube mining camp. He could have died on the 'Death March' that took him west as the Third Reich collapsed and he was one of only a handful of people who swam to safety when the Royal Air Force sank the prison ship Cap Arcona in 1945, mistakenly believing it to be carrying fleeing members of the SS.
He eventually made his way to London where he found people too preoccupied with their own wartime experiences on the Home Front to be interested in what had happened to him.
Now in his eighties, Sam Pivnik tells for the first time the story of his life, a true tale of survival against the most extraordinary odds.
"Absorbing and often riveting . . . another worthy addition to the books on the horrors of Nazi occupation." — Booklist
"[A] deeply intimate account . . . Masterfully conveys the grim absurdity of the Nazi mentality and the utter dejection of the concentration-camp prisoner." — Kirkus Reviews
Sam Pivnik is the ultimate survivor from a world that no longer exists. On fourteen occasions he should have been killed, ...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
7 reviews
Noel Mills Designs
- Flag inappropriate
May 5, 2016
One of the first books I have read from a male survivor. Brutally honest and captivating
4 people found this review helpful
Rachel Powers
- Flag inappropriate
January 30, 2014
This book is well written and touches your soul.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
SAM PIVNIK was born in Poland in 1926. In 1943 his family was sent to Auschwitz II where Pivnik's parents and five siblings were murdered. After many brushes with death, Pivnik was liberated by the British Army in 1945. He now shares his memories through lectures and talks.
M J TROW is the author of many books on historical subjects, including War Crimes: Underworld Britain in the Second World War. He studied military history at King's College, London.
SAM PIVNIK was born in Poland in 1926. In 1943 his family was sent to Auschwitz II where Pivnik's parents and five siblings were murdered. After many brushes with death, Pivnik was liberated by the British Army in 1945. He now shares his memories through lectures and talks.
M J TROW is the autho...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
