The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg

About the book:  terrible darkness has fallen upon Jacob Weisz's beloved Germany. The Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, has surged to power and now hold Germany by the throat. All non-Aryans -- especially Jews like Jacob and his family -- are treated like dogs.

When tragedy strikes during one terrible night of violence, Jacob flees and joins rebel forces working to undermine the regime. But after a raid goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself in a living nightmare -- trapped in a crowded, stinking car on the train to the Auschwitz death camp.

As World War II rages and Hitler begins implementing his "final solution" to systematically and ruthlessly exterminate the Jewish people, Jacob must rely on his wits and a God he's not sure he believes in to somehow escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the Nazi's atrocities before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.

My thoughts:  One should not pick this book up anticipating an entertaining read. No. This is heavy stuff. This is intense. This is harsh because the reality of this unfathomable period of darkness in the history of man is formidable.

But we should, and we must immerse our minds with this reality because if we do not learn from the wrongs and mistakes of history, then history will inevitably repeat itself. That must not be allowed to happen.

A work of fiction, The Auschwitz Escape carefully takes us through the horrors surrounding the lives of the peoples of Europe as Hitler's army and his political machine methodically executed his plan to exterminate the Jewish race. Along with them were others who sought to hide, protect, save the Jews. This included Christians, individually, and even whole villages.

Auschwitz was created for the sole purpose of extermination of people, primarily Jews. This is where Jacob, a Jew, and Luc, a Christian, are taken. Both men were members of the resistance. This is where they eventually and miraculously escaped Auschwitz.

Joel C. Rosenberg writes with heart, clarity, and authenticity. Don't miss this moving book.