Author: Jean Bernard
Completed: 11/11/09
This book was written by a Catholic priest from Luxemburg who survived WWII in the concentration camp Dachau. At this camp, priests were housed separately from the general population after the initial acclimation period and originally received special privileges. This did not mean, however, that they were exempt from the horrors of the camp.
The book is a memoir specifically of Fr. Bernard’s time in the camp. He was released approximately two years into his stay primarily due to interventions by his brother. He also experienced an unprecedented temporary release from the camp which allowed him time to travel back to his home country.
This was a very short and gripping read. People tend to forget that non-Jewish people were sent to and killed in concentration camps by the Nazis. In this case, there was a section of Dachau set aside just for Catholic priests, who tended to be charged with resistance against the Nazi movement. This was the case for Fr. Bernard. The details are horrifying. It was like a gruesome car crash, where you are bewildered by the destruction and loss of life by cannot rip your eyes away from it. I flew through this book in a matter of days, primarily because I needed to know what horrors came next.
10 words or less: Quick yet horrifying look into concentration camp life.
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