Overview

Strength and unwavering faith conquer the most brutal circumstances in this masterful biography of survival against Nazi brutality. In Strength from Within, Amrom Gottesman explores the horrific story of his father, Leibish, enduring the ravages of the ghetto before he is transported to several concentration camps during World War II. While his family perishes at Auschwitz, Leibish survives and is tortured to the point of nearly dying too. Still, his journey to liberation is marked with divine encounters with good people, such as fifty-year-old fellow prisoner Mr. Springer, who shows him kindness despite the harsh reality of Dachau. Leibish's only living brother, Kalmen, has a separate experience during the Holocaust that eventually brings them together-older and much changed. At the height of World War II, the Gottesman family is transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where most of them perish. Surviving this tragedy is a teenaged Leibish, who is moved to Dachau. There, he meets a comrade in Mr. Springer as they suffered brutal conditions. Leibish loses contact with his only living brother, Kalmen, until after the war-when both men have changed in unimaginable ways. This biography highlights Leibish's grueling train ride south when the Nazis had to abandon Dachau. The endeavor put them right in the crossfire of the Americans and Germans. With safety diminishing at every turn, how did Leibish survive with no family left? This detailed portrayal of one man's survival under Nazi brutality is a testament to the power of the human spirit. With superhuman strength and unwavering faith, Leibish clung to life and morality, rising above the physical and moral torture during the hellish war years. In spite of his personal suffering, Leibish extended himself to others with unbelievable sacrifice. It was his inner reserves of strength along with miraculous Divine intervention that sustained him and his only surviving brother, with whom he was reunited after the Holocaust. Strength from Within highlights the evils of humanity and the triumph of hope, even when surviving seems impossible This true story poignantly details how the human spirit survives war and can even thrive afterward when normal life settles in again. It also highlights how far hope can carry you, even on battered wings.

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Reviews

A harrowing tale of survival against all odds I found this to be a profoundly moving story of survival during one of the most horrifying periods in history: the Holocaust. Author Amrom Gottesman pulls no punches as he shares his father's account of persecution, torture, and starvation as a Jew in World War II's ghettos and concentration camps. Along with the horrors of Nazi war crimes come stories of angels who help the prisoners in one way or another, with bits of extra food or medical help, whispered advice on the right line to avoid the gas chamber, or emotional support to get them through another day. In the end, it is a combination of faith, strength, and compassion for (and from) his fellow prisoners that see Gottesman's father through to the end of the war. A compelling read. In Strength from Within, Gottesman writes about his father Leibish's perspective of the rise of Nazi Germany, the Jewish ghetto, and concentration camps in the Holocaust. It is an absorbing tale and draws the reader into the story the way a fiction novel might. While, ultimately, I knew what was going to happen, I found myself transfixed by the story and wanting to know what happened next. Although it is a deeply sobering story about the evil man is capable of, it is also a story of hope. This is a very engaging and interesting account for everyone to read, not just Holocaust scholars. The most moving book I have read in a long while This beautifully written true story haunted me long after I finished the book. In this story, author Amrom Gottesman details his family's Holocaust experiences, chronicling his father's views of the events leading up to WWII and the Holocaust. The accounts of Gottesman's father, Liebish, in Auschwitz are poignant and unforgettable, as hard as they can be to read. Gottesman's affecting and heartrending tale is punctuated and delineated by family photos, historical documents, and maps that add to the reader's experience and understanding. In the midst of the horrors and atrocities described is a chapter entitled Ray of Light, detailing the hope that was still found during this dark time through friendship and connection. This is an important and highly recommended read for everyone; we all must remember this chilling epoch of history to ensure that it is never repeated. Chronicling the experience of a family of Slovakian Jews during World War II, Strength from Within provides an unflinching, true-to-life accounting of the dangers and depredations faced by the Jews under the Nazi regime. Presented with Yiddish dialect to properly ground readers in the lived experiences of his family, author Gottesman brings a layer of verisimilitude to his chronicle that's impossible not to like. While chronicling the horrors of the Holocaust, he also outlines the connections between survivors, showcasing the bonds that form in times of great trauma. Through these connections, we see how light can emerge from darkness. When it comes to the imperative to Never forget, this book makes certain that task will be fulfilled. This incredible true story details the author's father's experience in Auschwitz. Packed with history alongside the personal details of one family's horrific trials, Strength from Within stands as a moving, heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant story that represents both a warning and a beacon of hope in the modern world. As we're faced with the current atrocities in Ukraine, this biography is unfortunately more relevant than ever. It's a must-read for history buffs but also those who desire a human story about the resilience of the soul in the face of unspeakable horrors.

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