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Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Dead Years: Holocaust Memoirs is the personal story of Joseph Schupack. Joseph Schupack describes his life from when he was transported from Radzyn-Podaski to Treblinka and then on to other concentration camps, including Auschwitz in World War II. He tells a frank story of how he fought to stay true to himself, to his own humanity, throughout a long period of brutality, humility, and degradation. His story tells us of life in 1930s Poland, and then life in a concentration camp. This is his witness statement, a statement that tells us when, where and who, a statement that declares Schupack’s work for the Polish Underground Movement and his loss through the bloody murder of his family and friends. We learn how people drew together, shared their last scraps of food amongst each other, and then we learn how Schupack struggled to get back his possessions when he was released, of the hatred against Jews that he continued to face long after the concentration camps were gone. This is the true story of a Holocaust survivor, a story that means we can never forget the atrocities of war.
The Dead Years: Holocaust Memoirs by Joseph Schupack was a deeply moving book. This isn’t the first memoir I have read about life in the concentration camps, but it is one of the first that goes into so much detail and one of the first to describe the troubles that the Jewish people still faced after the life in the camps. It is a story told from the heart, incredibly descriptive to the point where it brings it all to life in front of your eyes; I almost felt as if I had been transported to Treblinka along with him. This is a very poignant story, a heartfelt reminder of something that so many prefer to forget ever happened and something that we should never forget. I would recommend this to any person who has an interest in the war and the Holocaust and who wants to read the truth. Thank you for committing your memories to paper, Mr. Schupack, and may God rest your soul in the peace that you deserve.