This is the story of their parallel journey through World War II.
Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. But their lives took radically different courses: Helen's to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth.
While Helen was hiding in Amsterdam, Alfons was a fanatic believer in Hitler's "master race." While she was crammed in a cattle car bound for the death camp Auschwitz, he was a teenage commander of frontline troops, ready to fight and die for the glory of Hitler and the Fatherland. This book tells both of their stories, side-by-side, in an overwhelming account of the nightmare that was WWII. The riveting stories of these two remarkable people must stand as a powerful lesson to us all.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
I love this book.:
This book..drew me in like a book had been incapable of doing for a while. I read it for a book report, because I enjoy reading about history. I have never had such an easier time recaling facts from a work before...I found myself becoming so thouroughly entwined with the story in my report on it, that I was near tears, and my voice was shaking. Just through telling the story, the whole room was silent. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone with a mind who is willing to use it. -W's daughter
amazingly uplifting:
Although this was a book about great sorrow and despair, the strength of the human spirit shines through in the heart and mind of Helen Waterford. What was also astounding was the thoughts and emotions of Alfons Heck. What a horrific time--more than the mind can comprehend...and what a truly amazing journey of the souls that brought these two people together. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I just finished reading it and passed it along to my daughter.
The World Must Never Forget:
The world must never forget the holocaust. Today some people espouse a theory that the nearly 12,000,000 deaths (6,000,000 of them Jews) at the hands of the Nazi party never happened. This sad, but honest, tale traces the lives of two persons who lived through that era. Helen Waterford was a Jew who experienced the atrocities first hand. Alfons Heck was a high ranking member of Hitler's youth. Both lived to tell their tales. Both met each other after the war. Both told their tales together. This book... more info
eleanor's best book ever!:
WOW, what a book i would say. It's a very moving book about the memoirs of Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck during WWII.This book should be in high school history not to say only for high schoolers but 12 year olds and up.
