The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition) (0805210601) - Reviews and Prices
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The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition) (0805210601) - Customer Reviews, Information, Ratings, and Prices
The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition) (0805210601) - Reviews and Prices
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to--and obtain absolution from--a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing. But even years after the way had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place? In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, China and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past. Often surprising and always thought provoking, The Sunflower will challenge you to define your beliefs about justice, compassion, and human responsibility.
Author Simon Weisenthal recalls his demoralizing life in a concentration camp and his envy of the dead Germans who have sunflowers marking their graves. At the time he assumed his grave would be a mass one, unmarked and forgotten. Then, one day, a dying Nazi soldier asks Weisenthal for forgiveness for his crimes against the Jews. What would you do? This important book and the provocative question it poses is birthing debates, symposiums, and college courses. The Dalai Lama, Harry Wu, Primo Levi, and others who have witnessed genocide and human tyranny answer Wiesenthal's ultimate question on forgiveness.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
The Limits of Forgiveness:
Its not every day we come across a book that honestly changes us.
The Sunflower is a book, that sharpens the mind of the reader.
It can possibly even change the way a person thinks and views Forgiveness. The book can be divided into two parts. The first part of the book - The author tells of his personal experience in a concentration camp, and of the dying Nazi soldier who asked him for forgiveness. The question of if he did the right thing; haunts the author for the duration of his... more info
The Sunflower:
If this book were not written by the already famous Simon Wiesenthal it might not garner such notoriety. Had an unknown published it I doubt that it would be so widely used in teaching situations and as a base for discussion. Many of the commentators simply do homage to Wiesenthal by answering the prompt at the end of the story. I did not find the commentaries to be of much use. What possible difference could Simon's response make to those who perpetrated the crimes or to their victims? How would his... more info
forgiveness:
This book was fascinating. I was not expecting the ending, but totally understood it. It was a great read and recommend it to anyone who has ever had to deal with forgiveness, whether it was being the forgiver or the forgiven.
Excellent:
I absolutely loved this book. He talks about his experience in the concentration camps and how one SS soldier was on his death bed asking him for his forgiveness for a horrible act he committed, and his reaction to that request. You will also learn the significance of the sunflower. It definitely opens your mind and makes you think about your life and what you would have done in that situation. I highly recommend this book.
