I survived Auschwitz

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." – George Santayana

 

A few weeks ago, some family members bought this book for me. I'm interested in history and this book reminded me of Anna Frank. I'm not sure what I expected but this book was really mindblowing. 

Note: If you are looking for a fictional story to spend some nice time, don't pick this one. 

It's not a novel so don't expect nice language or complex sentence structure. If you've written Anna Frank's diary, then you can probably imagine what this is about. However, this story begins when the writer is already caught and sent to a concentration camp. 

Krystyna (that's not the name she was born with) manages to show the reality of the camp, the difficulties, and the obstacles toward survival. She doesn't try to make things look nicer. You will read about the experiments, the tortures, the living conditions, and the relationships between the people in the camp. I liked that there were chapters dedicated to gypsies or Greek Jews, for example. 

Page after page, I felt powerless and horrified by what Krystyna and so many others had to go through. I've read history books, yes. I've watched many movies and read many novels about it, but this book is different. The writer isn't afraid to speak, to show her sorrow and her despair. But she also shows strength, optimism, and hope for a better future. 

I found out that she has written another book "Empty Water", about two decades after she wrote this one. According to this description in GoodReads because she realized that people still didn't understand what had happened in Ghettos and during the resistance. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21124626-empty-water

I recommend this book to everyone. It's eye-opening, it's real, it's the legacy of a woman who survived. Now, it's our turn. We must learn and remember the past!

The Hunger Games

Our future or a present we must escape from?

"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous." -President Snow, The Hunger Games 

In 2008, Suzanne Collins published "The Hunger Games", the first book of a trilogy that would later receive many awards and be praised by critics. Soon, the movie adaptations would change the movie industry too. 

The main topic is survival in a world of oppression, poverty, and injustice. The rich become richer, and the poor are forced to send their kids to brutal games of death to please the "Capitol" and pay for a rebellion that took place years ago. The regime creates fear, and controls and distracts the "Districts" with "bread and circuses". Katniss, a young female, is forced to participate in the Games to save her sister from certain death. The girl with the bow sparks hope and becomes the symbol of rebellion. 

I've mentioned in a previous post that books let us daydream, and travel to magical worlds, however, I doubt anyone would want to travel there. This is the kind of book that is enjoyable, yes, but, also, a message to all of us; our present and future selves. 

Even though it's a work of fiction, one can notice the similarities with our modern world. Unequal distribution of power, money, and food is apparent in both worlds (Panem, and our world), while the media and the governments try to distract from what's important. Sometimes, they give us glimpses of hope, but, mostly, we watch and read about destruction, wars, famine, death. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. 

In the books, Katniss's actions sparked a rebellion. Is this happening in our world already or do we have a lot of work before we open our minds? 

Relevant or not, the Hunger Games have marked a new generation of science fiction and dystopian novels. Whether you like the writing style or not, whether you think that Katniss could act smarter in some instances or not, whether you're team Peeta or team Gale, "fire is catching", and let's hope, that the world won't burn. 

P.S. If you haven't read the books, I, totally, recommend them. The author published "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", the prequel of the trilogy, in 2020, and the film will be released on November 2023. I've yet to read this book, but I'll do it soon, and I'll be back with a new post. 

Until then, stay safe, and may the odds be ever in your favor!