The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz

A True Story of World War II

By: Denis Avey, Rob Broomby

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz is the extraordinary true story of a British soldier who marched willingly into Buna-Monowitz, the concentration camp known as Auschwitz III. In the summer of 1944, Denis Avey was being held in a POW labour camp, E715, near Auschwitz III. He had heard of the brutality meted out to the prisoners there, and he was determined to witness what he could. He hatched a plan to swap places with a Jewish inmate and smuggled himself into his sector of the camp.

He spent the night there on two occasions and experienced at first-hand the cruelty of a place where slave workers had been sentenced to death through labour. Astonishingly, he survived to witness the aftermath of the Death March in which thousands of prisoners were murdered by the Nazis as the Soviet Army advanced. After his own long trek right across central Europe he was repatriated to Britain.

For decades he couldn't bring himself to revisit the past that haunted his dreams, but now Denis Avey feels able to tell the full story - a tale as gripping as it is moving - which offers us a unique insight into the mind of an ordinary man whose moral and physical courage are almost beyond belief.

©2011 Denis Avey with Rob Broomby (P)2011 Hodder & Stoughton

Captivating. Definitely worth reading/listening

Would you listen to The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz again? Why?

Yes I would, although the story stuck with me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, luckily enough I took it for long runs!

Eye Openeing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For all the WWII movies, and History Channel programmes, this audio book was an eye opener to the Actual Horrors experienced by One Denis Avey, a British POW. Very interesting, I could not stop listening.

What did you like best about this story?

A Journey of a man through the war. Not too much in depth detail day by day, but snippets of off the critical pieces over those years with just the right amount of detail as lived through and experienced by Avey.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Awesome Narrator... Calm, soulful, meaningful delivery.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Horrified at the atrocities of the Concentration Camps.

Any additional comments?

My Favorite Listen So Far.

Well worth listening to

What did you love best about The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz?

Fascinating account. I enjoyed the additional autobiographical detail and it was easy to empathize with the author. Well written and authentically narrated. The story is so astonishing that at times I found myself wondering if it could be true but the details seemed sufficiently plausible and I was absorbed from beginning to end.

What other book might you compare The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz to and why?

None

Have you listened to any of Sean Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Same as title

Any additional comments?

No

Surprisingly, a Gem

I was hesitant at first to read a story about the Holocaust by a person who was not one of the victims. He may have been brave to sneak into a death camp, but he was an observer and I was doubtful he would have much of significance to add to what others have told. Would his story just be a sort of "me too" effort to steal some of the thunder from the actual survivors? The book sat on my wishlist for a long time before I purchased it.
Even then, I found it hard to plod through much of the book as he retold the story of his experiences as a British soldier in WWII. It seemed that perhaps the title was just "click bait", as it were, although that is a bit unfair: life as a soldier was far from easy.
But if you, too, wonder, keep plowing through. There is something incredibly beautiful and human in this story of a man who, after suffering himself, reached out to help another, even though it seemed practically pointless.
He tells his story with a subtle humility. His story is told from the vantage point yes, of an observer, but yes, someone who was still part of the whole whirlwind which was the war. Avey lived a life with many ups and downs; he is not a "bigger than life" hero. He is an average person who somehow was able to score a point for our better natures.

SPELLBINDING, COULDNT PUT IT DOWN

Would you try another book from Denis Avey and Rob Broomby and/or Sean Barrett?

YES

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz?

THE EXCHANGE AND BOLDNESS TO CONFRONT AN SS SOLDIER

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

ONE FEELS HE IS TALKING DIRECTLY TO YOU.

Any additional comments?

ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE FACTS OF WW2 HISTORY SHOULD READ THIS STORY. IT IS BOTH HEART BREAKING AND UPLIFTING AND LEAVES ONE WITH A SENSE OF PRIDE THAT THERE WERE THOSE WHO WERE PREPARED TO LOSE EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO HELP ANOTHER HUMAN BEING IN AN EXTREMELY BAD SITUATION. IT IS HARROWING AND INFORMATIVE AND I COULD'NT PUT IT DOWN. I THINK IT IS A MUST READ!

Worthwhile read

Compelling. The author Avey embarked on a difficult journey as a soldier, but I read it for the light at the end of the tunnel. Recommended read if you’re looking for some hope in life.