War in the Shadow of Auschwitz

Memoirs of a Polish Resistance Fighter and Survivor of the Death Camps

By: John Wiernicki

Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1943 Polish underground fighter John Wiernicki is captured and beaten by the Gestapo, then shipped to Auschwitz. In this chilling memoir, Wiernicki, a Gentile, details life in the infamous death camp, and his battle to survive, physically and morally, in the face of utter evil. The author begins by remembering his aristocratic youth, an idyllic time shattered by German invasion. The ensuing dark days of occupation would fire the adolescent Wiernicki with a burning desire to serve Poland, a cause that led him to valiant action and eventual arrest. As a young non-Jew, Wiernicki was acutely sensitive to the depravity and injustice that engulfed him at Auschwitz. He bears witness to the harrowing selection and extermination of Jews doomed by birth to the gas chambers, to savage camp policies, brutal SS doctors, and rampant corruption with the system. He notes the difference in treatment between Jews and non-Jews. And he relives fearful unexpected encounters with two notorious "Angels of Death": Josef Mengele and Heinz Thilo. War in the Shadow of Auschwitz is an important historical and personal document.

©2001 John Wiernicki (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Wiernicki's memoir is a haunting and intimate account of the Holocaust, written with an almost unbearable clarity." ( Booklist)

"In this simple but harrowing memoir, Wiernicki recounts his involvement with the Polish underground and his subsequent imprisonment in Nazi labor and death camps. That the author is a gentile survivor makes his testimony especially significant..." ( Publishers Weekly)

A compeling recounting of survival

Would you listen to War in the Shadow of Auschwitz again? Why?

Yes, but not for a while. This biography was both amazing and horrifying. It's very well written and the level of detail makes it posible for you to almost see what's happening. This is normally a good thing but when you're reading about life in a concentration camp it can be tough to listen to. However this is nothing compared to how hard it must hae been to live through it.

What does Charles Henderson Norman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration was fantastic, I think I could happily listed to Charles read a dictionary. His narration played an important role is making this book comealive.

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

Lest we forget!

Any additional comments?

The subject makes it difficult to listen to, but stories like John's are important and listening to it is a valiable way to spend some time.

Note: This book was supplied free by the author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Uniquely told, historical, yet personal & moving.

Would you listen to War in the Shadow of Auschwitz again? Why?

Yes, I always enjoy picking up on details I missed the first time around!

What did you like best about this story?

This was my first time hearing one of these personal counts from a resistance point of view, slightly different than other survivor stories, yet ot remains up close and personal.

Have you listened to any of Charles Henderson Norman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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

Initially the narrators voice seemed robotic and I almost stopped listening, But I grew to enjoy it. So glad I didn't put it down!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was recieved via Audiobook Boom, at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow....Just Wow

Loved every minute of it, extremely hard at some points and had me at tears at many. Good Narration as well.

Moving

Wow such a gripping moving story. A polish young man is in prison, and gets put in the camps, with the jewish. Man, the things he has seen, and went though. this book will move you. It so hard to hear what we as people put other people though. there is just no compassion! some parts will stick with you. Thankfully this is not a gruesome detailed book but you get the point. and really lets you know what was going on back them.

Thank you for sharing your story with us. May we all learn from this.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Inspiring Story of Survival

The story of a young man in his mid teens in Poland at the outbreak of WWII. At the risk of a spoiler alert, he spent most of the war a prisoner in/near Auschwitz. The litany of people he encountered most of whom did not survive the war and even the many of captors who were later tried and executed for their crimes was heartrending. I found myself trying to decide how I might have responded at that age and expecting that I would most likely not have survived. Sure, perhaps a bit dry in parts, but gosh dangit, that is what the reality was!

The narrator did an excellent job carrying the what I will call stoic pathos of the author through his journey and quest to survive. Obviously he had a good handle on the Polish and German vocabulary integral to such a story.

Powerful but certainly not light reading/listening.

A very interesting book.

It was an interesting book to listen to. A lot of details of how it was in the Polish resistance movement. And about surviving in the deathcamps. The narrator did a good job with this book. The voice and the book was a "good match".

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

A difficult Book

This book was difficult to read. The subject matter was difficult, of course, but I didn't find the author a very hopeful person, even when he was in the resistance army. Many thoughts are repeated, with clunky phrasing...
The narrator's booming voice was distracting from the story, and his dialogue was incredibly flat and weak, like he was reading the narrative passages with no emotion.
And yet, I couldn't seem to stop listening.
No matter how many WWII books I read, there's always another angle, another life, another story. I had hoped to hear more about the author's post WWII life, how his experiences shaped him and changed him, his successes and setbacks after the war, but the author chose not to give us more than the briefest glimpse into his life as a student in the UK and then as a husband in the USA.
I am unsure if it was worth the time or credit, but it's worth reading if you want a look into a very bleak time in history from the point of view of a soldier.
I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

Moving and Gripping

Any additional comments?

I felt the pain and need for human dignity in this world after reading this book. The narrator and author captured the integral message well.

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

A true account of WWII horrors

Any additional comments?

This book told a horrible story of what life was like for those having to experience torture by the hands of the Nazi's. It was hard to listen to this because I could picture the life - and deaths - of so many deemed not worthy of living. It was a little dry at times but well worth listening to if you're interested in learning the hard truth.

This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

A True Account of Prison Life at Auschwitz, Birkenau and Buchenwald

In 1983, I met the man born in Poland as Janusz Strojnowski, known in America as John Wiernicki. We were introduced by my neighbor, his son Peter. I had no idea I was meeting a survivor of Auschwitz. He was the good-natured father of a friend.

One never knows if a friend’s relative is a good writer, but the personal connection is motivation to buy the book. I’m so glad I did.

John Wiernicki paints a vivid picture of pre-war Poland, the German invasion, Polish resistance fighting, and most clearly of all, daily life at Auschwitz. I have read books on the subject that focused on the fate of the Jews, the role of faith in survival, or were scholarly studies by people who never spent one day as a prisoner. Wiernicki, a non-Jew, focuses instead on the whole prison population, daily life and the means of survival. The writing is vivid, smooth and well-paced. Horrific details are told in a way that is respectful to the victims.
After WWII, Mr. Wiernicki and his wife moved to England, then to America. He died several years ago.
Rest In Peace, Mr. Wiernicki.