The Long Night

A True Story

By: Ernst Israel Bornstein

Narrated by: Ric Jerrom

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The Long Night is Ernst Israel Bornstein's first-hand account of what he witnessed in seven concentration camps. Written with remarkable insight and raw emotion, The Long Night paints a portrait of human psychology in the darkest of times. Bornstein tells the stories of those who did all they could do to withstand physical and psychological torture, starvation, and sickness, and openly describes those who were forced to inflict suffering on others. The narrative is simple, yet profound; unbridled, honest, and dignified. The Long Night is the extraordinary tale of Ernst Israel Bornstein's tortuous passage through a number of Nazi camps. What he endured reminds us that there were many different experiences of the camps and that there is no single Holocaust narrative. Most of the camps to which Dr Bornstein was sent remain little known today, yet they remind us of just how widespread, vast and destructive the brutal camp system was.

With introduction from former Prime Minister, David Cameron.

©2016 Ernst Israel Bornstein (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

"Ernst Israel Bornstein had been 18 when his world collapsed; youthful adaptability self-possession and above all, luck, combined to preserve his husk in seven work camps which might have been modeled on the sequence of Dante's circles of hell." ( The Times Literary Supplement)
"Both harrowing and inspirational, The Long Night is a chilling reminder of what can happen when we fail to challenge hatred and bigotry. It should be read by anyone who believes we still have lessons to learn from the Holocaust - and anyone who doesn't." (Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP)

A book for all times

This was not only a well written book, an educational book but a truly inspiring book. I’ve read many books about the holocaust but this is one everyone should read

Another well written holocaust account

Wow. I don’t know how the survivors do it. Such good detail of the horrific times they endured. Heartbreaking. I learned a lot about the concentration camps from his stories. This book also has many details about memorials or lack of. Sad to hear he passed so young.

Outstanding!!!

This account of a young man's personal experience of the Holocaust is the most comprehensive and detailed story of what it was truly like for a Jewish survivor of the Concentration Camps. His story... as it is told in this book recounts 4 years(!) of living and moving from one Concentration Camp to another... including, his experience of the "Death March" towards the end of the war. I have never heard a story like this from any documentary or book {or even a story-based movie} that gives so much insight into the Holocaust. Even the narrator does an excellent job of telling the story and conveying the emotion of this man's feelings throughout the whole event. This book is a MUST listen if you are someone who is interested in what took place during the Holocaust. 5 Stars all the way!!!

The Best and Most Complete!!

I haved read many holocaust memoirs and literature. This is the best and most complete, as far as details, feelings, and psychological effects are concerned. I couldn't put it down. What a tremendous human being, this man was!!!!

Eye opening

This is just an unbelievable story, and made me
Imagine the immense pain, suffering and loss. It is very well written.

Incredible study of human suffering and triumph

Not only is this book a very tragic story but it also is excellent in terms of understanding the human psyche in unbearably challenging situation. One of the best.

Tough true story...

We must never forget what happened. And we must be aware of the rising nazi problem in the US. good narration, except when he became overly dramatic.

Incredible Testimony

What an incredible, detailed account. So many camps! It’s an amazing account with perseverance to somehow make it through and survive barbaric treatment. The only criticism I can offer is that 90% (roughly) of the book covers the journey as a prisoner and upon finally obtaining freedom, very little is covered. But, what an amazing book! You certainly get the details and feelings of daily life of the author.

Extraordinary

A beautifully rendered recounting of a most horrific time in history. Read/listen to it and never allow for any one to discount it again. Shattering.

The "naked horror" - in the words of a survivor .

The author tells his own story of surviving not ony seven camps, but also "the long death march" fleeing the Soviet advance. As many holocaust memoirs as I have read, they are the sane, only so, so different. There are over 12 million unique stories yet untold.

"Is it true? you might ask. Absolutely. But if you ask, "Is it the truth?" the answer has to be a resounding "No; pen and ink and individuals' tellings can barely dent the whole truth, just cast glimpses of a story too large and horrible to tell." And the reader couldn't read them all without breaking.

Is this book worth reading? Absolutely! Truth makes the reader - the listener - stronger, braver, more tenderhearted, more compassionate to those around them today who suffer, and more passionate to live out that compassion in tangible ways, courageously speaking up against the inhumanity of man against man.

Herr Bornstein is both prosaic and articulate, but he is clearly a poet at heart. He has been compared to Dostyevski, but I think he might be more of a Solzhenitsyn. You decide.