Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz

by Sheila Cohn Dekel, Lucette Lagnado, Sheila Dekel, et al.

Book Overview

During World War II, Nazi doctor Josef Mengele subjected some 3,000 twins to medical experiments of unspeakable horror; only 160 survived. In this remarkable narrative, the life of Auschwitz's Angel of Death is told in counterpoint to the lives of the survivors, who until now have kept silent about their heinous death-camp ordeals.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140169318
• ISBN13: 9780140169317
• Release Date: May 1992
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

It was ok

After reading the description i was expecting something a little different. I was thinking there was more from the childrens point of views and what had happened from the doctor. There was more info on the doctor than about the children.

Horror

It is necessary to experience this book. Why? One's humanity is frayed by the daily headlines. Reading what the victims of the Nazis suffered, especially by the hand of Dr. Mengele, somehow makes it more possible to try to ameliorate the suffering of those around us.

A SAD ACCOUNT BUT, NONETHELESS, A TRUE ACCOUNT

Both my parents served in the armed forces overseas during World War II, and it was through them, as a young adult, I heard of the "children of the flames" and the horrors of the concentration camps. When the book was first published, it caught my attention for that very reason. "Children of the Flames" is not an easy book to read simply because of the subject matter. However, the authors have managed to relate the story in a way that tells of the evil acts committed but in as diplomatic a manner as possible. The attrocities are almost too bloodcurdling to conceive. For me, it was impossible to read "Children of the Flames" in one sitting, especially the interviews which actually describe life and the experiments at Auschwitz. This is the story of Josef Mengele and his "children of Auschwitz". Selecting primarily twins (or others who caught his eye) from the multitudes of Jews headed for the gas chambers, Mengele used these innocent children to satisfy his own perverse needs, all in the name of research, as human guinea pigs for his own horrendous experiments. The book is based upon interviews with survivors of Mengele's twins, and the reader will quickly discover, there are few survivors. The interviews tell the life of survivors before capture, during their time at Auschwitz and after their release. Almost all victims have had a lifetime of horrific, unending nightmares except those who cannot remember. Those who cannot remember, and there are few, are perhaps blessed with the body's unique defence system to block out that which is too unbearable and too painful to remember. It has been over fifty years since the Holocaust, but it will forever remain a part of our history. Perhaps we owe it to the survivors of the Holocaust, and the families of those who did not survive, to honour their memory by a book such as this. For those of us who were born after World Ward II, the book will give the reader a deeper appreciation of the freedom we have today in North America.

One of the better one on the subject...

Well-written book, easy to read. Actually one of the better ones about subject of Mengele and Auschwitz. No lengthy boring descriptions or statistical speculations. Just good writing mixed with moving quotes of survived victims. I've read many books about Mengele and all of them were dry and filled with assumptions. This book states simple facts supported by eyewitness accounts. A lot of times I had to put this book away to digest all the evil that was done to those poor children. Reading "Children of the Flames" is like being on the emotional roller coaster. This book will grab you by your heart and deeply move you. There are not enough words to describe the pain and suffering that happened. Very accurate account. If I could read only one book about Mengele this would be the one.