Witness : Images of Auschwitz

By Alexandre Oler and David Olere

Inside these pages are some of the most famous drawings to emerge from a survivor of Nazi extermination camps. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 094103769X
• ISBN13: 9780941037693
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: West Wind Press
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 11.0" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

My father new the author

This book is so breath-taking, the art, the feelings portrayed through Mr. Olere's art is undescribable, you must own the book to get 1 % of the feelings being expressed.

"Witness: Images of Auschwitz" by D. Olere and A. Oler

This slim volume contains over forty drawings and paintings done by David Olere. He did these works from personal remembrances of his time at Auschwitz death camp. The text is written by his son, Alexandre, who was not at the camp, but hiding out with his mother.Olere spent his time in the camp working in the crematorium. He would bring the bodies from the chambers and put them in the ovens. His story is not told as most stories are. His story is told through his pictures and his son's writing. Both are horrific to witness. "Witness" is an important word in this book. Through Olere's art, the reader witnesses what he witnessed. Through Oler's words, the reader becomes a witness. The father and son force the reader to look at the horror, and not turn away.The images are not for the faint of heart, but the faint of heart should witness this book. Everyone should witness this book. Oler writes that his father died in his eighties but not of a disease. He died from a broken heart when university professors began to deny the Holocaust altogether."Witness: Images of Auschwitz" is a small, terrifying book. I suggest it to anyone who thinks we should "get past" the horrors of World War II, and the events of September 11, 2001.Quote:"I did not survive to rewrite the historyOf the Second World WarAnd explain how it came about and why.I have no idea. I have no opinions.I survived just to show you what it is likeEvery day in the camp.I say, "What it is like," not how it was.To me it still is. I am in it.Every morning I start all over again fromThe Hell Train on.Every night, I struggle for my next breathOf fresh air."--page 26

Horrifically Honest

I first saw this book when I was visiting the Holocaust Museum (in Washington) and it was equally disturbing as all the displays/exhibits in the museum. The illustrator is a very talented artist, and the author of the text was very poetic. It's an extremely powerful piece of work, both terrifying and also touching. Specifically, I remember the pictures of the phases of the gas chamber, and the text entitled something like "How Many More?" which was a prayer. An incredible book, but only for mature audiences.

The book caused me to become very mentally disturbed

The books images are very very disturbing. I will never be the same, little kids should not see this. Good Lord all the humanity. Please do not read it if you are weak of heart. If you are satomasikist then go right ahead.