Kudos to Dr. Diane Plotkin for her thorough research into the lives of the women featured in this book. Her attention to detail helps transport us to the various camps where we experience dehumanization and deprivation. Through it all, however, it is interesting to see the various ways these women nurtured and tried to protect one another. This is a "must-read" book because it clearly illustrates the general differences in the ways men and women coped with, and adapted to, life in the concentration camps.

It was hard to put this book down once I started it. Although the women portrayed faced a living hell all around them, the authors elicit the courage and determination each women had to continue the daily existence in the camps. And that is what is so powerful; the daily horrors which become the backdrop for extermination are also part of the reason that each was able to define for herself a path through death.

This book was a difficult endeavor, as one never wants to face the potential raw ugliness of mankind. However, the voices of these women are invaluable in helping the world to remember a time which must never be forgotten.

As a young woman (34 years old) and a mother of three (which qualifies me as a caregiver, I guess), my heart went out to these brave women, struggling to impart some small measure of kindness or at least relief of suffering to their fellow prisoners. Women and children are seemingly the most vulnerable when society engages in chaos, but the women caregivers chronicled in this book were apparently among the most intrepid of all. I believe they gathered strength from the acts of focusing on giving aid to others in the most desperate of circumstances. Anyone who is interested in what the human spirit can endure, and indeed, overcome, should read this book.

This is an essential memoir for those interested in the ways Holocaust survivors contend with faith and overwhelming loss. As always, Wells' writing is lucid, candid, and hugely informative. Even for those who have read a lot by survivors, this book will add a perspective that most will not have encountered before: looking back, with pain but not sentimentality, on the definitive end of a world. This is a vitally important book.

Reviiewing the latest "swiss gold scandal" this book is a must. To the best of my knowledge the content of this book is true, I am saying this as a survivor of shoa. I am very much indebted to the author Mr. Wells who dared to lift the smoke screen of some incredible decisions and deads which caused many of us to die. It is unfortunate that the Germanand the Swiss public is not able to read this book as there are no German copies anymore in the market

The lifework of Raimundo Panikkar offers a rare glimpse of an actual possible human future. Rare in the sense that "visions of the future" usually presuppose "my" group ending up on top of the heap, with other groups happily living in the places we benevolently assign them. Panikkar will have none of that. Try to envision a future that doesn't proceed from such a premise, and you'll grok the staggering scope of the problematic to which Panikkar has devoted his entire life. His written works have the disadvantage (as far as popularization is concerned) of being as challenging as they are inspiring. Holder of multiple doctorates in science, philosophy and theology, he's fully steeped in a number of religious traditions and cultures (he's a Catholic priest and also professedly a Buddhist and a secularist) and languages, and he makes references to myths and figures that many readers might not readily recognize. The essays in this book were selected to give a relatively accessible introduction to some of the ideas that are key to understanding Panikkar's work. Entering into his vision is well worth any effort it might take

After Prof. Harry James Cargas passed away his friends and colleagues produced this book as a testiment to his scholarly contributions over the years. If the names of the authors do not impress you, the diversity of subject matter will. This is a fitting tribute to a person who was truly a "gentleman and a scholar".

Simon Wiesenthal authored a first rate book, one that should be read by everyone the world over, for it deals with problems that all societies struggle with in trying to achieve peace: forgiveness, justice, and grace. To what extent are we enabled to offer forgiveness on behalf of another, especially when the crimes committed are of almost unspeakable atrocity? Wiesenthal's story is gripping, moving, and haunting, a true encounter that provokes repeated pondering and contemplation. I don't have the 1997 revised version of the book containing the responses of 46 people in a symposium discussion, but I can say that in the original 32 responses, I read very few that contained a cogency and depth equal to that of Wiesenthal's story. While a handful were good, most were evasive. I therefore found the second half of the book to be a disappointment. THE SUNFLOWER, though, is worth getting just to read Wiesenthal's treatment, which is first rate. Philip Yancey also offers some thoughtful comments in a chapter from his book of essays entitled I WAS JUST WONDERING (beginning on page 70 under the title "A Haunting Deathbed Confession".)

This is some powerful material. Wiesenthal presents the story of a Nazi begging for forgiveness on his deathbed. Should he as a Jew grant this forgiveness? He deals with all the emotional and spiritual ambivalence he feels over this situation. What would you do? is the ultimate question he asks. Don't read this late at night if you want to get some sleep. I found myself tormented by the issue of forgiveness after reading this tale. I can not answer what I would do because I have never been in any situation as horrible as that. But this is a book that should be read by would be philosophers and moralizers as it features Wiesenthal's heart rending tale and follows it with essays by numerous writers of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. They all must wrestle with this issue. This is a book that should be required reading in universities if not high schools. It might actually provoke students to think. And surely that would be a good thing.

Simon Wiesenthal's book, The Sunflower, is a true life story of a Jew called to the bedside of a dying Nazi to hear the Nazi's life story. The Nazi then asks the Jew, Wiesenthal, to forgive him. Wiesenthal leaves in silence, but poses to you the same question: In his position, would you have forgiven the Nazi? A very thought-provoking book, The Sunflower makes the reader ponder for hours over the meaning of right and wrong, as well as giving a vivid picture of a Jew's life during the Holocaust. An excellent read.

Voices from the Holocaust by Harry James Cargas was an ok book. I expected it to be mores about the experience the people had in the concentration camps, rather than the books they wrote about it. I liked Simon Wiesenthals story about tracking down Nazi criminals. I also liked Whitney Harris's story because it was more about the Holocaust than her books she wrote about it. I didn't like Arnost Lustig's story because it was almost all about the books he wrote, and it wasn't intresting at all. If your going to write a book called "Voices from the Holocaust", people who read it are going to expect to read about the Holocaust,and not about books other people wrote. My favorite story was Jan Karski's. I found it interesting because he talked a lot about the Holocaust, and about interesting things that happened there.