I have read a great deal about the Holocaust, and I've read quite a few personal accounts, but this one is extraordinary. It has an immediacy that comes from having been written just after World War II, so that it is in essence a primary source document. But it's also a great piece of literature, a love story, and (despite the graphic horrors it describes) it ultimately is uplifting. Everyone interested in how humans can survive horrendous trauma with dignity intact should read this book.