The Nazis Knew My Name by Magda Hellinger and her daughter Maya Lee
What can I say about this book? For one, I couldn’t put it down. It’s one of those page-turners that has your heart in your mouth because we all know a little about the Nazi concentration camps. We think we know the atrocities that the SS inflected on the occupants of the camps. Jews, Gypsies, Criminals, and Political prisoners. However, putting it in writing, listening to a personal account moves that understanding to a reality of what the SS did. It makes the account real, vivid and breaks my heart.
I didn’t know that the Slovak government selected the first inmates of the camp to be women. The ages of which were from 16 to 25. Not only that, the women were sold for 500 Reichsmarks (£44) each to the German Authorities.
The lies they told the young women to get them to obey, of working in factories for 3 months. In reality, most of the women never saw their families again, if they survived. Then the inhumane processing of these women. Making them stand naked on footstools while all their hair was cut and taking their clothes and jewellery. In our liberal beliefs today, we would find this shocking. However, in 1942, women still had chaperones for evenings out, and the head of the house controlled their daily lives. It must have been devastating.
Book Review under 400 Words
This is the story of Magda Hellinger Blau, who at 25 and a kindergarten teacher and business owner. She was one of the first women sent to the concentration camps (Auschwitz) and how she survived. The role she played in saving and helping other women survive the camps and her determination to help the other women live through the horror. The torture of the female prisoners is beyond belief, trying to sterilise the women so that they couldn’t have more children, measure their brains, and the indignity bestowed upon them just for living.
Then the manner in which the bodies are thrown away like a dirty bag of potatoes. Magda was extraordinarily lucky in her time in the camp. (If you can use the word luck in these circumstances, may be blessed or fortunate, I can’t think of another way to put it). She was selected by the SS to become a Jewish leader within the camp and eventually became a Lageralteste (Camp leader). This enabled Magda to help the women around her, to show them how to survive and live to tell their stories. Stories that must be told so we never forget.
Taken from Youtube on 13 September 2021
It is harrowing, and every new chapter is worse than the last and yet strangely compelling. You want to yell out to do something, stop the cruelty, and stupidly hoping that Magda survives. We know she survives. This is her story, but you can’t help wanting to put out a gentle hand to say come this way. Let me help you.
The Nazis Knew My Name is an important book, what a shame it is still happening in the world
The saddest part of this book is that it is still happening today. Women are still being tortured, being brutalised, and treated with disdain.
Printed Version £16.65
Ebook Version £8.99
Audible Version £12.59
These links are from an affiliate link with Amazon. I will get credit for any sale, this does not affect the price paid. The featured image used on this post was taken from The Sydney Morning Herald
This book is targeting children from the age of 8 or 9 as a self-reading book. However, it is a book that could be read as a bedtime story or read with your child. The premise is around four characters, a little girl of 12, Stella Saxby and her Aunt Alberta. Aunt Alberta is the awful auntie. The two other characters are Soot, a chimney sweep ghost, and Wagner, a great Bavarian Mountain Owl.
Book Review under 400 Words
Aunt Alberta is desperate to inherit Saxby Hall. As a bad loser at tiddlywinks, Aunt Alberta has placed a tremendous financial burden on the family. Her brother Lord Saxby is trying to save the home and makes various trips to London. On one trip, there is a car accident, and Lord and Lady Saxby die. Aunt Alberta can see the inheritance within her grasp. However, there are two obstacles in her way, the deeds to the house and her niece, Stella Saxby. We meet our heroine as she wakes up after the car crash. She is wrapped in bandages and tied to her bed. Aunt Alberta tells Stella she was in a coma for months, and she and Wagner have been caring for her.
Stella manages to escape from the bandages and is then thrown into the cellar and meets Soot, our friendly ghost. Together they outwit Aunt Alberta and uncover the mystery of her uncle, who mysteriously disappeared when he was a baby.
Take part in Awful Auntie
If you’re creative with your voice and enjoy reading to your child, this could be the perfect book for you. With only four characters, you can give each character a distinctive voice, which will bring the book alive. It is a book you could pick up and put down, but one that you will certainly want to finish.
This book has many comedy moments, which you would expect from David Walliams. The adults are buffoons, and the children are sensible and ingenious. The story’s pacing is perfect for children, and the action is moved from one mini calamity to the next. My only criticism is that David Walliams makes lists within the story. We usually have a list of maybe three or four items. However, David Walliams has eight or nine items on the list, and it gets rather tedious. It is a fun book and one that a child of eight and nine will enjoy. There is a murder within the book, however, it is not traumatic for the reader. Our hero survives her awful auntie and turns Saxby Hall into a Children’s Home.
The Birmingham Stage Company turned the story into a play, and there is talk of a film.
Availability of Awful Auntie by David Walliams
David Walliams has written other books, that you may find interesting. Here is the link to his website.
Elon Musk is currently at the pinnacle of his career. It seems that anything he touches turns into gold or a lucrative business venture. Widely referred to as the founder of Zip2, PayPal, SolarCity, SpaceX, and, of course, Tesla, Musk’s influence is undeniable. However, there is some controversy over the term “founder,” with some suggesting that “investor” might be a more appropriate label.
Who is he?
Curious about the man behind these successes, I delved into his biography, written by Ashlee Vance. The book provided a captivating insight into Musk’s early life and his peculiar relationship with his father. His unconventional childhood and the strong bond he still shares with his siblings paint a picture of a unique upbringing. It became evident that Musk himself was an unusual child, often preferring to read books and spend time alone, except when he was launching rockets.
Money
Interestingly, money is not Elon Musk’s primary driving force. The biography conveys that money can come and go, and there is always potential to make more. In fact, both SpaceX and Tesla were hours from bankruptcy until a crucial investor intervention. Musk’s attitude toward money is somewhat frivolous. An amusing anecdote from the book recounts his trip to Russia to buy a rocket, where he was offered one for $10 million. His response was characteristic of his innovative spirit: he believed he could make a rocket for much less. This ethos permeates all of Musk’s ventures. If an item costs $10,000, Musk aims to make or buy it for $100. It is with this philosophy that Musk and SpaceX successfully launched a rocket into space.
Musk and his team approach problems with fresh perspectives, continually rethinking and refining ideas until they arrive at several solutions at a fraction of the original cost. This collaborative and iterative approach has been key to their success.
A Workaholic
Musk is a workaholic, dedicating 14-16 hours a day to his work and often sleeping in the workplace. This intense schedule has significantly impacted his private life; he has been divorced three times and has five children. One can’t help but wonder if this lifestyle will eventually take a toll on his health. When Musk gets an idea, he becomes obsessive, demanding his staff match his level of drive or face termination. This relentless pursuit of perfection and innovation defines Musk’s leadership style and contributes to his companies’ groundbreaking achievements.
Drive and Ambition
Reading about Musk’s drive and ambitions offers a fascinating look into one of the most influential men of the first part of the 21st century. His story is one of relentless pursuit, innovation, and an unyielding quest to redefine industries. Despite the controversies and personal sacrifices, Musk’s contributions to technology and space exploration are undeniable. This biography provides valuable insights into the mind of a man who continually pushes the boundaries of what is possible, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in the future of technology and entrepreneurship.
Eric Cunningham reviewed this week’s comedy show ‘Hit Job.’ Audible members who are part of Amazon can access this podcast for free.
The show narrates the story of Brynn Morris, an aspiring artist desperate to earn money for her grandmother’s lifesaving surgery. Brynn accepts a job as an administrator at Kill Co, a company with the motto “Do Bad Things for Good Reasons.” Initially, she feels appalled by the company’s objective: killing people.
Kill Co
To boost company morale, Kill Co. creates a competition to see who can kill the most people in the shortest period. The Managing Director constantly changes the rules to suit their preferences. Significantly, the rule change dictates that the person at the bottom of the leaderboard becomes a target. Moreover, strict rules govern who can kill. All kills are displayed on the company app, Tinder. Swiping left means passing while swiping the other way accepts the contract. Eventually, our heroine involved herself in the competition.
Brynn teams up with Geo, the tech nerd, whose father started the company. The subsequent episodes take us on each of their kills and the mishaps they experience.
Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
The series has undertones of Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. To fully enjoy this series, it helps to be familiar with “cult” movies. There are subtle references sprinkled throughout, like one employee of Kill Co wearing a mask and hosting dinner parties (a nod to Silence of the Lambs). Film references come thick and fast.
The series has 12 episodes, which are two episodes too long. The pace was excellent, and the comedy timings of the voice artists were superb. Millennials had diverse attitudes, including being obsessed with social media and being extremely dedicated to work.
Its wacky view of life and death is interesting. Anyone in business is a target, especially if money is a driving force. Environmental issues and morality were discussed, as well as who should be added to the ‘hit list’.
I am not sure I like the concept of glamorising killing but there are laughs out loud moments, some sophisticated dialogue that moves the story from one subject to the next. I wouldn’t recommend this to my father. However, my nephew would love it. A new cult audio production has just been created.
If you enjoyed Hit Job, you may also like these reviews
The Graveyard Book is a Children’s/Young Adults horror story targeting 9+. As you would expect with a horror story, there is a dark side that tells the history of Bod, (Nobody Owens) and his journey into becoming a young man of 15. We are introduced to Bod as a baby when a stranger breaks into his family home and murders his parents and sister.
The stranger spends the next 15 years looking for Bod “to finish the job”. Unbeknownst to the stranger, Bod found his way to the local graveyard where Mr and Mrs Owens adopted him, who died over 200 years ago. Bod is raised by ghosts and taught all aspects of ghost behaviour, although Bod is very charming and curious. We are introduced to several ghosts whose attitudes and language reflect the era of their birth and death. Bod has a guardian who is mysterious in his own right and becomes his second father and mentor. Bod obeys his guardian without question until he expresses a desire to spend time with the living and out of the graveyard.
Book Review under 400 Words
The Graveyard book itself explores a number of adolescent issues, for example bullying and telling lies which resulted in police intimidation. There is also extortion and additional threats of violence. There is a sarcastic description of how Britain used to treat witches and ultimately kill them. If reading this book with a child, some words may need an explanation as the language is quite grown-up. If your child is a science fiction fan, this may be a story for them. However, it comes with a warning that there are some violent and scary themes.
The book written in 2008 by Neil Gaiman, who has won several literary prizes. His pace and storytelling are superb. An American film company has purchased the story to turn into a movie. From a personal perspective, it was a charming horror story with a scattering of violence, extortion, and bullying. My only criticism of the book was that it left a few loose ends. There is certainly scope for a second story about Bod and what he does next, and more information about his guardian and what it is he is protecting. I would recommend this book for children of 9+ but with a healthy warning.
To find out more about the author and his other books, his website can be found at www.neilgaiman.com
This Book is available in the following formats:
Printed version £5.99 from Amazon and other book shops
Electronic Version from £4.28 from Amazon and other ebook providers
