Title: Henry A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship From Auschwitz to AmericaAuthor: Katrina Shawver
Publisher: Koehler Books
Published Date: November 1st 2017 by
Genre: Nonfiction, WWII, History, Polish
Page Count:307
Format: Kindle
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★.5
Goodreads Summary:
When Katrina Shawver met the eighty-five year old Henry Zguda, he possessed an exceptional memory, a surprising cache of original documents and photos, and a knack for meeting the right people at the right time. Couched in the interview style of Tuesdays with Morrie, Henry relates in his own voice a life as a champion swimmer, interrupted by three years imprisoned in Auschwitz and Buchenwald as a Polish political prisoner. With a pragmatic gallows humor, and sense of hope, he showed the author how to truly live for today, preferably with a shot of good Polish vodka. Henry's path of resiliency and power of connection are as relevant today, as they were in World War II.
Henry reminds us that no single class of people was safe from Hitler's reach or imprisonment, and no country suffered more under Hitler and Stalin than Poland. This bridge to history and view of the Holocaust through Polish eyes is supported by extensive research, and features more than 70 original photos and rare German documents. Ultimately, Henry is the story a strong young man, who survives by his wits, humor, friends, and a healthy dose of luck. This book is for the discerning adult looking for an intelligent read that examines World War II, the Holocaust, and the true meaning of friendship then and now.
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My Review
Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher/author for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I read this book over a few months because it is a heavy thing to deal with. The stories that Henry told of what happened to him and so many others in Auschwitz and the other camps are heartbreaking. This isn't a book for the faint of heart.
Henry's story touches on a very little talked about portion of the holocaust. The Polish people who were arrested as well as the political prisoners, etc who were also arrested from 1993 to the end of the war. Reading about the ways he survived so many camps, and sicknesses all because of who he knew, and how he was able to make friends throughout his life is truly amazing.
Henry's life was one full of happiness, sadness and random acts that changed multiple peoples lives. How he continued on with his life after the war I found amazing as well, learning how much of a struggle it was in occupied Poland after the Germans had been defeated, and the Soviets had taken over was something I had no idea about.
I did really like the formatting of this book of going back and forth between Henry's stories and the author giving us context about what was happening and stats about the camps etc. I learned so so much throughout this whole book, and I feel like I need to re-read it in the near future to learn even more from it.
So much happened throughout this whole book and I am sure I missed a lot of the details about his life, but I am so so glad I read this one. I can't wait to see if the author does more biography types of things like this one or not. I also loved learning about her life and how writing this book was a struggle at times.
Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher/author for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I read this book over a few months because it is a heavy thing to deal with. The stories that Henry told of what happened to him and so many others in Auschwitz and the other camps are heartbreaking. This isn't a book for the faint of heart.
Henry's story touches on a very little talked about portion of the holocaust. The Polish people who were arrested as well as the political prisoners, etc who were also arrested from 1993 to the end of the war. Reading about the ways he survived so many camps, and sicknesses all because of who he knew, and how he was able to make friends throughout his life is truly amazing.
Henry's life was one full of happiness, sadness and random acts that changed multiple peoples lives. How he continued on with his life after the war I found amazing as well, learning how much of a struggle it was in occupied Poland after the Germans had been defeated, and the Soviets had taken over was something I had no idea about.
I did really like the formatting of this book of going back and forth between Henry's stories and the author giving us context about what was happening and stats about the camps etc. I learned so so much throughout this whole book, and I feel like I need to re-read it in the near future to learn even more from it.
So much happened throughout this whole book and I am sure I missed a lot of the details about his life, but I am so so glad I read this one. I can't wait to see if the author does more biography types of things like this one or not. I also loved learning about her life and how writing this book was a struggle at times.
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