In 1939 Oskar Schindler, a charming, opportunistic German businessman and Nazi party member, arrives in occupied Kraków to make money. He takes over an enamelware factory, using cheap Jewish labor. As the persecution of Jews worsens, he begins using his connections, bribes and charm to protect his workers, eventually moving them to a camp in Brünnlitz and saving more than a thousand people. Thomas Keneally based the book on interviews with survivors, and he tells it in the manner of a novel while keeping to the facts as they were reported. Schindler appears as a complicated person, not a saint.
It is a worthwhile read for those interested in the Holocaust, and for readers who saw the film and want the fuller account. It shows how one person's choices can matter.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1994
- Publisher
- Goldmann
- ISBN
- 9783442425297
- Language
- DE
