Book Review: “Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz”, by Eva Mozes Kor

Reading time: 2 mins

At Auschwitz dying was so easy.
Surviving was a full time job.

★★★★★

Great book from an amazing woman!

Eva and Miriam are the youngest of the family, and they’re also the favourites. Growing up Jewish in Romania at the break of WWII is not easy – they get increasingly bullied, and their family is persecuted. When they all get deported to Auschwitz, the twins will keep their status in the eyes of a dark figure – some call him uncle, some Josef Mengele, but Todesengel (Angel of Death) is his most apt name. From then on is a battle not only for survival, but to stay united.

Despite how tough this book is to read, I liked it. And I most of all liked to get to know Eva, the narrator of the story.

Eva is a tough child, having to grow fast at the beginning of WWII. She’s only ten years old when she gets deported with her family to Auschwitz. She will lose her family, get a sinister “protector”, and wait one year before she will be able to slowly taste freedom again. In that year she’ll get to know the darkest side of the human heart, and she will have to be the pillar that keeps his sister and herself united, until the liberation by the hand of the Allies.

The author covers the years before, during, and after her imprisonment in the concentration camp. She explains how she managed to survive, how the camp worked, and what she had to endure being what she calls a “Mengele twin”, something that was really precious to the deprived doctor of the camp. Having the Aryan ideal in mind, he wanted to discover the secret of twins and eugenics.

Although the book is targeted to children and young adults, Eva uncovers some of the horrors she faced in the camp, even having the “priviliged” status of twins. Having to endure torture and experiments is not a privilege, and it is what ultimately killed her sister years after leaving the camp.

The new edition of this books comes with a sad epilogue – the passing of the author. The last part of the book is dedicated to Eva – the person she was, and the legacy she left.

The controversial topic of Eva forgiving the Nazi is also touched, explaining once and for all how it was her personal choice: she did not forgive them on behalf of all the victims, and this act benefits the victim, not the oppressor – that’s how you start leaving grief and anger behind, and live on your own terms. That’s how victims take control back over their lives.

I would recommend this book to anybody, regardless of their age and background.

**Thanks to NetGalley, Eva Mozes Kor, and Tanglewood Publishing for an ARC of this book.**