Bearing Witness’ Essay, Research Paper

Bearing Witnesses, Stories of the Holocaust, selected by Hazel Rochman and Darlene Z. McCampbell is a wonderful book that illustrates the horror of the Holocaust. I believe that this book helped me to better understand what really happened during the tragic event.

This book is made up of many different real life accounts of the Holocaust. Survivors, friends and family of victims, and even the Nazi’s themselves all have their own stories and opinions that can be revealed through this book. When reading a textbook, the dates and major facts of the Holocaust are presented. The textbook tells how the victims were treated poorly and put into concentration camps. But, Bearing Witness takes the event one step further by giving great detail of what happened. Although the stories in this book are unpleasant, they are true. The awful stories in this book are not lies and therefore, they really make you think about why the Holocaust occurred. Who is to blame? The book does not give you the answers, it just gives you the opportunity to enhance your knowledge about how the victims felt and how the Nazi’s felt. Bearing Witness shares stories from children, their parents, and the elderly. From stories written when the Holocaust was happening, to present day reminiscences, Bearing Witness gives many meaningful outlooks on the Holocaust.

I have read many books about the Holocaust but I believe that Bearing Witness best describes the terror of the people experiencing the event. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading about the Holocaust. Bearing Witness is a wonderful piece of literature and it has helped me to better understand the emotions of Holocaust victims.