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All but My Life Essay

Decent Essays

History 121
Book Analysis “All But My Life”
February 15, 2013
All But My Life All But My Life is a memoir about a young Jewish girl, Gerda Weissmann, who was able to endure the hardships of World War II and the Holocaust. Gerda went through and saw more horrific things in the matter of a few years than any of us will ever have to face in our lifetimes. The fact that a girl this young and hopeless can withstand so much pain but yet contain so much strength should be an inspiration to all. Reading this book really opened my eyes to what the world can bring. After reading Gerda’s journey, I will never again complain of times being tough or depressing in my life. This book really meant a lot to me for that very reason. It is amazing that …show more content…

Also it was written for those who were unable to survive the Holocaust. For those who will never be able to share their hard fought journey and are now just another number to total of lives lost during the Holocaust.
Gerda’s long and eventful journey didn’t just take place in one location or even just one concentration camp for that matter. Her journey had several stops along the way and consisted of days and days of traveling in the harshest conditions. The journey of Gerda’s story begins in September of 1939 in her hometown of Bielitz, Poland (4). Bielitz is where Gerda spent roughly the first sixteen years of her life (43). In the early summer of 1942 Bielitz is Judenreined which means free of Jews basically. Gerda and her family are split and to travel in different directions. Gerda is headed toward Sosnowitz, Poland and gets there in June 1942 (96). From Sosnowitz, Gerda is sent to her first concentration camp in Bolkenhain, Germany (113). While at Bolkenhain, Gerda worked thread machines day in and day out; however, all in all the girls were treated pretty well at Bolkenhain compared to other concentration camps. Gerda would later found out that Bolkenhain was like heaven in comparison to what was to come. Soon Gerda and the rest of the girls are sent to another concentration camp called Marzdorf in September of 1943 (145). Marzdorf was nothing like Bolkenhain and was purely miserable for Gerda. Luckily Gerda doesn’t spend a great deal of

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