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 | | Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 by Heda Margolius Kovaly, Helen Epstein (Translator) ISBN-10: 9780841913776 ISBN-10: 0-8419-1377-3 ISBN-13: 9780841913776 ISBN-13: 978-0-8419-1377-6 Paperback 1997-01 Holmes & Meier Publishers Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The story of a Czechoslovakian Jew, Heda Kovaly, who was sent to Auschwitz during World War II. She escaped the death camp and made her way back to Prague. But the horrors did not end with the war--her husband became a victim of the Stalinist purges. | ||
Reviews | ||
Dying for communism An excellent book that is easy to read, you can easily get through it on a transatlantic flight or something similar. I have one quibble - at one point in the book Heda Kovaly states to her son Ivan that his father Rudolf died "for his beliefs." Well, sadly I think the truth is that he died BECAUSE of his beliefs, not FOR them, a subtle but important distinction. There is ample evidence throughout the book to suggest that Rudolf - particularly since he was a concentration camp survivor - should have seen what the communist regime was becoming. Heda certainly saw it. Nevertheless Rudolph continued to strive to do his best for the communist regime, continuously excusing the obvious atrocities that began to unfold. At one point Heda timidly points out that many of the people being arrested are Jews, and Rudolph yells at her and rejects the idea. *sigh* I suppose that is precisely the behavior of so many Nazis, and it is horribly ironic that it happened to a Jewish holocaust survivor, and it is a vivid reminder that the Germans of Nazi Germany were not specially evil, they were just . . . average. No, Rudolph died BECAUSE of his beliefs, not FOR them. You would have thought that his experience with the Nazis would have enabled him to better recognize the danger. If he couldn't, what chance would the rest of us have had? | ||
Its the story that plays in my head whenever tragedy befalls me & gives me the strength to get through it. I read this about 6 years ago when it was assigned in one of my undergrad classes. There are enough online reviews for you to read about the plot and like. Rather I want to tell you how her voice has stuck with me. I think of her ability to see the slivering when everything is just gray, and her amazing capacity to keep going. Whenever I think I can't go on, this death/or lost/ or series of unfortunate events as shattered the very last of my will I remember her words. I highly recommend it. I regally give this as a gift, I know I'm not just giving someone a powerful story, but really I'm giving someone a packet of extra strength for when they need it most in life. | ||
A lifetime of suffering: Under a Cruel Star This is a well-written, quick read. Heda's 27 years of suffering - first at the hands of the Nazis & then under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia - is heart rending. It's a book that should be part of high school curriculums to raise awareness of what too many people had to endure in the middle of the last century. It would be much more effective than relying on a history textbook that deals only with the 'facts.' | ||
Good book I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you think you don't like reading about history, you'll like this book. In fact, it is books like these that are the reason I love history so much, and why I'm majoring in it. It isn't about the politics or the wars or whatever else (although those are certainly important), it is the story of a woman trying to survive through a hell most of us cannot even imagine has existed on this earth, especially not in the last 50 years. Peoples' lives are what connect us to the past, and what make it relevant to the future. It gives a little meaning and heart behind all the dates and events that you have to memorize in class...make them more personal. And furthermore, you will be inspired by this woman. Her strength and character is admirable, to say the very least. Actually, I don't think even a fictional writer could invent a heroine more honorable than this one. So please, read it. stories like these deserve to be shared. | ||
great it is a great book use in my world civ class, and highly recommmand by my professor and TAs. | ||