Review of "Memories of Evil: Recalling a World War II Childhood," by Peter Kubicek

 Review of

Memories of Evil: Recalling a World War II Childhood, by Peter Kubicek, ISBN 9781480163201

Five out of five stars

While unique to the author, the experience of millions

 The author was a Jew living in Eastern Europe when the Germans invaded and took control. A fundamental part of their strategy was to exploit the Jewish population whenever possible and exterminate otherwise. Kubicek was an inmate in six German camps, surviving via a combination of luck and some skills. One of the simplest was his ability to repair socks. Wherever he went, there was always someone that gave him that extra slice of bread or other sustenance that was the difference between life and death.

 While Kubicek’s story about life in the camps is of course unique to him, the basic experiences were those of millions of people, most of which did not survive. One of the most interesting points in the book is how he encountered a man that was a German criminal assigned to the camps. As such a person, he was considered non-political and given a decent job with better food, shelter and clothing. Some of those benefits were passed along to Kubicek.

A sad tale of history that must never be forgotten, this is a story that is both unique and yet depressingly common and most often not told due to the deaths of the principals at the hands of the Germans.