The Other Victims: First-Person Stories of Non-Jews Persecuted by the Nazis

by Ina R. Friedman

Book Overview

A series of personal stories from some of the non-Jews, including gypsies, political and religious activists, the physically challenged, and other "undesirables," who were persecuted but escaped the fate of the five million Gentiles murdered by the Nazis.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395745152
• ISBN13: 9780395745151
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.9" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Great Holocaust Read for Young Adults

I would really reccomend this book for any upper elementry or Junior High School teacher teaching students about the Holocaust. It gives a VERY GOOD over view of non-Jewish victims in the Holocaust that are usually left out of Holocuast Studies. It is a quick read and really connects with the reader.

A great reminder that the Holocaust wasn't just targeting Jews.

This wonderful book is a collection of short biographies of people who were persecuted by the Nazis but were not Jewish. These stories will touch your heart and help us to keep the story of the horrors of WWII alive.

my review

The Other Victims was a book of real life stories from the Holocaust. I liked this book because it tells how people had to go into hiding, how they had no freedom, and how they fought back. The book is mainly about people trying to escape from Germany to America or a safe country. My favorite chapter was Bubili: a young Gypsy's fight for survival. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. The reason I couldn't put this book down was it was all true. I thought it was hard to believe it actually happened. The people were killed because of their religion, color, looks, and trying to stop the wrong that was going on.

Terrific teaching resource!

In "The Other Victims", Ina R. Friedman recounts the treatment of non-Jewish people during the Nazi occupation of Germany. From Blacks to Deaf people, the Nazis used sterilization, euthanasia, and even mass murder to stop apparent "defects." Each section includes a brief description and a first-hand account of an individual from each group.One notable story is that of Fanny Schwarz. Fanny was born deaf to deaf parents. As such, the government decided that she was defective and tried her to determine whether she should be sterilized. During the ensuing years she was sterilized twice, the second time in addition to taking her reproductive capabilities, they also took the child she was carrying. Schwarz recounts her physical and emotional pain during this dark period. Other stories are equally moving.This book is an excellent teaching resource! I would recommend it to both students and history teachers alike. Not only does it present narratives on people often overlooked during discussions of Nazi persecution, it also does so in small chunks, easy to read or take alone in specific teaching units. Definitely a worthwhile resource!

In Defense. . .

I read this book almost ten years ago when I was in the seventh grade. I found it and read it myself, no teacher help. I have to say this in defense of this book--it made a profound impact on me when I was 12 years old. It was the first time I realized that the Holocaust wasn't just about Jews. In retrospect, I think it was the first time I realized the ENTIRE horror of what really happened. These many years later, of course, this book doesn't mean the same thing. But it is a very powerful work for younger readers and it helps paint a complete picture of what Nazi Germany was like. I highly recommend it to show just how insane things were.